With an international break and FC Dallas coming up on being a quarter of the way through the 2021 MLS season, what a great chance to roll out our slightly irregular roster rankings as we look at all 48 players signed to a professional contract with FC Dallas and North Texas SC.

As with any power ranking, there isn’t much science involved. We look at who’s playing well, who’s playing at all, whose name is on fans and coaches lips, and who is being spoken about in the media.

Starting XI:

1 (+3)	Bryan Acosta High: 1 | Low: 5	Acosta is in the best form of his FC Dallas career and is unquestionably FCD’s MVP to this point in the season. – Buzz
2 (-)	Ryan Hollingshead High: 2 | Low: 3	Ryan is the first name on the team sheet, but he’s prone to being moved about by Luchi. Against Colorado, he started at left back, spent time on the right, before being moved back. That limits his effectiveness. – Dan
3 (-2)	Jimmy Maurer High: 1 | Low: 4	Got the starting job back by default perhaps a bit earlier than he was physically ready for. He’s once again the steady influence and PK saving machine we all love. – Buzz
4 (+2)	Andres Ricaurte High: 1 | Low: 6	Tied the team lead for most key passes last game and had an absurd 8 (EIGHT) against RSL, even if four were from corners. Of the front four, Ricaurte is the one not to worry about. – Dan
5 (+4)	Bressan High: 5 | Low: 15	Had a rough game or two but he’s a reliable starter and often captain these days. Will he remain the starter when Hedges is back in top form? Good question.- Buzz
6 (-1)	Jose Antonio Martinez High: 5 | Low: 6	Martinez has been playing hurt. His performance against Colorado wasn’t helped by the full-back shift making him the right back cover on the Barrios goal. – Dan
7 (-4)	Matt Hedges High: 2 | Low: 7	The decade-long defensive GOAT of FCD, he’s been carrying this team forever. Injuries aside he’s had a rough start to 2021. Is the clock starting to tick?  – Buzz
8 (+7)	Phelipe Megiolaro High: 8 | Low: 16	Got the start when Maurer was hurt, looks the part. On the downside, he missed out on the Olympic roster for Brazil and then picked up an injury that potentially cost him the starting FCD spot. – Dan
9 (+5)	Tanner Tessmann High: 9 | Low: 14	While he continues to start and has lots of terrific qualities we like, his performance as the 6 hasn’t taken FCD out of the market for a top-flight, pure 6. – Buzz
10 (-2)	Jader Obrian High: 8 | Low: 10	That open goal against RSL could be the chance that keeps Dallas out of the playoffs. Obrian benefits from the intense scrutiny Jara gets, because he’s not far behind. – Dan
11 (+5)	Paxton Pomykal High: 11 | Low: 22	He finally looks like himself again. Now he just needs 90-minute fitness. Could he get the start on June 19th? We think so. – Buzz

In The Mix:

12 (-)	Szabolcs Schön High: 12 | Low: 12	Luchi wants to give Sabi minutes even when it doesn’t look like a great time or position to do so. He’s prepping for the Euros as one of a handful of MLS players. Zanotta smells money on this one. – Dan
13 (-3)	Ricardo Pepi High: 10 | Low: 13	The club’s desperate need for a scoring 9 aside, Pepi is right on track in my book for where his progression should be.  – Buzz
14 (-7)	Freddy Vargas High: 7 | Low: 14	Vargas will miss FC Dallas’ next three games at minimum for Copa America. I’m not sure FC Dallas will miss Vargas based purely on his form. – Dan
15 (-3)	Franco Jara High: 7 | Low: 15	John backed it up with analytics, Jara’s lack of goal scoring is killing this team.  – Buzz
16 (-3)	Jesus Ferreira High: 9 | Low: 16	Luchi told us that Jesus should be back in full training after the international break. That may put him on a similar timeline as Vargas and Schon for a return. – Dan
17 (+9)	Dante Sealy High: 17 | Low: 26	Was getting some good minutes off the bench, just this week I said it might be time to give him a start somewhere… aaannnndddd he’s off to PSV.   – Buzz
18 (-1)	Eddie Munjoma High: 17 | Low: 18	Eddie won the start at right back and is starting to break through that wall at the opposition third. He actually joint-led the team in key passes last game…but then he was bizarrely subbed at halftime. Is that a sign he could be dropped? – Dan
19 (-1)	Justin Che High: 18 | Low: 23	Playing well for Bayern Munich II, Bayern now wants to buy him, and he’s gotten the USMNT call up – even if it’s just as a replacement for Richards – that’s a hell of a season. – Buzz
20 (+2)	Kalil ElMedkhar High: 20 | Low: 24	MLS debut. Two left wingers out of the country for the next few weeks. Kalil said in preseason he was here to fight for a position and it’s now there to fight for. – Dan

Second Team:

