Santiago Moreno: What to Expect From FC Dallas’ New Number 10
On the very last day of the transfer window, FC Dallas signed their second designated player, bringing Santiago Moreno back to MLS on loan from Fluminense.
Here’s what to expect from the newest man to wear the number 10 shirt at Toyota Stadium.
In Portland, Moreno spent time playing either wing spot and also some as a more central attacking midfielder.
Here’s a breakdown of his stats in the seasons spent in MLS:
- 2021: 17 games played (4 starts), 1 goal, 4 assists
- 2022: 34 games played (28 starts), 7 goals, 8 assists
- 2023: 31 games played (29 starts), 3 goals, 0 assists
- 2024: 32 games played (29 starts), 6 goals, 14 assists
- 2025: 22 games played (20 starts), 4 goals, 5 assists
So, over his career in MLS, he averaged a goal contribution right about every other game. That’s really solid, and as a U22 player for Portland, he provided great value to their attack. But things went south with Moreno and Portland after his very strong 2024 season, when he started to attract interest from clubs in Brazil. He made his desire to leave known to the club and ended up basically leaving on his own to force the club’s hand to sell him to Brazilian giants Fluminense.
Yes, that is the same Brazilian giant Fluminense FC Dallas ended up being able to offload Lucho Acosta after his disastrous half-season in Frisco and recoup most of the $5 million spent to acquire him from FC Cincinnati. It probably is not a coincidence that FC Dallas is the destination for a player Fluminense wants to offload for a reported buy price of around $5 million.
That said, Moreno is still, if nothing else, a solid MLS attacker, and FC Dallas is getting him on loan for 2026. No details as of yet on what triggers might be in place for the buy option in terms of performance or playing time metrics, but it seems likely that, barring some sort of injury, Moreno will be in Dallas beyond 2026 and likely still as a designated player.
Moreno, as a designated player, is not necessarily ideal, especially with Dallas seemingly set on the 2/4 roster model, which limits them to just 2 DPs. Moreno is more of a complementary piece, at least historically, than he is a pure chance creator or someone who consistently scores goals.
His 2024 season was excellent, but in the season prior, he didn’t register a single assist.
On the field, Moreno is very direct. Highlights are highlights and don’t fully represent a player, but his tape shows he picks up the ball and almost always immediately looks to either drive forward or find a passing option toward the goal. At his best, he is especially lethal in transition moments. He shows some very nice ability to find runners in the box with his passing and does well to finish a number of chances of his own, even showing some ability with his weaker left foot.
In Dallas’ most recent two games against San Diego and Houston, they deployed a bit of a new look to the back 3, playing more of a 3-4-3 with two “10s” underneath, Petar Musa or Logan Farrington up top. Moreno should be deployed as one of those 10s, likely opposite Joaquin Valiente, moving Kaick back into one of the holding midfield roles alongside Christian Cappis or Ramiro. Kaick has excelled at pressing in the 3-4-3 as one of the 10s, but the offensive output has, understandably, been a little more lacking. Moreno should provide a big boost there, if he can also put in the kind of energy and defensive work Valiente and Kaick have been providing.
There’s the elephant in the room: how Moreno left Portland, basically forcing his way out and causing some off-field issues. With less than a year since the Lucho Acosta saga, it is interesting that Dallas is choosing to take what some may see as a risk by signing someone with Moreno’s history. But with how things have turned on the field for Dallas under Eric Quill since Acosta left the team, I’d assume Moreno’s signing comes with Quill’s full approval, and he’s confident he can get the best out of Moreno. If he can consistently get Santiago Moreno at his best, Dallas may truly have found their new number 10.
What are your expectations for Santiago Moreno in Dallas?
How do you feel about him being a designated player?
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