Breaking down FC Dallas' 2025 roster decisions

Just under three weeks since FC Dallas' season ended at Toyota Stadium, we finally have their end of season roster decisions. We'll break it down by transaction type.

Options exercised: Anderson Julio, Nolan Norris, and Sebastien Ibeagha

Julio always felt like a lock to stay. 25 games, 17 starts, and six goals making him the team's second leading scorer behind Petar Musa. He did miss time with injury and green card duty, but it's hard to deny Julio brings value to the team. Yes, his $750,000 is a big number. However this is his last option year; he'll be a full free agent next season.

2026 will be crucial for the Ecuadorian speedster. At times his fit within the on field formation was wonky, especially post shift to the 5-2-3. Julio's best position remains as a speed winger who can cut inside. Dallas often used him as a standard central striker, which didn't properly utilize his talents. Getting him in a more favorable position next season will be a big part of the off-season tactical planning.

I also wouldn't be shocked if Julio is traded. To the right team Julio has value and the salary isn't a huge deterrent. Julio has his green card, meaning he doesn't take an international roster spot. If Dallas wanted to move him on, maybe even eat some salary to get something better back, I could see it. That doesn't mean they will, but we can't rule it out.

Norris is a no-brainer pick up. The Homegrown excelled when given opportunities both in Frisco and with the US U-20 National Team, helping lead the latter to the knockout stages of the U20 World Cup. Norris' base salary was $125,000 per the MLSPA, a bargain for a player of Norris' combined ability and potential.

The question for Norris is where he'll play long term. Eric Quill gave him a chance at both left back and left center back, including starting the decisive playoff game against Vancouver at LCB. His versatility is an asset to a point, but his development will be best served by giving him consistent minutes at a single position. If Dallas maintains their 5-2-3 shape, playing on Osaze Urhoghide's left makes sense. Should they return to a standard four at the back, Norris should be afforded the first chance to win the left back job. Either way, Norris is a rising star and it wouldn't shock me if this move led to a contract extension.

Ibeagha meanwhile is the most confusing decision out of them all. Heading into his age 34 season, Ibeagha made $675,000 last season on base salary and $738,625 in Guaranteed Compensation. That's a big number for a player walking the tight rope of age, even with a productive 2025 at his back.

I fully expected Ibeagha's option to be declined, but then a new deal negotiated that lowered his financial impact on the club. Something more in line with what fellow center back Lalas Abubakar makes($410,000, $445,000). If that didn't work out, Ibeagha had a strong resume to take elsewhere while Dallas opened a big chunk of change.

This choice throws an unexpected wrinkle into the team's plans. It was widely expected that Dallas would sign another high level center back to play alongside Urhoghide. They still might do so, but Ibeagha's return feels like Dallas might be kicking the can down the road a year on that decision. Next year both Abubakar and Ibeagha are up, as are many others. The Burn might be rolling the dice on 2026, with the intent to go hard in 2027.

Contract expired, now a free agent: Jacob Jackson

This one makes sense specifically for Jackson. After strong showings with the Burn after arriving from San Diego, Jackson's stock rose. He's probably one of the premier backup candidates in MLS going into the winter.

That doesn't mean he might not return to Dallas. It makes all the sense in the world to test the market heading into his age 26 season. Free agency opens on December 10th at noon Central time; I could see a world where Dallas brings him back after some more roster machinations.

If Jackson's Dallas tenure is indeed over, we'll always have the St Louis masterpiece and the Austin clean sheet the week after. He'll be a footnote in Dallas' long history of goalkeeping excellence, something of which he can be well proud.

Contract options declined: Herbert Endeley, Pedrinho, Sebastian Lletget, Diego Pepi, Tomas Pondeca, Carl Sainté, Anthony Ramirez, Tarik Scott, and Alejandro Urzua

Lletget's exit has been known for awhile, after he posted a farewell message on Instagram last week. I talked about Lletget's situation on an episode of the podcast about a month ago. While it makes sense it still stings to see. Lletget was a pleasure to work alongside during his tenure, always bringing great energy and insight. A team with young players in general, midfielders in specific should scoop him up to help mold them.

Pedrinho not coming back is a surprise. The Brazilian earned his 2025 first team spot after a wonderful showing during NTSC's title season. His debut season in MLS wasn't as impactful: two goals and three assists across 23 matches. His best impact came as a bench player not a starter.

