What to Expect from Rin Binyamin

The new signing for FC Dallas is intriguing, but does he fill a role or add to an overcrowded midfield?

Something happened on our last podcast - Jose Carmona rightly corrected me that Israeli-Polish midfielder and U22 signing Rin Binyamin may have a bigger planned role than first glance.

U22 signings have not had the strongest track record in MLS, as our friend Arman Kafai has pointed out in his excellent analysis. Ideally, U22s create the opportunity for Major League Soccer teams to target young promising players and have their transfer fees and salaries hit the budgets in a softer way. You’ll read the different models, since Designated Player spots can be split into U22 spots and so on. It’s part of the mad beauty of following MLS.

Jose point outed that Rin, despite being young and still emerging, was given the No. 6 number right off the bat.

I admit, I hadn’t paid too much attention the jersey number. It might mean a lot, and it might not mean that much. Couple that with the way that Andre has been talking about the signing, his energy and enthusiasm that he brings to the team on a recent FC Dallas Agenda podcast, maybe we need to raise our expectations for Binyamin’s role. Could he start early? Is he more than just a depth piece? If the team is this high on him, who will he displace in a starting trio that seemed sort of settled at the end of 2025 with Patrickson, Cappis, and Ramiro?

But then, Matt Doyle threw a bit of a quandary into the mix in his analysis of every premium roster slot for the Western Conference:

Truly, this was my initial reaction to the signing. Binyamin does look like a guy with a ton of energy, who can cover space, who can disrupt and join in the attack. He fits what Quill and the team desire out of their midfield… but Doyle is right. Does he fill a need? Was another midfielder what the team lacked last season?

FC Dallas goes into 2026 with Christian Cappis, Patrickson Delgado, and Ramiro in starting roles as incumbents. Once Lucho Acosta was out of the picture, the play and results on the field rapidly improved with this starting trio. I have no doubt this three go into 2026 with their names penciled in. And really, I like all of them. They were fun to watch, even if it wasn’t elite.

Let’s also not forget about Kaick, who got plenty of minutes in the first half of the season and brings energy and bite to the midfield. As a U22 signing, he looked good and could take a next step in 2026. If he can grow in confidence, he could push Ramiro for a starting spot quite easily. He will get minutes.

Paxton Pomykal, meanwhile, has finally returned from energy and could push for a significant role. Scratch that — he should push for minutes. We’ve been waiting way too long for his emergence amidst all the bad luck of his career and injuries, and if he doesn’t, it’s likely Pomykal’s story will be another “what if” in FC Dallas’ player development history. It sucks. We love Paxton. But life is not a fairy tale.

And then you have a bevvy of young players. Nolan Norris can give minutes in the midfield even though he is slotted more likely at that left center back position. Diego Garcia is a homegrown that needs an opportunity to get on the field. Caleb Swann can also give midfield cover, though we expect him to continue to develop with North Texas again this season.

Enter Binyamin.

Maybe Binyamin is a guy the team scouted, liked a lot, and found the price workable to bring in just another body to compete without a ton of expectation. He offers depth. He offers competition. Across a long season, you need guys off the bench or for starts who can bring energy. Fine, if true.

To be fair, Cappis came in too without a ton of expectation or a huge sense of expectation, and the former academy player brought instant stability to a midfield that had lacked it.

Could Rin be the same?

Maybe, too, the team is anticipating at least one of our midfielders getting poached. There were already rumors that Ramiro remains on the radar for a team or two in Brazil who might need a veteran leader to bolster their chances — and really, the veteran is in the final stages of his career. If a guy departs, you get a little nervous, right? You might need that extra depth.

More likely, especially considering Paxton’s situation, FC Dallas is trying to feel out what the best trio is on this roster. Binyamin brings energy. Quill needs that. He needs midfielders who can work on both sides, in the attack and defense, and if the U22 signing delivers, he helps fill out a roster that will absolutely need to be flexible going into a tough 2026. Even if Binyamin is a guy they can bring in off the bench to close out games, that could fill a massive need.

I don’t know what to expect yet. We haven’t seen Binyamin in action. The expectations are fairly low, but with not a ton of spots to fill, it does feel like Doyle’s criticisms are fair. FC Dallas goes into 2026 needing a playmaker. They have the striker - they may even have two strikers. But do they have that missing piece that the front office believed they acquired with Lucho Acosta? No. Do they have the piece that will elevate this roster to another level? No.

Binyamin is intriguing, but he doesn’t answer any questions for this team.

And now the clock is ticking with weeks to go.