Grading FC Dallas' winter transfer window

With the summer window opening today for Major League Soccer, it feels appropriate to rate what happened in the winter window. For the uninitiated: while the biggest window for European teams, the summer window for MLS is the secondary window. With teams in season and resources largely committed, this is about filling holes where you can and trying to fix mistakes from the previous window.

For clarity's sake: this exercise will cover players who were either transferred in or out or signed as a free agent. We won't be doing free agent departures because there's just too many. We also won't cover loan outs or the draft because there's only so much time in the day.

So, with that said let's begin.

Arrivals

Lucho Acosta, $5 million from FC Cincinnati

Grade: F

Starting so negative sucks, but it's hard to grade this any softer without mincing words. Dating back to our Tuesday transfer needs piece and a previous piece on Acosta's struggles we've covered all the ground necessary on why this transfer isn't working. When you bring in a player that is expected to revolutionize your team only for the team to function better without him, that's an easy F for me. When you factor in the price it just hasn't worked out. As long as he's on the roster it still can, but those days might be running out.

Kaick, $4 million from Gremio

Grade: B

This grade could increase if/when season long transfer grades drop. Kaick was an unknown upon announcing the deal. Skepticism was rampant about a kid who hadn't played first team soccer yet generating such a large transfer fee.

As we sit here in late July it's starting to come into focus. Kaick's industry and ground coverage are showing as world class. His slide tackle timing, fearlessness in joining the attack, and general positive energy are great team assets. As he's gotten more time, he's shown more and more culminating in his first MLS goal against St. Louis City:

The recognition once he sees the ball go into Musa, the aggression in which he makes the run, and the smoothness of the finish. It's just a beautiful display of soccer.

There have been growing pains regarding discipline. His penchant for cards of all colors has been an issue but recent returns seem to show him evolving. If he can get that under control while remaining a midfield menace, this signing could be Dallas' second best of the winter window.

Osaze Urhoghide, ~$3.5 million from Amiens SC

Grade: A++

Kaick will have to settle for second best because nobody is dethroning Urhoghide. Dallas has been searching for this type of center back since the latter years of Matt Hedges, but especially after his departure. Andre Zanotta and company hit the jackpot with Urhoghide, who has been better than anyone expected.

I could rave about the former Amiens man all day, but the easiest way to say it: put on the tape. When you watch him play he shines as the best player on the pitch. Rarely does he put a toe out of place, pairing great positioning with measured aggression and recovery speed that helps him track down all but the fastest MLS players.

He's also an emotional lift to the team, bringing energy and bite to a back line that needed it. One of the nicest humans on the planet off the pitch but the ultimate competitor on it, dealing with him for 90+ minutes as a forward must be Hell on earth.

I'd contend not only is Urhoghide the best FC Dallas signing this winter, but one of MLS' best overall. He should be an All Star, but injury and Dallas' league performance hampered those efforts. With Dallas trying to salvage things down the stretch, Urhoghide's return to the lineup will be a tremendous boost.

Patrickson Delgado, ~$2.9 million (?) from Independiente de Valle

Grade: C+

Of note here: This grade is harder to do because I don't have full confidence in the fee paid. Transfermarkt has it at 2.5 million euros, which is the price I'm using converted to USD. That seems high, but I can't find anything concrete to dispute the number. Personally I think it's lower, which might change this one demarcation up.

Either way Patrickson is a project player who is still figuring out his best position in MLS. He's logged some good performances this season along with some not so great ones. His lack of consistency isn't unexpected for a player of his age and experience level. There's plenty to like tools wise, and when he's flashed positive it has been bright. Finding a consistent level is the next step in his development.

There's room to grow and improve here. I think this one could be re-examined in a year or more and it'll look way better. Sans a time machine however, this is where we're at in July of 2025.

