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FRISCO - The complicated and sometimes-tedious MLS offseason draft cycle continues to grow in importance as it moves along for FC Dallas.
After an Expansion Draft that saw the longest-tenured member of the club taken away and a Waiver Draft in which no MLS team made a selection, Friday begins the 2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft with Stage One at 2 p.m. CT.
While not as glamorous as the SuperDraft in January, the Re-Entry Draft has been a strong point for Dallas in recent years.
A year ago, Technical Director Fernando Clavijo traded up to the top spot in Stage One to take Maxi Urruti - who went on to tie for the team's MLS scoring lead in 2016 with nine goals, while adding four assists. The Argentine striker also put two goals away in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final as the club lifted its first trophy in 19 seasons. FCD didn't lose a single game all season long in which Urruti scored or assisted a goal.
Broken up into two parts, the Re-Entry Draft takes players who have played in the league for several seasons and are either out of contract or had their contract options denied, and makes them available to every other MLS club in an effort to keep them in the league. MLS released the full list of those players on Friday morning.
Stage One is, in essence, the for the cream of the crop. Any player taken in this round either has their contract option exercised automatically, or the selecting club has to make a "Bona Fide contract offer." Because a club has to essentially ensure a roster spot to any Stage One selection, they only take a player they know will contribute right away. When Urruti was selected in 2015's draft, his contract option declined by Portland was automatically picked up by Dallas. He was one of just two players taken in last year's first stage.
But there's also Stage Two, where most of the action usually takes place. Anyone not selected in Stage One is available. This stage is more club-friendly because if they select a player, they have an exclusive right to negotiate a new deal.
You know Atiba Harris, who just signed a new contract with the club Thursday? The veteran returned to Dallas via the Stage Two Re-Entry Draft in 2014 and has started at least 20 games in both seasons since.
Will FC Dallas again be able to find another gem from the outcasts of other MLS clubs? Tune in at 2 on Friday and find out.