21 (-10)	Johnny Nelson High: 11 | Low: 21	Got some starts early but then sat to get Eddie Munjoma on the field. Still comes on as a defensive option and even plays some CB but the starts may be hard to come by if Munjoma keeps progressing. – Buzz
22 (-2)	Brandon Servania High: 20 | Low: 22	Back in town and probably weighing up how valuable his loan actually was. No goals or assists, and being shoved to right back on a relegated team doesn’t look good on the face of it. – Dan
23 (-4)	Edwin Cerrillo High: 14 | Low: 23	His lack of PT when the team so badly needs a 6 is a poor sign. This kid needs to learn to be a bastard on the field. – Buzz
24 (+1)	Ema Twumasi High: 19 | Low: 25	Made his season debut to put some health issues past him. Ema may benefit from Luchi shifting the fullbacks around again. – Dan
25 (-4)	Thomas Roberts High: 21 | Low: 25	The great FC Dallas mystery is why this kid can’t even get a sniff of the field as he continues to tear it up in training.  – Buzz
26 (+1)	Gibran Rayo High: 26 | Low: 31	Picked up a ridiculous red card for kicking out at a player off the field, but he has been North Texas’ best player aside. – Dan
27 (+1)	Nkosi Tafari High: 27 | Low: 28	Bad timing on the injury. With so many FCD CBs banged up there was probably an opportunity to be had.  There still might be if he can prove he’s fit over the break. – Buzz
28 (+3)	David Rodriguez High: 28 | Low: 37	Plenty of reports talking up Atletico San Luis buying DRod after stringing together a few starts on his loan. – Dan
29 (+10)	Beni Redzic High: 29 | Low: 39	The imminent Dante Sealy departure opens the door for Redzic who made the travel squad against the Rapids. – Buzz
30 (+5)	Colin Shutler High: 30 | Low: 35	FC Dallas looked past Sanchez – who was an everyday starter in MLS just three years ago for Chicago and played twice for SKC last year – for Shutler as an emergency MLS backup. That’s a solid vote of confidence for Shutler. – Dan
31 (+2)	Bernard Kamungo High: 31 | Low: 33	He’s starting to show some special qualities and the hype is growing. What a story this kid is.  From high school soccer to pro via an open tryout. – Buzz
32 (+5)	Imanol Almaguer High: 32 | Low: 37	In the best form of his career, a regular 90-ish minute contributor, and rewarded with the captain’s armband in the last game. – Dan

In Reserve:

33 (+8)	Alejandro High: 33 | Low: 41	He’s taken over as the 10 (or Free-8) for North Texas SC the last few games. He leads NTX in chances created (9) in just 3 starts & 3 sub appearances. Keep an eye on this kid, he may climb fast. – Buzz
34 (+2)	Alisson High: 34 | Low: 36	A fixture in the lineup and a real leader. The Brazilian just needs to stop picking up yellows after three in six games. – Dan
35 (-11)	Nicky Hernandez High: 17 | Low: 35	Injured. But when he’s healthy he needs to dominate NTXSC and he’s not. We say this every year about FCD homegrowns that go down… Thomas… Edwin… and now Nicky. You gotta dominate USL-1.  – Buzz
36 (-13)	Thibaut Jacquel High: 23 | Low: 36	The penalty in the first game with Toronto was good and all, but the goal-scoring threat from the first game isn’t there right now. – Dan
37 (+9)	Caiser Gomez High: 37 | Low: 46	His name is now written in pen on the NTX lineup card and he got a couple of FCD training invites. There’s some positive chatter around this kid. – Buzz
38 (-8)	Hope Kodzo Avayevu High: 29 | Low: 38	Hope has fallen out of the starting lineup in the last three games. – Dan
39 (+1)	Kazu High: 39 | Low: 40	One of the dumbest red cards in club history aside, he’s starting to take over Waldeck’s left back spot. – Buzz
40 (-)	Collin Smith High: 40 | Low: 40	The 17-year-old is averaging 50 mins a game while he’s in and out of the starting lineup. – Dan
41 (+1)	Juan Parra High: 41 | Low: 42	He’s going to be the long-term NTX CB starter this season and got an FCD training invite with all the banged-up center backs. He has potential, but decision-making is not there yet. – Buzz
42 (-4)	Alex Bruce High: 36 | Low: 42	That late equalizer against Toronto could be important for both the team and a player who was reduced to just 21 minutes from the three games prior. – Dan
43 (-)	Richard Sanchez High: 43 | Low: 43	He’s the sure starter with Shutler in the MLS roster, it wasn’t a good sign he got passed up for that FCD emergency spot, and he hasn’t exactly blown us away with his game in USL-1. – Buzz
44 (-15)	Derek Waldeck High: 27 | Low: 44	Captain and a 90-minute player, but losing the start to Kazu against TFC II may be a pivotal moment in Waldeck’s FCD/NTX career. – Dan
45 (-13)	Kyle Zobeck High: 26 | Low: 45	His injury is really costing him opportunities and opened the door for Shutler.  – Buzz
46 (-12)	Mikey Maldonado High: 34 | Low: 46	Lost the start before getting 90 minutes at right back in the last game, due to Collin Smith being pushed further upfield. – Dan
47 (-2)	Rickson Van Hees High: 45 | Low: 47	Made a road bench but has yet to play for NTX. – Buzz
48 (-4)	Rio Ramirez High: 44 | Low: 48	The hometown kid at the Ballpark hasn’t made the bench consistently but did get eight minutes off the bench in the tie with Toronto FC II. – Dan

We have a new number one and it should come as no surprise given how fantastic Bryan Acosta has become this season in a team with few bright spots.

Our big winner this week is young Homegrown Beni Redzic who jumped 10 spots from 39 to 29. Redzic is back in the fold with North Texas and has seen one of his main obstacles – Dante Sealy – depart for Holland.

Sealy himself was a place behind, moving up nine spots to 17 on the back of his potential loan to PSV Eindhoven. Caiser Gomez matches that leap after winning a start with NTX and becoming a regular invite to first team practices.

On the other end, Derek Waldeck drops a staggering 15 spots to 44 in a volatile NTX section. The 2020 draft pick lost the start in the last game, which may be the beginning of the end of Waldeck’s time in North Texas.

Kyle Zobeck and Thibaut Jacquel weren’t far off with a pair of 13 place slides. Zobeck’s injury has cost him some opportunities with both Maurer and Phelipe down. Colin Shutler got the first team loan while Richard Sanchez as the other NTX keeper has more MLS experience. Jacquel started brightly with an opening game brace but just hasn’t been that same dangerous player aside from a penalty away to Toronto FC II.