FC Dallas Announce Roster Cuts: Surprises?
This morning, FC Dallas dropped their long-expected end-of-season roster moves. Were we surprised by any of the decisions?
It’s the ritual that fans come to expect at the end of the season in Major League Soccer - who will stay and who will go?
End of season roster decisions.
I admit to always being a little jealous of other clubs that don’t wait to announce decisions, dropping them within days of their final game. FC Dallas, on the other hand, drag along their decisions for a variety of reasons. Maybe the biggest is that the club likes to sit down with players.
This season, the decisions came a little later because of a few players who were out on loan and still seeing game action.
Regardless, the announcement finally dropped this morning, and while we anticipated a little bit of intrigue, the decisions fall mostly within our expectations.
FC Dallas currently has 27 players under contract for 2026 after exercising three player options and declining nine.
Dallas exercised its contract options for defenders Sebastien Ibeagha, Nolan Norris, and winger Anderson Julio.
Nine players had contract options declined including: Herbert Endeley, Sebastian Lletget, Pedrinho, Diego Pepi, Tomas Pondeca, Carl Sainté, Anthony Ramirez, Tarik Scott and Alejandro Urzua. Tomas Pondeca and Carl Sainté are eligible for the MLS Re-Entry Draft which starts on Dec. 11. Eligible Players include those who are at least 22 years old, have a minimum of one service year, and who are not eligible for free agency.
Most Controversial Moves?
FC Dallas exercised the options on veterans Sebastian Ibeagha and Anderson Julio. Fans are fair to grumble a little because of the two players’ salary cap impacts, but both guys had their moments over the course of the season. Ibeagha is clearly a veteran leader. He’s not a difference maker on the backline, but he isn’t a disaster. Julio provides a solid attacking option on the wing, a hint that perhaps Quill wants tactical flexibility in the new year. (We also think Julio may have some trade value within the league.)
The biggest surprise move for me was parting with Pedrinho. Look - the young attacker is still a work in progress, but he flashed some truly special moments. He was able to cause havoc and create opportunities. Even if you didn’t see him as a starter, the youngster has upside and potential. Maybe Quill just didn’t see enough growth in him, or they wanted to play around with that spot. It’s hard to find young playmakers who can make a difference off the bench in this league, so I figured the team would give him a bit more time.
Least Controversial Moves?
Yes, you can argue that cutting ties with several promising young homegrowns is disappointing, but these guys were contributing at North Texas and struggling to make the jump to the next level. Guys like Anthony Ramirez still have an opportunity to go somewhere else and grow. Diego Pepi, though, wasn’t exactly making a difference at Texoma on loan, so it’s hard to justify when more homegrowns are coming up into the mix.
The least controversial move was saying goodbye to Sebastian Lletget, one of the steady veteran midfielders for the club. Saddled with injury this season, he just couldn’t get on the field. He brought some outside intangibles to the team (BECKY G!), but either this was a mutual decision or he wasn’t ready to take a smaller role going forward. Good luck to him, but no one is surprised.
Big Picture
FC Dallas have plenty of guys still on the roster, so these moves open up holes to start filling spots where they can use some help. We think a centerback and a DP midfielder should be the targets in the winter. Another winger or outside back would be nice as well. With the way FC Dallas drafts, finding value outside of the norm, we anticipate another diamond in the rough.
Do expect a trade or two over the offseason to open up more room.