Afterburn Soccer Show Delayed to Thursday
We'll be doing a catch up pod later this week to take stock of where FC Dallas is so far this season.
With family and work schedules a bit unpredictable as of late, Afterburn Soccer Show is being delayed until Thursday evening, 6 PM PST/8 PM CST. We hope you can go live with us as we break down the three most recent matches for FC Dallas - that ugly loss in San Diego, the Open Cup win, and the disappointing draw at home against Real Salt Lake.
Is FC Dallas where we thought they would be at this point in the season?
Don’t panic about this, but the standings have FC Dallas looking on the outside of playoff action. Of course, the Western Conference is super congested. Had FC Dallas managed the home win on Saturday, they would be hanging with LAFC. Now, they are being given a harsh lesson in just how much their poor form at home is dragging them down.
Frankly, they didn’t play terribly against Real Salt Lake, but that golazo from Diego Luna was enough for RSL to make life difficult for Dallas.
I think we will continue to ask some big questions:
What does Eric Quill need to do to get more out of this team? Is it time? Is it sticking to a formation? Injuries certainly haven’t helped, and things are improving on that end. Time does heal some things.
What does Lucho Acosta want from his teammates? I’ve seen chatter elsewhere that Acosta is simply doing too much in moments. He doesn’t need to be the hero in every situation. But for me, I also think he probably needs a bit more guidance or expectation on his role - what does Quill want him to do?
The Transfer Window Dominoes
On the most recent FC Dallas Agenda Podcast, Ryan Figert, Garrett Melcer, and Steve Davis have been offering up some good content for fans this season, and they specifically answered some questions about transfer and roster possibilities as the summer transfer window creeps nearer. In general, the hosts agreed with us here at Afterburn Soccer - a winger and a CB would be huge.
But there are some dominoes that would need to fall.
Per the latest roster releases and with Anderson Julio getting his green card (as well as Carl Sainte, Enes Sali, and Geovane Jesus on loan or injured), FC Dallas should have an international roster spot free to bring in someone from abroad. That’s good - alongside a solid amount of GAM. I imagine they could rustle up a domestic spot if needed too by loaning someone down to North Texas.
With only five U22s signed to the roster, they could add a young, intriguing winger from abroad to boost the team’s floor.
But here is where things get even more interesting:
Enes Sali is on loan at Al-Riyadh SC in the Saudi Pro League where he has made 6 appearances so far, mostly off the bench. His loan includes a purchase option. If that is triggered - hopefully it is, another international roster spot and U22 spot becomes available. If not, he will need to come back to the team or find some other landing spot. I liked Sali’s creativity with North Texas last year, and with the way Pedrinho is playing, I wouldn’t mind him getting an opportunity with the first team to see if there is something there. But - he hasn’t exactly lit up the Saudi Pro League.
Manuel “Show” Cafumana is also on loan with FC Dallas with a purchase option set for June, if Zanotta and company decide to pull the trigger. Steve Davis on the podcast made the point that now that Paxton Pomykal and Sebastian Lletget are getting healthy and with the strong play of Kaick and Ramiro, the team might have enough cover in that part of the pitch. If they do not pick him up, that’s an international spot that comes open.
Finally, the rumor is that FC Dallas will listen to offers for Leo Chu. Yes, he’s injured at the moment, and while he hasn’t been a complete waste, there might be a market domestically or abroad for the winger/wing-back. His value increases if Quill thinks going with a 3-4-2-1 more often is needed, as Chu can play at wing-back. Essentially, until the transfer window opens, Chu has time to get healthy and make a case that he can be that starting winger the team needs. If they can find a taker for him though, that’s another international roster spot and U22 slot open.
So, yeah, this summer could be real interesting with plenty of options to find a starting level CB next to Osaze and a consistent winger.
And in the meanwhile, Bernard Kamungo has played better in the past two games. Pedrinho is still an absolute difference maker off of the bench. And other guys are slowly getting healthy.
We’ll see you on Thursday to break all of this down and more!