The 2025 Toros' Talk FC Dallas Awards

Way back in February, one day before the opener in Houston, I wrote predictions for the 2025 season. Pressing "send" on that feels a lifetime ago, as the season itself has felt like multiple within the last eight months.

With the season at its end, it's time to fulfill the second half of those predictions. Let's hand out the actual awards, review who I predicted, and discuss it all.

David Ferreira Award for FC Dallas MVP

Predicted winner: Lucho Acosta

Actual winner: Petar Musa

Whoops.

The humor of calling this particular award a "easy one" back in February is not lost on me. Nothing about what I wrote about Acosta came true, in fact mostly the opposite.

Meanwhile for everything Acosta wasn't, Musa was. He became the fourth player in FC Dallas history to score 18 goals in a single regular season, and the all time leading FC Dallas scorer across two consecutive seasons. He came close to breaking the record, but a yellow card in the penultimate game cost him his last chance at singular history.

Even so there's no doubt Musa is the team's most valuable, most important, best, whatever qualifier you want to use. Without him they're a Wooden Spoon contender and the key piece to FC Dallas' immediate future. Whether that's on the pitch in the Burn kit or generating the club's next big transfer fee, Musa holds the future of Dallas in his unusually strong hands.

Paul Arriola Award for Newcomer of the Year &

Matt Hedges Award for Defender of the Year

Predicted winners: Anderson Julio & Marco Farfan

Actual winner: Osaze Urhoghide

There's no doubt on this one either. If Musa is the squad's best player, Urhoghide easily established himself as the second best. He became an elite MLS center back, one deserving of MLS Best XI votes that he'd get if the team was both better and on a coast.

The biggest compliment you can pay him is saying "Put on the tape." Watch any game he's playing in and watch him. His speed, his ability to body defenders off the ball, his propensity for cleaning up his teammate's mistakes, everything he does leaps off the screen. He's exactly what Dallas has been searching for, and as a result he scoops up both these awards.

I wasn't far off on Julio however. Dallas' second leading scorer, Julio's season was plagued by missing extended time due to injury and green card acquisition. Once the club finally realized his best usage was not centrally but out wide, Julio's value came into focus. I'm bullish on Julio's 2026 now that Dallas has a system they like which will now allow them to optimize their pieces.

Farfan did contribute in a meaningful way, despite missing time due to compartment syndrome surgery. When healthy he found himself up to his normal standards, which earned him a transfer to Liga MX giant Tigres in the summer window. The money combined with Bernard Kamungo's emergence at left wing back means Dallas will be able to solve problems elsewhere. It's a win all around, even as Farfan's departure evoked sadness from a good teammate gone.

Bernard Kamungo Award for Best NTSC Promoted Player

Predicted winner: Pedrinho

Actual winner: Michael Collodi

In hindsight this feels like a huge miss, but recall the context from February: Collodi was in a contest for the #2 goalkeeper job with the now departed Antonio Carrera. Despite winning MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Year, he was firmly behind Maarten Paes.

Pedrinho meanwhile was coming off a spectacular season with the second team, setting the goal contributions club record (13g/13a) while scoring the winning goal to win NTSC the MLS Next Pro Cup. He had all the momentum and hype for good reason.

Fast forward to October.

Pedrinho posted under 1000 minutes in his first MLS campaign, with two goals and three helpers. He was briefly exiled from the first team back to NTSC after an incident involving Acosta that remains looking awfully like a suspension despite not being officially announced as such. To his credit he worked his way back into the first team and looks to be a key contributor off the bench going forward.

Meanwhile Collodi's trajectory couldn't have been more different. He stepped into Paes' shoes during international duty and post injury, posting a 0.98 GA/90 and a 76.7 save percentage. He started over Paes in Vancouver on Decision Day and both playoff games, all of which featured strong performances to end 2025.

Collodi has shown he can be a starting goalkeeper in MLS, and signs point to him being a contender to start 2026 as the Burn's starting keeper. It's a story we'll be tracking all winter, but at minimum Collodi's 2025 is one of Dallas' most remarkable between the sticks.

Kenny Cooper Jr Award for 2025 Fan Favorite

Predicted winner: Ramiro

Actual winner: Sam Sarver

This is the most subjective award of the bunch. I feel quite good about my prediction, considering how well Ramiro performed in 2025. His importance both on and off pitch have shown him to be a quality pick up, and his positional flexibility was on display as he played three different positions during the campaign.

