If you have been keeping up with the newly founded USL League One side Texoma FC, the past few months have seen a whirlwind of signings. In this article, I break down the roster by position.
There are a couple of important questions to ponder:
1. What formation will the team play under Coach Adrian Forbes? From everything I have seen and heard it sounds like a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 is on the table with the 3-5-2 being most often the choice.
2. What position will each player play? The majority of positions are locked; however, there is some fluidity. For example, if a player is signed as a winger, will they play as a forward or as a wingback? Will a player who previously played the 6 play as a center back?
It is also important to remember that all current players are under one-year contracts.
Goalkeepers:
Mason McCready: McCready became the club’s first-ever signing in January. Either McCready or Garcia is going to be the GK1. In the USOC, McCready got the start in goal.
Javier Garcia: From everything I have heard, Garcia is GK1. The club sees him as an all-around very good goalkeeper. Shot-stopping, distribution, and command the club thinks he has all the attributes to be GK1 this season.
Aren Seeger: If nothing has changed, Seeger will be GK3 for the beginning of the season.
GK4? The club had a 4th goalkeeper on trial, I am not entirely sure how it all played out. Did they sign him and haven’t announced it? Time will tell.
Defenders:
Jordan Chavez: Chavez is a center-back and in my opinion should be the club’s captain for their inaugural season. During their USOC match, Chavez was the captain. Chavez has a great read on the game, commands the air, and distributes the ball out of the back incredibly accurately. We will see how he looks once league play starts, but as of now, he is my player to watch.
Jorge Corrales: Alongside Asante who we will talk about later, Corrales is one of the club’s most experienced players. Corrales is a center-back who has appeared for the Cuban national team multiple times. Hard to imagine he does not start alongside Chavez. During the USOC match, Corrales was not on the team roster or the injury report.
Preston Kilwein: Kilwein is another player I like on film. Plus, he is a left-footed CB. In the back three will he play LCB? That is what I am thinking.
Angelo Calfo: Calfo is a center-back who we don’t know much about. The time I saw him, he was slotted in at RCB. During USOC, Calfo was subbed in as a 6 when Texoma was down to ten men.
William Perkins: Perkins is a right-back. An alumnus of Michigan State University, I think he will be the club’s starting RB barring any new signings at that position.
Davey Mason: Mason will be on the opposite side of the field from Perkins and will play left-back. Mason has valuable League One experience, playing for South Georgia Tormenta. Will the club use Mason, Perkins, and any full-back the club signs as CBs, wing-backs, or true full-backs in another formation?
Phil Dlamini: Dlamini, the club’s most recent signing, was announced by the club as a defender but has played some defending mid in the past.
Reid Valentine: Solar product Reid Valentine was used at CB in Texoma’s USOC match.
Midfielders:
Leland Grey: Grey became one of the club’s first signings a couple of months ago. Grey was discovered via the talent showcase Texoma hosted. He plays as a defending-mid. Aged only 19, the club views him as a young project. However, I suspect he will see the field quite a bit this season.
Ajmeer Spengler: Spengler also comes with USL League One experience. Spengler most recently played for South Georgia Tormenta. Spengler either started the season as a trialist or was a delayed announcement.
John Paul Jordan II: JP Jordan is another young midfielder that the club believes in. Jordan is a Solar product and enjoyed a successful collegiate career. He played some defending mid in college, I am not entirely sure where Texoma will place him.
Ozzie Ramos: Ramos is another player we don’t know much about. However, he caught the club’s eye at the previously mentioned talent showcase.
Dane Domić: Domić spent some time playing professionally in college. Outside of Ramos, Domić is the club’s oldest midfielder. Based on everything I can find, he seems to be an 8.
Forwards:
Solomon Asante: Asante is the club’s most experienced player and their biggest signing. Asante, aged 34, is a two-time USL-C MVP. It appears that the club plans to use Asante in the 10 role, underneath the one or two forwards they decide to go with.
Luke McCormick: McCormick, a 23-year-old forward is a product of Nottingham Forest’s academy. With McCormick and many other forwards, it is not clear if he will be up top or in the 10 role.
Lamin Jawneh: Jawneh has USL-C experience. Based on comments, the club really likes what he does out wide. I do not see Texoma manager Forbes moving Jawneh up top at striker. I believe he will be in the ten role and drift out wide. Another thing the club might consider is having him try out the wing-back role.
Brandon McManus: McManus is a striker. During his time at Louisville, he played primarily striker and I believe the club intends to use him that way.
Donald Benamna: Benamna, a player with a lot of USL experience, is a winger who was recently called up to the Central African Republic national team for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. The club has made comments on Benamna’s 1 v 1 ability. Winger? Striker? Time will tell. I think he will be a winger.
Diego Pepi: Younger brother of Ricardo Pepi, Diego has joined Texoma FC for the season on loan from FC Dallas. He is another player I am not sure how they intend to use. The time I saw him, he was playing underneath the striker in a ten-role.
Teddy Baker: Baker, a product of Ipswich Town’s academy is listed at 6’3. The reason I mentioned this is because his college Hofstra University listed him as a midfielder but Texoma announced him as a forward. Do they plan to use him as a striker?
Maciej Bortniczuk: Bortniczuk is one of the club’s most recent signings. Bortniczuk has played striker in the past so we will see if Texoma plans to utilize him that way.
That concludes the current roster, all 23 signings. A few of these positions are to be taken with a grain of salt because we never know a manager’s plans until we see him field his starting XI.
