FC Dallas 2025 Postseason Grades: Midfielders and Forwards
Last week, we started our offseason series by grading the goalkeepers and defenders.
This week, we move up the pitch and look at the midfielders and forwards.
Midfielders
Christian Cappis // A
Alongside the sale of Lucho Acosta midway through the season, the acquisition of Christian Cappis was probably the most impactful change the team made before their strong run to close the season and push into the playoffs.
Cappis, who has a relationship with Eric Quill going back to his youth soccer days, almost immediately became a starter and a constant in the team in the last third of the season. His signing was a clear sign that the front office was putting their trust in Quill moving forward, and Cappis’ play on the field certainly helped reinforce that belief.
His ball retention, defensive ability, and incredible work rate were all huge parts of why Dallas ended the season so strongly, and I can’t wait to see what he looks like with a proper preseason under his belt before 2026.
Kaick // B
Kaick was one of the biggest unknowns of all the winter signings. He wasn’t signed until after the season already started, and his $4 million price tag instantly jumped out – especially considering he is a 19-year-old who had all of one game of professional top-flight experience in Brazil prior to signing.
He immediately showed two things: 1) there’s a lot of promise there, and 2) he is still very raw. Kaick probably ended up playing a lot more than anyone expected him to in 2025. By season’s end, he had made 31 appearances across all competitions and scored 3 goals. His performances were up and down throughout the season and even within individual games, but overall, considering it was his first professional season, it was a positive one for the young Brazilian. A proper offseason and full preseason should really help him take the next step in 2026.
Ramiro // B
The Brazilian veteran ended up with a massive role in 2025. When Ramiro was signed, the talk around the club was that he would serve as a utility player, someone to back up a number of positions across the field and spot start when needed. By season’s end, he had started 29 regular-season games, providing 3 assists.
At the start of the season, Ramiro was a constant in midfield, seemingly the only player Eric Quill trusted to play in the holding midfield role. He wasn’t bad there, but his lack of pace, coupled with FCD’s play style and Lucho Acosta’s low defensive work rate, meant he was often asked to do more than he could; he simply couldn’t cover the ground required.
So it was a bit surprising that he shifted over to play right wing back after Acosta’s departure and Quill’s move to the 3-5-2. He certainly wasn’t flying up and down the field, but he was solid and steady, using his significant soccer IQ to his advantage against quick attackers. He also ended the season as FCD’s captain, a clear sign of the trust placed in him by the staff.
He is a great locker room presence and a solid player, but it would probably be for the best if his on-field role is at least slightly reduced in 2026.
Paxton Pomykal // B
Well, it was better than 2024, right? I contemplated giving poor Paxton an “incomplete” for 2025 but opted for a rating because we did actually seem him play a handful of meaningful minutes.
Paxton made his emotional comeback on May 10th at home against RSL, where he came on for the final 9 minutes plus stoppage time in a 1-1 draw. He then upped his minutes the following weekend to 19 minutes in the 2-0 home loss to Houston. Feelings were good! He didn’t quite look like his old self, but things seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and everyone was optimistic that, before long, we might actually see him start a game for the first time in two years.
The next game was midweek, the US Open Cup round of 16 matchup against the Red Bulls. With Dallas and New York tied at 1-1, Pomykal entered in the 65th minute, bumping his minutes up to a planned 25. Ultimately, Dallas conceded extremely late, and the game went through the full 30 minutes of extra time, meaning Paxton played over an hour, a huge ramp-up in minutes.
Whatever happened that night (the club called it a “knee bruise”), Pomykal didn’t enter the field again until October, playing out stoppage time in the 2-1 win over the Galaxy. He then played again a couple of weeks later on decision day to help Dallas secure another 2-1 win and their playoff spot. And that was it. He didn’t play in either playoff game and finished the season with 40 minutes played in MLS and 55 minutes played in the Open Cup.
Paxton’s future is a bit uncertain. The club clearly wants to give him every opportunity to return, but his salary is simply massive for a player who basically isn’t playing. 2026 is his final guaranteed contract year, and it feels like the last shot for him. Everyone involved will be hoping that 2026 can finally be the season he gets his career back on track.
Sebastian Lletget // B
The veteran midfielder spent the early part of the season being, more or less, FCD’s most important player. Lletget’s play in midfield was just about the only thing that kept Dallas looking like a somewhat competent soccer team. When he was out of the team, things were a complete mess, with absolutely no ball progression in midfield. He also showed versatility, playing both the 6 and even at right wingback in a couple games.
But, as has been the case in most of his seasons with Dallas, Lletget fell victim to the recurring injury bug that kept him out of the team for most of the second half of the season. In Dallas’ strong run to close out the season, Lletget was basically a non-factor. He did play the second half of Dallas’ final playoff game, which proved to be his final minutes with the club, as he announced ahead of the team that he would be leaving the club following 2025. Lletget was a consummate professional and a fantastic player to watch across his three and a half seasons in Dallas, and I wish him nothing but the best going forward.
