Starting the season with a former league MVP coming in brings lofty expectations. For FC Dallas, they were expected to be a fun team to watch as a middle-of-the-road playoff team, but that wasn’t the case for Dallas.
FC Dallas’ stunning turnaround didn’t happen overnight; this development slowly came to fruition after surprise roster moves shook the foundation of the team.
These moves also led to a better locker room dynamic that has helped this team build itself to last as we approach the final games of the season. With a final playoff bid on the line, multiple teams are fighting for their postseason lives, no matter how far away the ninth seed feels.
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FC Dallas’ Stunning Turnaround
What Turned Their Season Around
Dallas acquired Lucho Acosta from FC Cincinnati in hopes of boosting their team with the 2023 MLS MVP.
This strategy was not just poorly executed but poorly planned, as they didn’t build a suitable roster around Acosta to win now. The team suffered from it and struggled to come out of the games hot.
Acosta was visibly frustrated on the field; we didn’t know how bad it was behind closed doors until the tension boiled over. Before the transfer window opened, Acosta made it clear that he no longer wanted to be in Dallas.
Dallas just didn’t send him away to another MLS team, but sent him to a Brazilian league, and out of the league, he was dominated. Just like that, Acosta was no longer in the MLS, as Dallas now knows how to find out what to do next.
Since his departure, Dallas has yet to lose a game. He was detained on August eight. On the Ninth, they defeated Austin FC and haven’t looked back. They earned points in three straight games while avoiding a losing result and are now on a three-game winning streak.
Acosta being sent away is the clear turning point for this team and their journey to the ninth seed, which they currently own in sole possession. With four games left, one question remains: can they fend off the field and survive with the ninth seed?
The Road to Securing the Ninth Seed
The good news for Dallas is that they are only two points out of the eighth seed and have a realistic chance to create a small cushion by jumping the Colorado Rapids. The bad news is that the next two teams behind them are just a win away from jumping Dallas.
Dallas will need a lot to go their way to remain in the seed they currently possess. You’d figure they would have some kind of advantage; unfortunately for Dallas, everyone is dead, even with seeding meaning almost nothing as we speed down the hill to the final weeks of the season.
The next four teams on their schedule have nothing to play for, which opens a door for Dallas to possibly see players on their opposition who aren’t first-teamers. They play LA Galaxy, who could rest their players to either keep healthy for a transfer to Europe or in hopes of regaining form for next season.
Vancouver is the last game on the schedule that will most likely be the third or second seed, with no real chance to drop any lower or gain the one seed.
Vancouver is also out of the Supporters Shield race, which opens the door for the Whitecaps to possibly bench their young core until the postseason.
It will be a rocky road for Dallas down the stretch; luckily enough for them, they face teams that won’t have any true stakes on the line. From a team that seemed to be dead to rights, now has a chance at the Cup, FC Dallas’ stunning turnaround has shifted the MLS West to the very end.
Main Photo
Credit IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Recording Date 12.09.2025