Who Needs to Go on Loan Next Season for FC Dallas?

Reports have come in that Thomas Roberts has gone to Scotland for a trial with Hibernian.

This is the kind of opportunity that many FC Dallas fans have been hoping to see for Thomas Roberts’ development, especially since he doesn’t seem to be in Lucchi’s current plans.

The hope is that this trial would lead to a loan in the Spring. I thought it would be interesting to see who needs to go on loan next season in order to further their development, and what possible destinations they could land in.

For simplicity, I will not include players that will be loaned from the first team to North Texas SC, like Justin Che or Nkosi Burgess. The list would be too long.

Thomas Roberts

The first one on the list is an obvious one, but I don’t think he should stay on loan for long. Pomykal is likely to come back in March, and after that, his future with FC Dallas is up in the air. There is the general possibility that Pomykal plays 10 matches this season before going to Europe in the summer.

Roberts has been the best player on the field when he plays for North Texas, but he has been unable to break into the first team in 2020, with 0 appearances so far this season. Until Pomykal and (possibly) Ferreira leave, Thomas doesn’t have a real path to a starting role with the squad. A loan is needed next season since he has done all that he can in USL League One

Possible Destinations: Lower European League (Hibernian), USL Championship (top team, like Indy Eleven, Louisville, Tampa)

Edwin Cerrillo

Cerrillo hasn’t dominated USL League One quite like Roberts, but I do think that the league itself is below his paygrade. Furthermore, with multiple midfielders coming up in the academy (Elizalde, Corcoran, J. Jones), his competition will begin to increase. Cerrillo, like Roberts, is at the cusp of breaking through, but the amount of players competing for the same position makes this breakthrough highly unlikely.

in 2018, prior to his breakout season, Brandon Servania and Jesus Ferreira were starters for Tulsa Roughnecks. Both Cerrillo and Roberts need that kind of loan next season.

Possible Destinations: USL Championship (a team near here, like Austin, or OKC)

Brecc Evans

A lot of people have dismissed Evans’ chances of making it in MLS, but it is worth noting that his 2019 season was a very good one. Being partnered alongside someone like Callum Montgomery allowed Evans to arguably be the best defender on the team. His 2020 season was a myriad of disappointments, with the bad loan with Austin Bold FC and his injury when he returned to Globe Life Field. Nevertheless, I’m still optimistic about his chances, especially with him still being only 21.

However, his starting role is not secure with North Texas SC. Justin Che, FC Dallas’s next star player and Nkosi Burgess have the starting spot. Evans needs to go on loan to improve his level of play.

Possible Destinations: USL Championship (West Coast, near his hometown)

Ronaldo Damus

Damus’ progress stalled this season. It probably had something to do with the loan that never came during the 2020 offseason. However, he was the number one player on USL’s 20 under 20 lists in 2019, and it was well-deserved regard. He is a streaky player, but his work rate is off the charts, and his speed kills most defenders.

If he is given the chance to perform at a higher level, then he can progress into MLS.