Patrickson Delgado // B
Really interesting season in Patrickson’s second season with the Burn. He started off the season looking like he’d be a backup 10/midfielder, mostly playing behind the likes of Lucho and Lletget. His first big moment of the season came when he was subbed in against Chicago while up 1-0, looking completely lost as a “winger,” as Dallas fell apart and lost 3-1. When Eric Quill started tweaking formations and shapes, he saw a run in the team as one of the “shuttlers” in the 4-4-2 diamond, where he was…okay. He never looked super comfortable or confident, but put himself about well for the most part and was at his best in a free-ish sort of role where he could just get into duels and wreak some havoc.
But his best run came after Lucho was sold to Fluminense, and he was given the “10” role in the 3-5-2. He doesn’t play anything like a traditional 10, but was given a free role to find space and pick up the ball in deep, wide, and attacking spaces. He ended the season with 6 assists and scored an absolute banger for his only goal against the Galaxy in the final regular-season home match. His injury on Decision Day in Vancouver ended up having a significant impact on how Dallas was able to play in the playoffs.
It is easy to forget that Patrickson is still quite young; he turned 22 right before the end of the season and still has lots of room to grow. One of the big questions of the offseason will be how the front office and Eric Quill view him moving forward. Is he good enough to start in an attacking midfield role? Or does he pan out as more of an 8? The answers will be critical to how they approach the offseason.
Pedrinho // C+
It was a very much an up-and-down season for the young Brazilian. Prior to the Lucho Acosta signing, as helped on by his football agents, it looked like he was set to take the starting 10 role, but he instead spent the early part of the season as a super sub, a role he played quite effectively at times, maybe most notably in FCD’s big comeback against Inter Miami.
But he got himself into hot water alongside Lucho in July. Word got out that he and Lucho broke curfew after the 2-0 loss to LAFC and went out together. This saw him get sent home alongside Lucho and put him in Eric Quill’s doghouse for quite some time. After his start against LAFC on July 12th, he did not play again until a very short sub appearance against Austin on September 13th. He didn’t play more than 30 minutes, other than on Decision Day, when he was forced onto the field to replace the injured Patrickson.
With his youth and his mercurial ability, he seems like a likely candidate to be back in 2026 with perhaps a bigger role, but it remains to be seen if his actions have permanently lost Quill’s trust in him.
Diego Garcia // B+
Garcia probably hoped to have a bigger impact on the first team in his second season, but it was still ultimately a positive season. Mostly spent with North Texas SC again, Garcia made his FCD debut in the Open Cup against AV Alta and then his MLS debut in Portland in a big 2-2 draw. He then helped FCD see out their massive Decision Day result in Vancouver in the last 10 minutes, two big moments for such a young player (he turned 19 on October 17th). 2026 will hopefully see him take a bigger role or perhaps see a loan to USL Championship to get more minutes at a higher level.
Anthony Ramirez // C+
Probably not what young Anthony Ramirez had hoped for in his first season signed to the first team. He did get into one game, the 4-2 win against SKC, but otherwise spent the entire season with North Texas SC, where he was solid if not quite spectacular. He’s still very young, only 19 years old, but he hopes to take a step forward in 2026, whether that’s with a more defined first-team role or perhaps a loan to the USL Championship to get minutes at a higher level and get him out of his comfort zone.
Forwards
Petar Musa // A+
Simply put – Petar Musa had one of the greatest individual seasons in club history in 2025. He tied the club’s single-season goal-scoring record of 18 and added 6 assists on top of that. He established himself as one of the best strikers in the entire league and, especially after Lucho Acosta’s departure, clearly showed he who is the club should be building around going forward.
Short and sweet with Musa – whatever the front office needs to do to keep him here and keep him happy, they need to do it. What a player.
Logan Farrington // A-
FCD’s second-year striker started the season almost exclusively as a super sub. He saw some sporadic starts at a winger in the 4-2-3-1, but was largely stuck on the bench until Musa spent a brief time out injured and Farrington was thrust into the lineup.
It felt a little like there was somewhat of a sophomore slump happening for Farrington right up until the change to the 3-5-2 that saw him partner with Musa up top. This really saw both players come alive, as Farrington picked up 3 goals and 2 assists following the formation switch and saw a boost in his level of play. By season’s end, he was essentially undroppable, and the season was only marred by a ridiculous red card decision that kept him off the field for decision day. But going into the offseason, he is a clear starter-level player that Quill and staff have to have on the field as often as possible.
