FC Dallas Transfer Round-up: Major Signings

Every single offseason, our writers cover the rumors and official announcements of outgoing and incoming transfers for FC Dallas and North Texas SC.

Outgoing

Fafa Picault To Houston Dynamo FC

TIna a somewhat surprising manner, the club officially announced that Fafa Picault had been transferred to the Houston Dynamo (Houston FC? Do their fans even know what they are now?). Fafa, who never seemed to have fit in Luchi’s system, leaves the team with 18 appearances and 3 goals.

Fafa seemed to be a relatively liked figure by both fans and players, so it is sad to see him leave the locker room. Similar to Chris Seitz and Maynor Figueroa leaving FCD for Houston, it always hurts to see a player go to the armpit of Texas.

We wish Fafa the best in the rest of his career!

Thank you for everything, Fafá ♥️
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) December 17, 2020

Ricardo Pepi/Juventus Rumors

This week, word has spread that Juventus are closely watching Ricardo Pepi. While nothing official, we should keep our eyes on this one. El Tren is a special player who, like Reynolds, will be in Europe in no time. European teams slowly realize the talent brewing in MLS, obviously spurred by Alphonso Davies and Tyler Adams’ recent successes.

Bryan Reynolds To Someone

We’ve known about Bryan Reynolds to ____ European team for a little while. Still no official announcement, but big time European journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted about a Reynolds to Roma connection. Yes, this is more rumors, but Fabrizio is like the European Woj. If he tweets something to his 2.2m followers, it’s got some backing. Reynolds is also being heavily connected to Fiorentina as of December 22nd.

It seems like the young prospect has his choice of top Italian sides between Juventus, Roma, and now Fiorentina. I’m expecting an official announcement in the next week or so.

Thomas Roberts Loan Talks

it looks like Thomas Roberts will be headed out on loan to a Scottish club, as we anticipated. With an extremely stacked midfield this year for Dallas, there isn’t any room for Roberts.

In need of a challenge more than North Texas SC, Thomas Roberts looks like he will be headed to Scotland for a short stint, but nothing is confirmed as of now.

Tanner Tessmann Being Watched In Germany

Nothing concrete here. We have seen some Tanner rumors being watched by a few Bundesliga teams, but I anticipate him being in Dallas this season.

Tessmann is an impressive talent no doubt, but it’s not looking like he will be leaving this January. Keep an eye on those rumors though!

Incoming

Jose Antonio Martinez From SD Eibar

As of right now, Martinez is our biggest signing of the offseason, and we love it. The 6ft 2in center back comes from SD Eibar, who is currently 14th in Spain’s first division.

The 27-year-old Spaniard comes to Dallas with loads of experience playing for Barcelona B and helping Granada gain promotion to the Spanish top flight. While falling out of favor in Eibar, he heads here in his prime, unlike recent European signings.

We see this as a huge signing, and Martinez looks like he will be a great pairing for Matt Hedges. We will have an official scouting report in the coming weeks!

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FC Dallas has acquired defender José Antonio Martinez from SD Eibar on a permanent transfer.
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) December 21, 2020

Jádar Obrian From Rionegro Águila

FC Dallas officially announced the signing of Columbian winger Jádar Obrian from Columbian side Rionegro Águila. The 25-year-old pacey winger has 13 goals and 1 assist in 21 games this past season, totaling 27 goals in two seasons. At 5ft 4in, Obrian seems like a Barrios type player that runs the channels and gets in behind the defensive line.

I am very excited to see how him and Andres Ricaurte can link up on the counter attack. Another exciting signing who is in his prime!

Juan Dinenno From Pumas UNAM

FC Dallas has been linked with Pumas striker Juan Dinenno. There is nothing official here as of the 22nd, but multiple reports coming out of Mexico indicate that he is on his way to joining FCD. Following Martinez and Obrian’s trend, after reports come out of the league that he is leaving, FCD follows shortly after. This would be a huge signing for FC Dallas, bringing in a striker in his prime from a competitive team. This shakes up our front line depth chart.

Unless Luchi changes his formation, one of our strikers may be left on the bench, and we saw how that went down with Jara earlier this year. Keep an eye on this, but also how FCD handles the international spots for these incoming transfers.

Bressan Contract Extension

The Brazilian is back! Bressan and FCD agreed to a contract extension that will see Bressan at the club for another year with options for 2022/23. While Bressan may not be a major impact player, he has done well in his stint at FCD, filling in when Hedges and Reto could not.

With the recent transfer of Martinez, it looks like those two will be in early competition for the spot next to Matt Hedges on the back line. Bressan is a player that is a mixed bag at times, but there is no doubt about his commitment and passion for this club.

Phelipe Megiolaro Loan Extended

The Brazilian is back! (x2) Phelipe Megiolaro extends his loan with FC Dallas from Grȇmio until the end of 2021 and FCD retains the option for a permanent transfer. Phelipe is a hot prospect in the world of soccer, but it is going to take a lot for him to dethrone Jimmy Maurer, who is playing out of his mind these days.

Phelipe provides a great backup option and is definitely one for the future.