Football Season Guide

A run of draws in the second half of last season hurt FC Dallas’ chances of being seeded higher for the playoffs. Having boasted the third-best defence in the league, they finished seventh in the Western Conference after netting just 41 goals in 34 games. What followed was a first-round elimination at the hands of Seattle Sounders after losing two games in a Best-of-3 series. Despite not being particularly active in the transfer window, in a statement move Dallas spent a record 10 million dollars to bring in talented striker Petar Musa from Benfica. They also offloaded starters Facundo Quignon and Jader Obrian, neither of which departures is considered a big blow, and signed veteran centre-back Omar Gonzalez to beef up their defence. Most importantly, Dallas kept their backbone intact, with Musa expected to be to only signing to be directly brought into the starting line-up. However, they might need to sign another centre-back to add more depth to the defence. Main strength is undoubtedly the presence of Jesus Ferreira in attack. Regarded as one of the finest attackers in the league, Ferreira is not a natural striker, but Musa’s arrival may see him flourish again. An inspired Ferreira can help Dallas go deep in the playoffs. Yet, this team needs to stay health. Injuries paid their toll on Dallas last season, this being their main weakness and probably the reason they didn’t manage to go further.