FC Dallas 2025 Part 3: Making Do With What You Have

With the soccer season officially over in Frisco post North Texas SC’s title run, the off-season is in full swing. The club announced their roster decisions, clearing the way for speculation ahead of December’s flurry of activity. As of this writing FC Dallas has 24 players under contract, which doesn’t include potential call-ups from the second team.

There’s no question the team needs to make changes, be it adding to the current squad or re-arranging the current group. What those changes will be are still largely unknown. Those potential changes are even more nebulous considering Dallas is without a full time manager.

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This means that lineup and roster crafting at this stage of the game is more theoretical than anything. That doesn’t mean it’s not a useful tool anyway. There’s never been a scenario where better understanding has hindered progress.

So for this part of the 2025 preview, I’m going to craft some lineups and strategies based solely around what Dallas has on paper already. That means no trades or signings both in or outbound. Essentially this is making dinner with what you have in the cabinet. Except the dinner is soccer formations.

You get it. Let’s get to it.

The super safe option

In modern football, there’s nothing more basic than a 4-2-3-1. Just about every team can play it, and it’s relatively well balanced on both offense and defense. Considering Dallas struggled with the offensive/defensive balance in 2024, going back to basics isn’t a bad option.

All things considered this is a good starting 11 also. Musa gets three people to feed him, a fourth if you consider Lletget the play-making midfielder while Paxton plays a more defensive oriented game. Returning Farfan to his natural left back spot alongside Tafari creates a strong left sided defense. Junqua as the starting right back isn’t ideal and you’d probably like an upgrade over Ibeagha (although his play down the stretch was better than expected). That’s for later however.

Bench: Antonio Carrera, Herbert Endeley, Carl Sainte, Nolan Norris, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Show, Bernard Kamungo, Tarik Scott, Logan Farrington

The reserves are also decently balanced position wise and talent wise. Farrington, Tsiki, and Kamungo all represent first team experience in the attack. Sainte, Norris, and Show all provide options among the double pivot and at center back. Endeley’s best use is wing back, but as a reserve could likely handle right back with more training. Scott ends up being a flex player who can operate as a winger or striker. You’re still missing a bona fide center back and left back deputy, but based on what’s available to the roster this represents one of the stronger 20s you can create.

The safe option

The 4-3-3 returns after it was Dallas’ formation of choice under ex manager Nico Estévez during their 2022 playoff run. This isn’t that different from the above 4-2-3-1, with the midfield being the shift. In theory you can interchange Show and Paxton here, and it might even be ideal. I know there’s some backlash among supporters about Paxton being a 6. I’m of two minds regarding it. Putting someone with Pax’s skill set in front of what’s probably an average defense should help them. His ball recovery, tackling, and all around skill set would give them a big time insurance policy.

On the other hand, the industry of Pax is such that you’d like him further up the field handling players and progressing the ball. His work against Riqui Puig in Frisco in 2023 is a prime example of what Pax can do as an 8, and that game alone might be evidence that even considering him at 6 is unwise. Regardless of your opinion, him and Show on the field at the same time feels correct even as much as I like Lletget.

Now’s probably a decent time to address Ferreira out of the 9 spot, since I’ve done it twice already. With Musa and Farrington both playing more traditional 9s and both having great success, moving Ferreira is for the good of the squad. His agility and passing acumen make him a dangerous play-maker, but also a threat to score with his elite finishing.

You’ve also got a super high work rate defense on the left with Arriola and Farfan, and Ferreira’s tendency to drift should help support Junqua. The center backs would remain solid in general.

Bench: Antonio Carrera, Carl Sainte, Herbert Endeley, Nolan Norris, Sebastian Lletget, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Bernard Kamungo, Logan Farrington, Tarik Scott.

The big reason to move Lletget to the bench for this particular formation is his versatility. He can go in at wing, central midfielder, and attacking midfield based on the situation. If you’re chasing a game late, bringing him and Tsiki on is going to stress out opponents. The rest of the reserves mirror what was said regarding the 4-2-3-1.

The 3-4-3 re-envision

Time to get wild, although for those who watched North Texas’ cup run it’ll look very familiar. Essentially I’m porting up what the second team does with first team parts. The key to this working is Sainte, whose tenure in Frisco has been beset by not having a solid position between center back and defensive midfielder. NTSC figured out how he can play both at the same time, using it to great effect. In possession, Sainte sets up into the 6 spot while the two other center backs pinch in. The formation becomes a 2-5-3 with a midfield overload. Out of possession, Sainte drops back into the back line and the two wing backs also provide support.

Unlike the 3-4-3 Dallas played for most of 2024, this transforms the attacking midfielders into wingers. That helps create width with overlaps from the wing backs, while defenses have to figure out who is moving where. Specifically Velasco and Ferreira could maraud into that underneath space without being concerned about not having someone behind them. It’d also require good crosses, something Endeley displayed in bunches. Plus we saw more effectiveness from Arriola when he had Ruan in good form for the short time that happened. Endeley can replicate that, and help provide an experienced hand in running this system.