Anderson Julio, $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) across 2025/2026 + $100,000 in incentive based GAM, trade via Real Salt Lake

Grade: B-

There's one other facet of this we'll tackle in the departures, but just focusing on Julio this has been a positive for Dallas. When healthy Julio does what it says on the tin: he runs fast, gets behind back lines, attempts a good amount of shots and finishes some but not as many as you'd like.

That's a useful player in modern MLS, especially in the system Eric Quill wants to play. His speed helps stretch defenses so direct balls can come into either him or Petar Musa, forcing defenders to make choices which then opens up space for other players.

The issue for Julio is twofold. First being he's missed time this year with both injury and green card proceeding. The latter is a positive long term, but he was still unavailable. The other is Julio has spent most of his FC Dallas tenure playing with Acosta, where his talents haven't been best utilized. Often he's been left adrift on either side of the wings, not given the chance to be his best self. With the tide turning on how Dallas wants to play, let's see if that helps unlock Julio also.

Shaq Moore, $50,000 in 2025 GAM + up to $100,000 in incentive based GAM, trade with Nashville SC

Grade: A

When I said Kaick could be Dallas' second best winter signing, this is his competition. The USMNT regular has been exactly what Dallas needed at right back, a position they've struggled to fill for years. He's consistent in his availability, tenacious on defense, and unafraid to get forward on offense.

Couple that with how cheap he was to acquire from Nashville, who was underwater in their spending, and you have one of the best value trades in MLS. It's the exact kind of deal a team like Dallas could make this off-season. With tons of salary room and GAM to spare, taking advantage of a mismanaged salary team was crucial.

There's plenty to like about Moore, and if Dallas can get him a proper backup this coming window it'll be even better.

Ramiro, free transfer from Cruzeiro

Grade: B+

Another unknown that has turned up big for Zanotta, the veteran do it all midfielder from Brazil has been a crucial add. His organization and communication in the midfield, pure defensive abilities, and locker room leadership have been critical. Is it always sexy? No. Has it been important? Yes.

His 2025 has me feeling great about his prospect for the fan favorite award, which I predicted him for before the season. It feels possible that Ramiro could finish his career in Frisco, and if he continues to conduct himself in this way that'd be a wonderful thing.

Lalas Abubakar, free transfer from Colorado Rapids

Grade: C+

A low risk signing to fill in the center back depth, Abubakar has been pretty much as advertised. He hasn't made any major mistakes while a valuable asset to the team when called upon. When all is healthy, he's probably the third center back. That's been good enough when Dallas moves into a three back system, and we've even seen Abubakar play right back in desperate times.

As with many things low expectations helps generate modest returns, and while not flashy Abubakar has been solid. You can't ask for much more from a veteran in his first season with a club.

Alvaro, transferred from Portimonense 23

Grade: C+

This one is harder to judge when it comes to what Dallas did or didn't pay. The official release says Alvaro was transferred to Dallas, but doesn't mention a fee. Further research doesn't yield any information, but it's probably safe to say any cost Dallas incurred was minimal.

The grade for Alvaro is less about his performance, more about the volume. He's had some strong showings but they're limited. He's also made a couple of rookie mistakes. Overall this points to a developmental prospect worthy of more MLS time. If he develops into a starting caliber center back long term, it'll be great value.

Departures

Alan Velasco, transferred to Boca Juniors for ~$11.3 million

Grade: A+

There's no need to overthink this: Dallas made a profit on a player who, despite some great moments, never put it all together in Frisco. Not only did Dallas make a profit, they did it with Velasco coming off an ACL tear and minimal games played. These are the type of deals that keep MLS teams solvent, so kudos to the front office for doing it. Velasco hasn't gone on to great success in Argentina unfortunately, to the point where even Acosta's modest production has been better.

Jesus Ferreira, traded to Seattle for up to $2.3 million in GAM, Leo Chu, and an international roster spot

Grade: A-

Not unlike Acosta I've written about the Ferreira deal, which can be found here. Nothing much has changed in the way I see that deal. I wouldn't reverse it if given the opportunity, and even with the lack of production for Leo Chu (who is now gone) I still would do this deal 10 times out of 10.

