FC Dallas Opens 2026 Preseason: "It's all about how fast we can become a team"

FC Dallas first team players and staff reconvened Monday morning for the first preseason training session of the 2026 season at Toyota Soccer Center. A total of 30 players took the field – including defender Geovane Jesus after a two-year injury layoff – for head coach Eric Quill’s first session of his second season at the helm.

“Just being on the grass and seeing the youthful exuberance and energy and the guys getting back, the chemistry, all the banter, it's really fun,” Quill said. “This is what we love most, we really value these relationships and what we do every day. It's a lot of fun, the hour goes fast, and I'm just looking forward to the whole season.”

It was a welcome return to the field for defenders Geovane Jesus and Enzo Newman, who took part in the warm-up and passing drills while both continued their way back from significant knee injuries. Jesus, in particular, will hope to make a triumphant return after missing the entirely of the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to an ACL tear in September of 2023. Dallas also welcomed new faces in MLS SuperDraft selections Ricky Louis (who's officially on the roster having signed a generation Adidas contract prior to the draft) and Edouard Nys, who is unsigned and competing for a place on the team. 

On the other hand, there were some notable absences from Day 1. Midfielder Ran Binyamin and defender Herman Johansson, both signed earlier in the offseason, are awaiting work visas and are expected to join up with the team in Portugal once approved. Four more players are unavailable for this first week due to U.S. Youth National Team call-ups: Homegrowns Diego Garcia (U20s), Jaidyn Contreras (U19s) and Josh Torquato (U19s), as well as first-round SuperDraft pick Nicholas Simmonds (U20s). Fellow SuperDraft selections Niklas Herceg and Olayinka “Ola” Ogunleye opted to return to their collegiate programs and will not join up for FCD's preseason. The club still holds their MLS playing rights for another two years.

The Day 1 training session lasted just under an hour and consisted of a short warm-up, passing drills followed by small-sided games. Afterwards, head coach Quill spoke to the group to lay the groundwork for the next month of preparation.

"Every day matters," Quill explained. "Have a purpose every day when you walk through the building and self reflect, and be your own worst critic. Know how you want to get better and how you want to improve accountability. How do we grow these relationships? There's a lot of new faces, draft picks. You rely on a lot of leadership to connect the dots on that, (and build) that locker room tightness. So that's going to grow in preseason. It's all about how fast we can become a team."