Anderson Julio // B
Julio’s season can largely be divided into two sections: pre-formation change and post-formation change. In roughly the first half of the season, Julio was one of Dallas’ most important players. When he was off the field, Dallas lacked the top-end pace to stretch defenses, and he was often huge in any sort of chance creation, mostly deployed as a pure winger.
But after the switch to the 3-5-2, his role dropped off significantly, mostly relegated to coming off the bench as a super sub. He lacks the hold-up play needed from the forwards in that formation and just doesn’t quite fit as a wingback either. To his credit, he did contribute a couple of big goals in that period, but he looked largely ineffective and frustrated. He has a contract option for 2026, and whether or not it makes sense to bring him back is a major offseason question.
Bernard Kamungo // B
After a real disaster of a season in 2024, reconnecting with his first professional coach, Eric Quill, really worked wonders for Bernie Kamungo. Right from the start of the season, it was clear that Quill was going to give Bernie a very long leash and lots of opportunities to get his career back on track. He started off playing as a winger in the 4-2-3-1, before spending some time as a sub when the team would switch into the 4-2-3-1 in the second half, as well as playing some games as more of a forward in the 4-4-2 diamond shape.
Bernie was an early Open Cup star, scoring against both AV Alta and New York Red Bulls in the competition, but struggled to find his feet in MLS play, not scoring until the 4-2 win over Sporting KC.
But, in perhaps the most unlikely development of the season, Bernie really found his feet and his form playing as a left wing-back after the move to the 3-5-2. That really allowed him to flourish, with plenty of space to play and run into, and he proved to be a solid 1v1 defender as well. After the move to the 3-5-2, he added another goal and an assist and was ever-present at left wingback until the season’s end.
It wasn’t a perfect season at all, but it very much got his career back on the right track. 2026 will be very interesting to see what Bernie’s role ends up being and how the team decides to play.
Sam Sarver // A-
The Burn’s second-round SuperDraft pick ended up being one of the best stories of the 2025 season. Sarver didn’t travel to Portugal with the first team for preseason, instead staying in town with North Texas SC, where he started the season and was named captain. He got off to a tremendous start at NTSC and paced the league’s goal-scoring numbers throughout the season.
By mid-season, Dallas faced a bit of an injury crisis in the forward ranks and, in the home game against St Louis in late July, Sarver was an emergency loan signing from NTSC to the first team, coming back to Dallas the day after he scored four goals in an NTSC win in Kansas City. With Dallas up 2-0 late, Sarver made his MLS debut and instantly became a fan favorite when he won a penalty and celebrated as if he had just won a trophy, going absolutely mental and firing up the crowd. In the week following the game, he officially signed with the first team.
First-team appearances from that point were sporadic; he didn’t play any substantial minutes until near the end of the season, when he was brought on at halftime in the away game in LA with FCD down a man. He picked up his first MLS assist in that match with a wonderful pass to Anderson Julio. With Farrington and Musa both suspended for decision day, he got his first-ever MLS start in Dallas’ biggest game of the season, and he delivered by drawing an early red card for Vancouver and providing another assist to help Dallas win and get into the playoffs. He then started the first playoff game and had a bit of a letdown there, but at that point, nothing could really dampen the kind of debut season he had. In 2026, he’ll have a much clearer first-team role.
Tarik Scott // C+
Probably not quite the season the young homegrown forward had hoped for. Tarik Scott started the season largely playing for North Texas and only ended up making a total of 4 appearances, totaling 44 minutes, in 2025. In the last part of the season, he was sent on loan to USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC, where he notched 1 goal and 1 assist in 9 matches.
Scott is still very young, only 20 years old, and it would be a real surprise not to see his option picked up for 2026, but 2026 will be a big year for him to try to increase his role in the team and really solidify his place in the first team.
Deedson // Incomplete
Dallas’ other summer signing besides Christian Cappis barely saw the field. The Haitian international only made 2 appearances, totaling just over 20 minutes, so it is really difficult to say much about him. The change to the 3-5-2 just did not seem to suit Deedson, who is more of a natural winger. 2026 will be a proper season for him to establish himself in the team.
Enes Sali // Incomplete
It almost feels harsh to keep beating up on the young Romanian, but what a bust of a signing. Sali still hasn’t actually played an MLS regular-season game; he spent the first half of the season on loan in Saudi Arabia with Al-Riyadh, which did not exercise its buy option. He came back, played one game with North Texas SC, then made the bench for the first team before, incredibly, being subbed on in the first playoff game in Vancouver late in the game.
Sali is occupying a key U22 spot, and he doesn’t look anywhere close to ready to make an impact in the first team. Dallas really needs to move on from him in the winter to clear that space.
What are your thoughts on FCD’s midfield and attackers in 2025?
Discover more from Dallas Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:FC Dallas