FC Dallas Is Clearly in the Midst of a Holiday Makeover
While stability can be good for a team, FC Dallas is in full makeover mode. With Anderson Julio's arrival and a solid draft, expect more change to come.
At the beginning of the postseason, as FC Dallas took their sweet time making that all-important head coaching position, some of us thought that Dallas could just be tweaking the edges of this roster. Obviously, with some sizable contracts on the books, it looked like it would be difficult to free up space and move on from some players. And, hey, even as frustrating as this team has been, there is plenty of quality. A new coach might simply plan to get improvement out of some of the under-performing pieces.
Forget all that. FC Dallas is getting that major holiday glow-up, desperately needed after a dismal 2024.
First, rumors abound that both Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola are Pacific Northwest bound, working out deals on trades that may see Dallas eat some salary in the short term but open up massive spaces in the roster for future signings. Both moves, if they happen, are a signal that the roster must look different under Quill’s management. It’s no disrespect to either player, but maybe a transformed locker room is key to Quill imprinting his agenda.
Second, Dallas went hunting for quality in the MLS SuperDraft again, returning to the fertile development fields of Oregon State where they found Logan Farrington and Turner Humphrey last year. Enzo Newman checks the boxes. He’s a right back, he’s young (19 years old), and he has a high upside. While I don’t think we will see him start immediately, he offers competition at a wide-open spot. Dallas continues to remain one of the MLS teams that take the draft seriously and often find quality, if nothing else as a way to restock North Texas’ talented sides.
Third, the team has gone looking for veteran guys who can bring physicality and bite all over the field to complement the youngsters still emerging. We covered Ramiro Benetti’s signing earlier, and while he may not be a world-beater, he battles and can play all over the place for Dallas. The team needs that kind of leadership and flexibility going forward.
Dallas also announced the addition of Anderson Julio, a veteran forward from Real Salt Lake who offers another versatile attacking presence up top or on the wing. He famously hurt Dallas with a long blast in 2024 at home, ending the year with nine goals, a career high. Can he do it again? Can he replace the departing Paul Arriola and bring that tenacity and drive that Quill wants? How close is he to his green card?
Rumors still abound about Dallas looking for a center back from Portugal, where they seem to be doing a lot of scouting. Are they also looking for a right back within the league who can step in and provide an immediate upgrade?
Quill made clear in his opening press conference that he wanted a certain mentality and spirit from the players on the roster. He needs guys who are going to battle all over the field. While we may have taken that initially as typical coach talk, it’s clear that the entire organization is reanalyzing their roster, opening up to trades from within the league, and looking for a holiday glow-up to give fans something very, very different in 2025.
The question is, who else is on the trading block?
Will Asier Illarramendi be back? How about Patrickson Delgado?
Are Sebastian Lletget, Sebastian Ibeagha, and Nkosi Tfarai potential departures?
If the right price comes in, could we see another high-profile departure?
Questions remain - but it’s makeover time. And that is good.
Dear readers, this may be the last post of 2024 for Afterburn. Of course, if news does drop, we’ll try to share it over on X, Facebook, or right here. Thank you again for all of your support in 2024. We’ll have some fun changes in 2025.
Be sure to support all of the FC Dallas coverage out there, from 3rd Degree, to Big D, to Dallas Soccer Nation, and beyond. All of it helps expand this game we love so much and a league that deserves the support.