North Texas SC had a much better run than FC Dallas this year, one of the best runs in club history bringing home the second title in just 5 seasons.
But now that their season is over, it’s time to talk roster moves for the junior club as well. We’re expecting roster moves early this week, maybe even Monday. So we have to put out our predictions tonight.
Because there is a large talent gap to FC Dallas, there is a much shorter leash at North Texas SC. If there isn’t clear progression time will run out quickly at this level. Hell, anything short of a consistent dominant performance will find it hard to make the leap.
Under Contract for 2025
Leonardo Orejarena, Victor Darub, Isaiah Kaakoush, Kaka Scabin, and Jaidyn Contreras.
Moving up to FC Dallas?
I see four possible candidates for a potential jump to FC Dallas this winter. Key word, possible.
Perhaps it goes without saying that FCD should pick up their options until they get them signed to an FCD deal if they are. All four are worth keeping at NTX if not.
It may very well that any of them may say, give me an FCD deal or I want out.
| Player | Status | Decision? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Collodi | Option | Pick up | What a fantastic gift has Collodi turned out to be. Leader, shot-stopper. Pick up the option for sure. He might even be up for the 3rd keeper spot with FCD. |
| Diego Garcia | Option | Pick up | For my money, he’s North Texas SC’s best and most consistent player. He should be with FC Dallas already. Grab the option to be safe and then sign him to FCD. |
| Nico Gordon | Option | Pick up | The first half of the season was solid, but as he got comfortable his game got better and better. I like him for the 5th FCD CB spot. |
| Pedrinho | Option | Pick up | A dynamic game-changer who was hurt more than one might like. Enough talent he could move up to FCD. 19 games, 14 starts, 10 goals, 5 assists. The downside is he can be inconsistent like in the West Final and NP Cup (winner aside). |
Hybrid Deals
These are the players our sources say are on hybrid deals. So it’s just a question of when they become homegrowns. Only Ramirez is ready to help FCD on the field at this point and even he won’t see heavy minutes.
| Player | Status | Decision? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Baran | Hybrid | — | He was announced as a signing for just 2024 in September. I am as confident as I can be that he’s a hybrid deal. 14 games, 3 starts as a teen. |
| Malachi Molina | Hybrid | — | Our sources say he’s on a hybrid deal. Needs to be the starting right back for Los Toritos in 2025. |
| Anthony Ramirez | Hybrid | — | Andre Zanotta already told everyone Ramirez is moving up to homegrown this winter. I had already assumed that to be the case. |
Players to Pick Up or Re-sign
I decided to split out the players I would like the club to keep versus drop.
| Player | Status | Decision? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turner Humphrey | Option | Pick up | 24, showed some nice potential and upside but didn’t lock down a starter spot. Bring him back for 2025. He’s got some upside. |
| Tyshawn Rose | Out of Contract | Re-sign | He’s 24 but missed almost all of 2024 with an ACL injury. I’d like to see him get another go but he may be looking to make the next step. |
| Mads Westergren | Option | Pick up | 22, a quality all-around player, if he was a step faster he’d be in MLS. He may yet overcome it. Signed during the season, worth another season for sure. |
It would not shock me to see FCD say 24 is too old to keep with Humphrey and Rose.
Players to Decline
| Player | Status | Decision? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Lacy | Option | Decline | This was season two as a pro for Lacy at NTX with just 72 total minutes (over 5 games) this season. Time to move on. |
| Leonard Londe | Option | Decline | The most recent open-trialist signing got 0 minutes in 2024. Not even sure he made a bench. NTX might end up giving him another year but at 21 I’d pass. |
| Nick Mendonca | Option | Decline | 23, a part-time starter at the beginning of the year his PT declined as the season went on. 22 games but just 6 starts, none since July. FCD has boatloads of 8s. |
| Diego Pepi | Out of Contract | Decline | Early in the year, he was getting some PT but that fell off over the season. 11 games, 4 starts, 1 goal. |
| Lautaro Taboada | Option | Decline | 4 games played with just 31 minutes this season – the last of which came in July – is not a good sign. Down from 6 games, 186 minutes in 2023. |
| Abdoul Zanne | Buy option | Decline buy | While there’s a lot of athleticism the game awareness and tactics aren’t there. Pass. |
What about Norris finally moving to FCD? I would like to see Sali as well…
Those player are already under contract with FC Dallas.
I would let Collodi walk. His size is a problem for the position. Very few undersized keepers have been capable of being successful at a high level. Generally, they had some kind of non-traditional skill on the ball or with their distribution that allowed them to make up for their lack of goal coverage. Collodi doesn’t seem to have that. In fact he routinely displays poor distribution and gives the ball away needlessly. He has been excellent for North Texas overall but his ceiling is at best as a 3rd GK at MLS and i see that spot as better used on a project player with a higher ceiling.
I like Rose but he is too old and not good enough for MLS. No reason to keep and i doubt he wants another year with North Texas.