The 2024 season has ended with FC Dallas missing the playoffs for the 9th time in club history and the 2nd time in the last four.
Even in a normal season, we see some turnover but in this case, with a new coach coming and a make-the-playoffs minimum, we should perhaps see more. The last time FCD missed the playoffs we saw eight player options declined and one player out of contract.
A Reminder: in MLS roster building one needs to be ruthless. Emotion and sentimentality need to be set aside.
17 Players Under Contract
Before we dig into the options and out-of-contract players for 2025 here are the players under contract based on press releases from FC Dallas.
Enes Sali, Petar Musa, Maarten Paes, Paxton Pomykal, Geovane Jesus, Bernard Kamungo, Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferreira, Alan Velasco, Sebastian Lletget, Marco Farfan, Alejandro Urzua, Carl Sainté, Nolan Norris, Tarik Scott, and Tomas Pondeca.
A Small Cap Problem
It’s very difficult to compile salary cap numbers because they include things like the cost of purchase or loans that aren’t publicized. We also don’t know how the club spends its GAM/TAM.
But I’ve done my best with a rough estimate and I think FCD is between $1 and $1.5 million over the cap for 2025 if they bring everyone back.
FC Dallas of course won’t bring everyone back. In the season-ending press conference, Andre Zanotta indicated some roster spots will be open and they have the ability to add some pieces. So I think the cap issue will get cleared up by these moves. But just cleaning up the issue and making room for moves are two different things.
Let’s keep the cap in the back of our minds as we go forward here.
Options and Out-of-Contract Players
Out-of-contract players are free agents in worldwide terms.
| Player | Status | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene Ansah | Option | Decline | $700k for 1 goal isn’t going to do it. Not with guys like Logan Farrington around. Ansah is a necessary cap dump and solves half the over-the-cap problem. |
| Antonio Carrera | Option | Pick up | Antonio is a keeper in development. He’s making progress and should move up the depth chart this next season to #2. |
| Patrickson Delgado | Loan ending, buy option | Buy | Delgado has talent. While we don’t know the buy price and he plays a position FCD has plenty of talent already (plus kids coming through). I think FCD may make him their third U-22 Initiative signing. I wouldn’t, but I think they will. |
| Herbert Endeley | Option | Pick up | When a team is trying to stay under a cap, a cheaper, younger player with some potential as a backup isn’t a bad idea. This is what a depth piece should look like. This is what a supplemental roster (no-cap hit) player looks like. |
| Logan Farrington | Option | Pick up | One of the best rookie seasons of any draft pick in club history. Yes, pick him up. |
| Liam Fraser | Option | Decline | Fraser is the lone pure 6 on the roster but Show Cafumana has come in and outperformed the Canadian. |
| Omar Gonzalez | Option | Decline. | Gonzalez will be 37 next season, his minutes need to go to youth. But it doesn’t get more experienced for a US center back than him, so keep him in the org and give him a coaching job in the Academy. |
| Malik Henry-Scott | Option | Pick up | Some solid showings out of the college homegrown make him worth another season at North Texas SC on a FCD Homegrown contract. |
| Sebastien Ibeagha | Option | Decline & Make Offer | The defense as a collective was poor and needs to be improved, this is a big area of concern for 2025. Ibby’s contract is getting too large (over $700k next year?) and he’s 33 in January. FCD should see if he’ll take something the club can handle for 2 more years as a reserve. |
| Asier Illarramendi | Out of contract | Keep Talking | Some days, he’s FCD’s best player but he will be 35 in March and can’t play 34 games. Keep the dialog open, if the number is right get him back under contract cause he’s fantastic. But you can’t mortgage the future on him. Pomykal’s health may factor. |
| Sam Junqua | Option | Pick up | A lefty, a good player, with good versatility, and a good contract. Plus he can play both sides. No brainer to keep him. Great rost piece and teammate. |
| Amet Korca | Option | Decline | 24 and going the wrong direction, 0 games played this season after 4 last year. |
| Jimmy Maurer | Out of contract | Offer Job | Time for the front office or Academy coaching job he’s been preparing for. Keep him in the org. |
