FC Dallas kicks off the 2025 season this Saturday against the Houston Dynamo. Before the season gets underway, I’m going to go out on a limb and make some predictions for FC Dallas’ 30th season in MLS.
Disclaimer: Some of the predictions may be of the “hot take” variety and are unlikely to come to fruition.
1. Petar Musa breaks FCD’s single-season scoring record
In Dallas’ 29 previous seasons, no player has scored more than 18 league goals in a single campaign. Three players have scored 18: Jason Kreis (1999), Kenny Cooper (2008) and Jesús Ferreira (2022). I think Petar Musa will best that record this year and here’s why. Last year, Musa scored 16 goals off just 9.9 Expected Goals (xG). To clarify, Musa’s finishing was so good he essentially scored six more goals than expected based on the quality of his chances. With the addition of Lucho Acosta, an MVP-level chance creator, plus a more attack-minded style of play under Eric Quill, I’m going to assume Musa will be provided far more than just 9.9 xG. And if Musa continues to score more goals than expected (even if it’s not as drastic as +6 goals), he should score more than 16. I’m betting he scores at least three more than his debut season to break the 18-goal barrier.
2. Pedrinho has 10+ goal contributions
This prediction comes courtesy of Ryan Figert, FCD’s new radio voice, on our podcast: The FC Dallas Agenda. He (and I) believes that Pedrinho, the Brazilian attacking midfielder, will register at least 10 goal contributions (goals + assists) this year. Last season with North Texas SC, Pedrinho had 13 goals and eight assists in MLS NEXT Pro. And while MLS is a big step up, the 21-year-old has been a standout for Dallas in preseason and has seemingly caught Eric Quill’s eye. Although he may not be a consistent starter, there’s a good chance Pedrinho will be one of the first difference-makers off the bench and should have ample opportunity to contribute in front of goal.
3. FC Dallas records 5+ road wins
While winning five road games may not sound like a lot, it’s a number Dallas hasn’t reached since 2018. And for good reason, winning away from home in MLS is hard – whether that be the extensive travel, small-ish rosters, field-surface differences (turf), whatever. In any case, I think with Eric Quill’s more in-your-face style of play and a heavier reliance on counterattacking, his team can reach five away wins (he’ll get his first chance this Saturday in Houston).
4. Maarten Paes leads MLS in saves per game
Maarten Paes is one of the best goalkeepers in MLS and we expect FC Dallas to play a very attacking style. To me, that means there’s a decent chance the team gives up a fair number of shots and, because he’s awesome, Paes will hopefully save a lot of them. Please note we’re using the Saves per Game metric rather than overall saves because Paes is likely to miss a few games due to international duty with Indonesia. But on a per game basis, Paes could lead all starting keepers with his save numbers.
5. An FC Dallas player wins MLS Goal of the Year
I don’t have much of an explanation for why this will happen other than the club signed Lucho Acosta, who’s won it before (video below). Regardless, I think it’ll happen. Whether it be another solo run from Acosta, an acrobatic bicycle kick from Petar Musa or a long-range banger from Anderson Julio, an FC Dallas player will walk away with this year’s Goal of the Year once it’s all said and done. This is statistically the least likely of these five predictions to come true but who cares, it would be fun.