It wasn't the smoothest season mind you. He along with Acosta got suspended during the season and while Acosta got sold to Brazil, Pedrinho got exiled back to NTSC for a short while before working his way back. Someone will give Pedrinho another shot, whether it's at a lower division or MLS. One thing that complicates: he requires an international roster spot which could hinder his MLS prospects.

Endeley's tenure ending is not a shock, but it also isn't fun. A former first round pick out of Indiana, Endeley never found his footing. His 2024 training camp earned him a start on Opening Day against San Jose last year, but he disappeared from the first team after just four games. He was a key part of North Texas SC's title winning team, picking up two assists in the MLS Next Pro Cup match winning the game's MVP. 2025 saw him loaned to Colorado Springs in the USL Championship, but a torn ACL ended his season after just seven matches.

I'd expect Endeley to catch on somewhere after his ACL heals up, whether its lower division MLS or USL-C again. He won't turn 25 until next October, meaning there's still good years left ahead of him. Hopefully he gets a second chance somewhere.

Scott being declined is a bit of a surprise. Signed to a Homegrown Contract at the same time as Nolan Norris before the 2023 season, Scott tore his ACL in 2023's training camp. He returned in 2024, spending a majority of his year with NTSC before a 2025 loan to USL-C squad Monterey Bay. In nine matches there Scott had one goal and two assists.

Not unlike Endeley I fully expect Scott to catch on somewhere, specifically in USL-C. He doesn't turn 20 until next April and is still searching for a chance to put it all together somewhere. Dallas' striker depth might have limited Scott's future playing time with the first team, but someone could find a gem if they have the minutes and patience to let Scott grow.

Speaking of Homegrown strikers, Ricardo Pepi's younger brother Diego is on the market now. El Trencito spent his 2025 with Texoma FC in USL League One, appearing in 15 matches with zero goal contributions. I had heard rumors last year of Mexican clubs sniffing around Pepi as a transfer target, but wanting to see more from him. That didn't work out this year to say the least.

I'm sure Pepi will find a place somewhere; he turns 21 in December and has experience across a couple different leagues. It might be a case of the name creating unfair expectations for the man. Either way, it's the end of the line for Diego in Frisco.

Seeing Sainté go is unsurprising but still disappointing. The Haitian international played a majority of the matches for Phoenix Rising in the USL-C, including 120 minutes in the Comference Semifinals against FC Tulsa on November 8th. Sainté's contributions to the NTSC title run were critical, playing a hybrid center back/defensive midfielder type. He's also on track to appear in next year's World Cup, after Haiti qualified earlier this week.

There are a couple things working against Sainté. He turns 24 next August, which for a developmental player is on the older side. He also takes an international roster spot as of last check, which makes rostering him that much more of a challenge in MLS. If I was an MLS club looking to snag a hidden gem, Sainté would be high on my list of potential acquisitions this winter.

Anthony Ramirez being declined feels a case of too many cheeks, not enough chairs. Ramirez made his debut for Dallas in 2024 under Peter Luccin, but played just two minutes with the first team across the last two seasons. With the Burn's midfield being crammed full of contributors, the soon to be 20 year old wasn't going to break through. This gives him the chance to head to a lower level, establish his game, and work his way back up.

Another Luccin debutant, Tomas Pondeca started twice last year for the first team before spending his 2025 on loan with Quill's old club New Mexico United. With no goals or assists in 15 matches and two starts, the loan stint didn't help the former futsol star's trajectory. Pondeca turned 24 in October, has the age concerns of Sainté and the positional problems of Ramirez. He's another lower division candidate.

Dallas' 36th Homegrown signing, Alejandro Urzua signed back in winter 2023. He never debuted for the first team, spending extensive time with NTSC after being signed out of the Academy. It just never happened for Urzua here, but he turns 20 this coming April. There's plenty of time left for him to figure things out, but it wasn't going to happen in Frisco.

Final thoughts

The moves announced do largely what we expected the Burn to do at this stage of the off-season. Dallas clears some room at the very bottom of the roster to bring in the next wave of Homegrowns while freeing up some money by letting Lletget go. It wouldn't surprise me to see more rotation among this group as the winter wears on, as Quill gets his first full off-season to mold this team in his image.

Dallas now moves onto the next phase of the off-season, with the following dates to know:

-December 10th, noon CT: Free agency opens

-December 18th: 2026 MLS Superdraft

-Early January(date not given by MLS): Primary transfer window opens