| Tsiki Ntsabeleng | Option | Pick up | Ntsabeleng will be 27 in February so he’s hitting his peak as a player. But he has great contract value, works hard, is well-liked, and can be an on-field asset. |
| Isaiah Parker | Option | Decline | The club might keep him because of the cap-free Generation adidas contract. But in 3 seasons he’s played 0 minutes and will be coming off a patellar fracture. Let the kid be free. |
| Ruan | Out of contract | So long and thanks for all the fish | Terrific player but he’s 30 in May. Right back belongs to Geovane Jesus in 2025 and Ruan was basically a late-season emergency signing. What it would take to keep Ruan would be too much. |
| Dante Sealy | Option | Decline | He’s 22 so there’s plenty of time for him to come good. But his contract is climbing and we’re not seeing any progression here. It might be time for a new scene. Hopefully the kid can find himself. |
| Nkosi Tafari | Option | Pick up | He can be inconsistent but for many of us on the outside, he’s FCD’s best defender. His contract is also a good value and FCD can’t afford to replace the entire defense. |
| Ema Twumasi | Option | Decline | There are just too many right backs on this team and Twumasi has been banged up too much. When healthy he hasn’t been able to lock down the job. Plus Geovane Jesus likely will be the starter in 2025. |
There you have it. Those are our predictions of what we think FC Dallas will do heading toward 2025.
Think they should or will do it differently? Let us know below.
So if we take the best outcomes for everything, you are talking 9 players out. At a minimum you need what, a 3rd string keeper, 2 CBs, a project LB, and a depth wing/10? Then fill the rest with youth?
we’ll get the into the next steps soon. but a few bodies will come from North Texas SC.
Unless Illarramendi wants some huge increase in comp (maybe he does), they’ve gotta get him back.
I LOVE Endeley, but as much as the first team staff didn’t trust him at RB this year in moments where they desperately needed one, I don’t have hope he’ll be around.
I’m torn on Tsiki because he’s great value and a fine player but he’s also in front of a BUNCH of young players with similar profiles (Ramirez and Pedrinho, especially). Don’t want him crowding them out.
IDK on Henry-Scott. He turns 23 next month and was just okay for NTX this year. With Farrington and Scott locked up long-term, I don’t see a need to keep him around (or give him second team minutes over younger players).
agree with your thoughts, most of this is what in think they will do. like you, my ideas would be different.
Keep eugene. the talent is there…but only keep if hes way lower in value.
I think it is time to move on from tsiki and sealy. I am wondering if pedrinho will get an fcd contract and maybe enes sali will get fcd minutes?
Is there any chance that the NTXSC Keeper gets signed? Wasn’t he keeper of the year?
Yes he was and yes, there’s a chance.
I feel like they’ve gotta do something with Paxton. I mean love rooting for the dude and hopefully things start falling right for him, but with his injury history they can’t keep paying him so much. Maybe they can rework some kind of incentive heavy deal?
Also, I am aware that this would be a psychotic move for FCD given that we have a pile of RBs and no CBs at all, but the longer this season went on the more I felt like Tafari would really thrive more as a RB where he has a little more freedom to get forward and less obligation to be disciplined.
Paxton they are going to have to wait and see. the procedure and options are different depending on how healthy he gets.
I’m pulling out my crystal ball and I SEE the future…
– Eugene Ansah will still be with the team because he’s the new coach
– He decides to move Nolan Norris to starting GK and move Paes to starting Forward
– Freeing up Musa to be the RB he has always wanted to be
– Jimmy Maurer takes over for Zanotta (because…why not?)
– Sam Junqua and Tsiki ARE the midfield because what haven’t they played
– Illarramendi, Paxton, Ferreira, Bernard, and Velasco just roam the field playing keep away from the other team and randomly send the ball towards the goal in case Farrington or Jesus has decided to go in search of a ball to put in
– Farfan, Nkosi and Ibeagha make the only “normal” portion of defense except that Tafari can fine anyone he wants for violating his sense of fashion.
Ok…there’s probably 15 people on the field, but I’m sure the coach will find the Ansah some how and I’m sure we’ll score more than 1 goal in 2 years.
I smell what you’re “cooking.”
I appreciate the reference to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Glad someone noticed.