Bench: Antonio Carrera, Marco Farfan, Sam Junqua, Nolan Norris, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Show, Bernard Kamungo, Logan Farrington, Tarik Scott

The attacking reserves in this formation work well. With wingers restored to the menu, Kamungo will fit much better. Farrington and Scott both played the formation at North Texas, so they’ll know what to do. You’d be able to swap out the entire front three if so desired.

The midfield isn’t as secure, but isn’t a disaster. Show, Norris, and Tsiki all have different skills, meaning their usage would depend on situation. Norris specifically might be the Sainte understudy as someone who has defensive capabilities and strong passing skills.

The real issue here is defense. With all respect to Junqua and Farfan, they’re not wing backs. They do their best and produce what they can, but it’s not their forte. You also lack a true center back replacement in case of Tafari or Ibeagha going down. As much as I love this idea, under the constraints of this exercise it’d be dangerous to run it out.

And now for something completely different

Let’s get wild. A Football Manager special, the 4-2-4 would be a bold choice for many reasons. The benefits would be to shove as many attacking players on the field as you can. Both of your top strikers alongside your top three creators, and for good measure adding in the industrious Arriola at right back. This fits the “The best defense is more offense” mold, which in MLS isn’t always a great strategy but you do have the parts for it.

The issue becomes that big giant space between the midfield and strikers. How Dallas would handle that is crucial to the formation’s success. It’s not just defending it either. Connecting the two lines would be challenging, and considering Dallas’ struggles at time generating forward movement last season you’re forgiven if your confidence in such has waned.

Bench: Antonio Carrera, Sam Junqua, Herbert Endeley, Carl Sainte, Nolan Norris, Show, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Tarik Scott, Bernard Kamungo

To put it bluntly, this bench squad is not prepared to play this. That’s not on them however, it’s just such a wonky formation. You have no 10, so Tsiki would be forced into a wing spot or the Farrington second striker role. Norris, Sainte, and Show aren’t the box to box types as we know them now that would be good fits. You’d still run into your defensive depth issues as well. This was much more fantasy than reality, but hey what are blogs for if not to indulge.

A different take on an old classic

For context: I love a diamond midfield. I wish it was more common, but there are reasons it isn’t. That said when brainstorming this post I couldn’t resist figuring out the plausibility of the diamond coming to Frisco in 2025. It’s not as far-fetched as you think.

There’s a couple things it does that the 3-4-3 wanted to do. It gets both Ferreira and Velasco underneath Musa into that Zone 14-ish area, which was what playing the two 10s last year was built for. It also solves your problem of the three man back line by going back to a four, and you can even drop into a five man line if so desires with whoever is at the 6.

Within is also a flexibility. Drop Show between the two center backs and it’s a 5-3-2. Drop Show and Ferreira, you can make a 5-4-1. Move Velasco up and you’ve got a 4-3-2-1. If Dallas is interested in a flex formation, this might be a better interpretation of what they desire.

One big issue does become width. Pomykal and Lletget aren’t going to play as wide midfielders, meaning so much of your build would theoretically be focused in the middle. That means you’re either sacrificing those wide areas at large, or you’re asking your fullbacks to move up and do more work in that space offensively. Junqua and Farfan are good players, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to ask of them.

Bench: Antonio Carrera, Paul Arriola, Carl Sainte, Herbert Endeley, Nolan Norris, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Logan Farrington, Tarik Scott, Anthony Ramirez

Meanwhile the bench would have more experience by virtue of Arriola being there, but it’d still be unproven and maybe not what you’d need. Your options at 8 are Norris, Ramirez, and Tsiki which through no fault of their own is a decent sized drop from Lletget and Paxton. Plus Tsiki would be the primary backup to Velasco at the top of the diamond, with Lletget moving up there the third option. Sainte’s flex position that we detailed in the 3-4-3 would be derailed, sending him back to tweener land. Even so, you’re still barren at center back cover.

What does this prove?

One reoccurring theme through all these lineups is that the starting 11s in large part hold up. You can make the playoffs in theory with the talent arranged however you want, as long as it is that talent. Does that mean you’re getting home field advantage? Probably not. Based on what Dallas has, shape independent, they’re somewhere between 9th and 6th with 5th being possible if a couple things break right.

Which by the way is what the front office has said before. In the presser following Estévez’ dismissal, FCD President Dan Hunt said he believed this was a playoff roster when healthy. He’s not incorrect, but that doesn’t mean it’s a MLS Cup winning roster or even a conference finals one as constructed. If your goal is to get into the playoffs solely, Dallas is there in my opinion. Beyond that it’s a dice roll, as most multi game playoffs are.

All of this illustrates though is if you want more, you need to get more. Whether that’s trading within the league, going back into the international market, the draft, or most likely some combination of the three this team needs and deserves more. In a league where half the teams in each conference make the postseason, there’s no reason not to aim high every year. Dallas has the foundation to do so, it’s about furnishing the house to make it ready for a potential shiny final piece.

In Part 4, we’ll look at what FC Dallas should target in the upcoming winter window.

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