That said it's Sarver who gets the award despite playing less than ten games and 200 minutes in MLS. The young man has "it," displayed when he drew the penalty against St. Louis and did his best Cody Rhodes impression to get the crowd electrified. Since then the fans have wanted more Sarver at every turn, Sarver kits have been seen often at Toyota Stadium, all while the Ohio native found his way to Best XI and MVP in MLS Next Pro. Due to suspensions on Decision Day, Sarver got his first MLS start and did a lot to help get the Toros into the playoffs.

The cult of personality counts for a lot and the future is bright for Sarver. He earned a first team contract in the summer, and earns this award in the fall. Big things appear to be on the horizon for him.

Lionel Messi Award for Game Of The Year

Predicted winner: April 12th vs Seattle

Actual winner: Decision Day vs Vancouver

In preparing this column, I had the Miami game penciled into this spot. After all it felt borderline impossible to top a comeback win at Miami while Messi and friends watched on sipping yerba matte.

Then Decision Day happened.

A 2-1 win without your two best scorers in a place you hadn't won at in seven years to not just secure a playoff spot, but to avoid the play-in game was huge. Add in Vancouver losing another center back to a DOGSO red card (the soccer gods might have made up for Farrington's red card last week there) and Dallas playing gutsy defense down the stretch, and you have not just the most important win but the best of the 2025 regular season.

Western Conference Finish

Prediction: 6th place, facing Seattle in 1st round

Actual: 7th place, facing Vancouver in 1st round, eliminated in two games

Dallas' reward for a gutsy Decision Day win was to face the Whitecaps again in a best of three series. Game One was a horror show, a 3-nil loss where Dallas didn't look at all like the team who streaked into the playoffs.

Game Two ended the season, but was much better in every way. It came down to a stoppage time goal from Vancouver's Ralph Priso and penalties after 90+ valorous minutes. Losing hurts, but at minimum the guys left it all out there. That's all you can ask against a juggernaut like Vancouver.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Finish

Predicted: Winner

Actual: Eliminated in Round of 16 vs New York Red Bulls

I maintain this one was plausible if not for some bad refereeing and penalty taking. Dallas easily could have advanced further than they did if not for the aforementioned duo of disaster. That NYRB match was costly in multiple ways; not only did it eliminate Dallas it eliminated Paxton Pomykal for another five or so months due to an injury suffered in that match. An all around bad time was had.

Assorted Minor Predictions

Pedrinho will have an Assist of the Year if not Goal of the Year candidate

Missed on this one, but feels like a good futures bet still if you're into that.

Maarten Paes will lead Indonesia to a 2026 World Cup spot

Not for lack of trying. Despite two strong performances in the October window the Red and White won't be at the World Cup this coming season. Nothing about it is Paes' fault; he kept them in the running until the end.

Paxton Pomykal will win Comeback Player of the Year

There's always 2026.

Nolan Norris and Diego Garcia will start one game together in midfield

Nine starts for Norris this year but most of them as a defender, but no Garcia starts means this one is a miss.

Petar Musa will finish top five in the Golden Boot race

Ding ding ding, a winner is me. 18 goals is enough for Musa to be tied for fifth with KC's Dejan Joveljic and Cincinnati's Evander.

Michael Collodi will have at least one MLS clean sheet in 2025

Ding ding ding again. Collodi knocked this one off in late March against Real Salt Lake, then just for fun did it again against Portland in August.

Dallas will have four MLS All Stars

Should have been two, ended up being zero. Womp womp.

Eric Quill will be a finalist for MLS Coach Of The Year

Again not for lack of trying. This ended up being a real strong COTY field between Vancouver's Jesper Sorensen, Philadelphia's Bradley Carnell, and San Diego's Mikey Varas. Monitor this prediction for 2026 also.

Dallas’ big add in the summer will be an elite MLS midfielder

I'm taking credit for this one, even though I got it correct by accident. Christian Cappis' arrival ended up being a turning point in the season, and he's a midfielder. Elite is a subjective term, but he's been elite in his Dallas tenure. This wasn't what I envisioned, but I'll take the wins where I can.