The only thing keeping it from being an A+ is that Chu didn't work out in Frisco. Otherwise you got around $2.5 million in value for the GAM and international spot, plus whatever Alverca paid in acquiring Chu. All that to move on from a player who didn't want to be in Dallas anymore is fine by me. Others will lament the perceived lack of value. I'd suggest to those folks: watch Ferreira's final year plus in Dallas. He wasn't the player he once was, and as such didn't command that level of price.

Paul Arriola, traded to Seattle for up to $300,000 in conditional GAM and 2026 First Round SuperDraft Pick

Grade: Shrug

I'm not in the business of lying to you fine people, and on this grade I can't talk myself into any definitive grade. I think both teams ended up largely losing on this deal, although not by any action of their own.

After dropping $2 million in GAM on DC United to get Arriola, making him the team's captain, and watching him have his best MLS season with the club in 2022 it's a shame that Arriola's tenure in Dallas ended this way. Not just that, but to get so little for an established MLS player feels bad. Some of that was the salary number Arriola was on not matching his current abilities. Even so it's a light return. It's also hard to judge since we don't know what Dallas will do with the draft pick. They've been great in drafting as of late, so that could add value to the deal.

On the other end for Seattle they hoped to add Arriola to an attack needing someone like him, only for him to tear his ACL in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match early in the season. That means he won't play again until next season at the earliest, and if there are any complications who knows when he'll come back.

I guess if we have to assign a winner to this it's Dallas because they cleared salary, got assets back, and achieved their end goals better than Seattle did in the context of the deal. Regardless, I think this one goes down as one both squads won't adore for a variety of reasons.

Sam Junqua, traded to Real Salt Lake as part of of the Anderson Julio deal

Grade: B+

As mentioned above this is the other part of the Julio trade that needs addressing. On it's face this deal remains a Dallas win; they got a starting level attacker for a backup defender and MLS funny money of which they have a ton. Plenty to like there.

What knocks this down for me is something Dallas didn't do: they never replaced Junqua. The former 8th overall pick by Houston was a Swiss army knife for Dallas, being able to play all three back line positions and even fill in at wing back. He wasn't an All Star at those spots but a capable backup. Now as we sit in July of 2025 Dallas could use someone like Junqua. The injuries to every right back not named Shaq Moore have been brutal, and even Marco Farfan missed time earlier this year forcing Nolan Norris into left back duty (which he did well).

While left back is stable thanks to Farfan's recovery, Norris' production, and the emergence of Josh Torquato, right back could still use Junqua's presence. That doesn't mean trading him is a cardinal sin, it's still the right decision. The response or lack thereof is what takes it from being a great trade to just a good one.

Nkosi Tafari, traded to Los Angeles Football Club for $300,000 in 2026 GAM and a 2026 International Roster Spot

Grade: B I guess?

It's hard to judge this deal. Everything Dallas gets is back-loaded to next year, and in theory trading away your top center back for peanuts is reckless.

Then Osaze Urhoghide arrives, immediately seizing the top job. He makes Sebastien Ibeagha and Abubakar better, and when pressed into action Alvaro looks like a potential MLS player. So what was a depth issue at first turned into a non-issue.

Plus Tafari's tenure in Dallas wasn't typical. He had issues with three different coaches, leading to them benching him at various times. When he did play he showed brilliance, but also switched off creating an image of inconsistency. There's also reports, albeit unconfirmed, that Tafari and the club couldn't come to terms on a contract extension. You mix all that together and you get a situation where the trade makes sense.

Even so with the knowledge that Urhoghide was coming, I think I might rather have Tafari. If only to see what Quill and company could do to help him grow. Alas, that isn't the case. So it's an overall positive grade for Dallas, but nothing spectacular.

Coming Tuesday: Early reaction to FC Dallas' summer tranfer moves