3 Thoughts From Eric Quill's Opening Press Conference

Two weeks after FC Dallas announced Eric Quill as their latest full time head coach, Quill and his employers met the media for the first time under his stewardship. In the around thirty minutes we got with Quill and company, we got a good amount about the new gaffer but not much else of consequence. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t useful information to glean from the event. Here’s my takeaways from the beginning of a new era in Frisco.

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The vibes, they are a changin’

After two plus years of Nico Estévez and a half year of Peter Luccin, it’s not a shock that the new man in charge would bring his own intent and culture to the club. Quill said as much when asked about such by FC Dallas’ Spanish play by play man Carlos Alvarado:

Number one is the collective mentality, that’s going to change. Then we’re going to be organized defensively, really stingy to break down and honest in every profile. You can expect to see a collective group of hunger, and not just in some players. It’s gonna be across the board. We’re gonna be well organized and hard to break down. We’re going to create a lot of chances going forward, I know that. We’re going to change the mentality, and you’re going to see that come day one.

This quote sums up well what Quill put across in his first availability. There’s a tangible intensity and honesty about his presentation. It’s not unfriendly or rude, but he’s got an aura about him in vast contrast to Estévez.

Nico’s demeanor resembled that of a high level graduate professor: well informed, casual, and earnest. That isn’t to say he couldn’t be intense or demanding, but it wasn’t the default setting. One of his great traits was taking high level tactics and making them widely understandable. He’d get excited when we’d notice something that he could sink his teeth into, and even welcomed disagreement. He and I once had a pre-training talk at his behest because of a stat I brought up in a press call the day before. From my vantage point, he ran a program that bordered more on Montessori than Marine. That’s nowhere near an insult, and we’ll find out this year how it translates at a different club.

Whereas Quill comes across as a more conventional sports leader. Whereas Nico might have tried to fit a system around what the players can do, Quill appears to be more about imposing a system and finding players to fit that. Even so, it’s clear Quill cares just as hard as he demands. He repeatedly talked about growing as a manager and alongside his players. A former high level player himself, Quill understands what those trenches look like specifically in MLS.

Neither strategy is superior to the other on its own, just different. It’s all situational, and we’ll find out in time if this one is correct for FC Dallas. The encouraging takeaway is Quill will prioritize installing his identity in this group. For a club that during the waning days of Nico’s administration lacked as such, it’ll be a welcome change of pace.

On pitch looks? Ask again later

What that will specifically look like come Opening Day 2025? That’s not something to which we got an answer. When Afterburn’s Nathan Hill asked Quill about what formation and players he intends to use in 2025 he replied:

We’re still building our game models so formations are something we are going to be discussing, nothing guaranteed right now. The roster build is on its way, and we’ll continue to speak with [technical director] Sandro [Orlandelli] and Andre about best practices, formations, all that stuff down the road. But there’s nothing guaranteed right now.

On one level this is not a surprise. While Dallas has already made their initial roster decisions, that’s just one part of a long-form roster building process within MLS. With three different kinds of drafts, free agency, and the international transfer window opening in late January there’s a lot of time for Quill and friends to construct his squad.

A small alarm did go off when Quill didn’t comment on what formation he wanted to use. In my breakdown of Quill’s hire, I talked at length about how his standard formation at New Mexico United was the 4-2-3-1. That doesn’t mean he’s married to it, but it did seem like it was up in the air what Quill will use in Dallas. Which is odd as he’s been so clear about what else he wants done.

The distinct possibility exists that this is all media gamesmanship. There isn’t a lot of benefit to laying out chapter and verse what Quill’s game plan will be, especially for a coach who seems to hold more traditional values. It’d be unsurprising that come Opening Weekend, we see the 4-2-3-1 as expected. At minimum, right now we can’t say for sure meaning this winter and training camp will be one worth monitoring.

A title and a promotion

While the roster construction and game day intents are murky, we did get clarity on one aspect of Quill’s staff. In response to a question from 3rd Degree’s Dan Crooke, Quill confirmed North Texas Soccer Club interim head coach Michel would be joining the first team staff.

The move creates questions on both staffs. The current first team technical staff page on Dallas’ website has Michel, John Gall, Kevin Martinez, and Drew Keeshan listed. Michel and Keeshan are both locks, while Martinez announced already he’s not returning. That leaves Gall the only incumbent whose status is uncertain. Gall joined the first team staff under Luccin, leaving his post as NTSC head coach. It’s unclear if he’ll remain, since it seems safe-ish to assume that Michel and Gall’s duties would overlap. That’s before we consider the outside candidates Quill confirmed that with which discussions are ongoing.

One option could be Gall returning to NTSC, which is searching for their fourth head coach in four seasons. The continued struggle to find a long term fit for the position is both unsurprising yet frustrating. MLS Next Pro is a developmental league, and that includes coaches. Dallas has struggled in that way, firing both Pa-Modou Kah and Javier Cano Gallego in back to back seasons. Gall took the reigns in 2024 before his elevation, and his return to that squad would be a big asset.

Regardless of who gets the NTSC job, Dallas needs to find consistency in what they’re doing with the job. The constant turnover and philosophical changes could be resulting in talent not developing at optimal levels. Hopefully Quill’s reach extends to the second team, being a former title winning coach with the team. Solidifying the pathway from academy to NTSC to FCD is critical to the club’s future. A big step to that is establishing a leader in tune with the club’s long term goals. Hopefully 2025 is the year we’ll stop wondering about who will helm the second team past one year.

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