Why FC Dallas Is Doubling Down on the U22 Initiative in 2026 BigSoccer.com
Going into the offseason, there have been plenty of questions surrounding FC Dallas. They wrapped up the final two and a half months of the season with a blistering form that saw them go from as low as 13th place in the middle of the summer all the way to a 7th place finish, good enough to avoid the Wild Card game in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Now that the dust is started to settle on the offseason, some of those early offseason questions are starting to get answers. On Wednesday morning, the club held their annual end-of-season press conference with FC Dallas president Dan Hunt, head coach Eric Quill and CSO Andre Zanotta.
A lot was said from the three (you can read our full breakdown here), but the one area that got our attention was on the roster building for 2026. It is no secret, the club still has plenty of work to do on a roster that was leaky defensively in 2025, and had issues at home early in the season.
“Since the season ended, we’ve been working hard,” said Zanotta. “We were already targeting players, and then we shifted our focus to finalizing negotiations with players who fit the profile we need and can improve this team that finished the year so well.”
“Of course, we wanted to go further in the playoffs, but we played a very strong opponent that is having an amazing season. I’m confident that 2026 will be a year where we make our fans very proud – with our style of play and the players we have here, along with the new additions. I’m optimistic we can have a very successful season.”
Drew Epperley
One area the club has to sort out is whether or not they’ll continue on with the U22 Roster Model in 2026 or revert back to a DP Model that will allow up to three Designated Players on the roster at a time.
When asked how he felt the roster model went for them in 2025, Zanotta was quick to say that he likes the flexibility that the U22 model gives the team, along with the extra allocation money that comes with it (an additional $2 million).
“There are pros and cons to every roster build, but we believe that last year, and likely this year, the model of two DPs and four U22s is the one we want to continue with,” explained Zanotta. “It also gives you flexibility with GAM, for those familiar with MLS rules. We’re a club that’s proud to play young players, and having the possibility to bring in more U22s is something we like.”
One player that has been a U22 signing for the club since the rules came out for it in 2023 was Geovane Jesus. The Brazilian right back suffered an ACL injury in the summer of the 2023 season and has been out of action since then, missing both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Zanotta feels that the club is going to be getting a new player out of Jesus when he returns in 2026.
“His progress has been amazing. He’s been out for more than two years now, but in the last couple of months we’ve seen huge steps. He’s feeling great. We strongly believe he’ll be ready to start preseason with us,” said Zanotta. That feels like a new signing. I’m super happy about the possibility of having Geovane back. We had that feeling with Paxton (Pomykal) this season too – having Paxton and Geovane starting preseason with us adds two players we believe can have a huge impact on the team next year.”
Zanotta also praised the two U22 players that did see action on the field in 2025: Patrickson Delgado and Kaick.
“Bringing in players like Kaick is a good example. I don’t know if you saw it, but the CIES report had him in the top five Brazilian U22 players outside Brazil in terms of minutes played worldwide,” said Zanotta. “That’s the kind of profile we want – young players who contribute to our success and can be developed. This is why we like this model and why we’ll continue with it in 2026.“
BDS Take
I was pretty blunt in my thoughts on Geovane Jesus earlier in the week. I think the club either needs to buy him out this winter or find a good loan partner for him to give him some minutes in 2026 as he works back to form.
So, seeing Zanotta come out quick to say he’s doing well and they expect him back ‘as a new player’ feels like another roll of the dice from this club. Personally, I think Zanotta has too much of a soft spot for Brazilian players, but that may just be me.
Still, knowing that the club expects to stay in a U22 model does answer some questions that I had going into the offseason. I’ve been working to write up a look at the club’s salary cap situation with the U22 model and with Jesus as a pieces on the senior roster. There is still some flexibility there, but not as much as I would like.
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