Extensions and Departures: Catching Up on Another Wild Week of FC Dallas Offseason News
Another week of FC Dallas’ 2025 offseason has passed, which means there’s a lot of news to catch up on.
Let’s review another whirlwind week of FCD.
Logan Farrington Contract Extension
PHOTO: Joaquin Torre/Imagn Images
Woof, woof! The week started with a lovely piece of news: Logan Farrington’s contract has been extended through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029. This was a no-brainer after Farrington’s outstanding rookie season, especially considering his family’s English heritage. This could potentially make him a ripe target for English clubs, similar to Duncan McGuire in last year’s offseason.
There’s not much to say here beyond this being a fantastic move that will either keep Farrington in town for the foreseeable future or ensure that Dallas gets a good haul for him if he attracts attention for a transfer abroad.
Nkosi Tafari Traded to LAFC
After the Farrington extension was announced, things went quiet until late Wednesday, when an LAFC reporter broke the news that LAFC was on the verge of acquiring Nkosi Tafari. On Thursday, it became official: Tafari was heading to LA in exchange for $300k in GAM and an international spot, both of which will take effect in 2026.
In an offseason with several sad and disappointing endings, this one probably stings the worst. Tafari had become a massive fan favorite in his 5 seasons in Dallas. At his best, his play on the field was electric, placing him among the best center-backs in the league and earning him a national team call-up for the January camp in 2024. Off the field, he was one of the most interesting personalities in the history of the club with his fashion choices and general way of carrying himself on and offline,e endearing himself to FCD fans in a very unique way.
But it all seemed to go south over the course of 2024. Tafari always seemed at his best next to a sure-footed veteran center-back, someone like Matt Hedges or even Jose Antonio Martinez, his common center-back partners in 2022 and 2023. But in 2024, he was seemingly asked to step up to be the main guy amid a team trying to transition to an entirely new formation and system, and his form, sadly, took a nosedive in 2024. MLSSoccer.com‘s Matt Doyle mentioned multiple times over the course of 2024 that Tafari had regressed significantly following his excellent 2023 season, and both Nico Estevez and Peter Luccin benched him at various times during the season. By season’s end, Marco Farfan, out of position, was preferred at center back over him.
There have been rumblings that, similar to the Jesus Ferreira situation, Tafari and Dallas were both ready to move on, with Tafari not happy with his relatively low salary and reportedly not willing to sign a new contract. There are also rumblings that he wasn’t necessarily the easiest player to deal with from a coaching standpoint, and he did have an unfortunate habit of some mental switch-offs in games that seemed to make it tough for coaches to fully trust him. That may be why Dallas received such a paltry return for a guy who played in over 100 games for the club.
That said, Tafari created some wonderful memories in Dallas, and fans certainly won’t forget him any time soon. I have no doubts that he will flourish at LAFC, surrounded by veteran talent, where he won’t be asked to lead a cobbled-together defense. It is just too bad that things didn’t work out here.
Alan Velasco (Officially) Transferred to Boca Juniors
Not exactly a surprise here, but after what seemed like an endless wait, Alan Velasco’s big move to Argentinean giants Boca Juniors was finally made official on Thursday afternoon. I’ve already opined on the move itself and what moving forward means for the team, but I want to make a remark on the official deal and the numbers involved.
Dallas got themselves $10 million for Velasco, with a potential additional $2 million in performance-related incentives, as well as keeping a 15% sell-on clause. Put simply, it is an unbelievably good deal for a player who never really played at a true DP level in MLS and was coming off an ACL injury. It ends up being a great move for all parties, with Dallas getting a huge haul for someone who had sort of underperformed and had an uncertain future and Velasco getting to go play back in his native country for one of the biggest clubs in South America.
His recent social media posts will show you just how happy he seems to be. Now, Dallas needs to find the right replacement.
Tsiki Ntsabeleng Contract Extension
Following several departure announcements on Thursday, Dallas started Friday morning by announcing another contract extension, this time for South African midfielder Tsiki Ntsabeleng. Tsiki had a bit of a breakout year in 2024; he was one of the few players on the team who had a good season and really established himself as a very solid depth piece and occasional starter in MLS. He was on a ridiculously low salary number, not even making six figures, so this should give him a deserved raise while keeping him in town through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028, likely still on a very team-friendly contract number.
That contract, combined with his play on the field and his green card, makes this another no-brainer. It is also a very smart business move to keep around a proven MLS-quality player who, at his best, is really, really fun to watch.
Enzo Newman Signed
Finally, to close out the week on another positive, FC Dallas announced the signing of their first-round draft pick, Enzo Newman. The club obviously feels good about Newman, as they handed him two years guaranteed with three option years and did so before they even got back from Portugal. I don’t have any big opinions on Newman yet, as I haven’t seen anything besides his college highlights.
Still, he can play either fullback spot and has, from all reports, been extremely impressive in the first couple weeks of preseason. I’m excited to see him in action and understand what he can do.
What are your thoughts on the batch of moves FCD has made this week?
PHOTO: Joaquin Torre/Imagn Images
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