FC Dallas announced its roster decisions Monday, giving clarity to a handful of players' situations — though the picture around Matt Hedges' status with the team is still muddled.
Hedges is the longest-serving member of the team who was on the 2022 roster having joined FCD in 2012 and never played for another club. His contract expired this year, though the club maintained the option it announced Monday it has declined.
Still, "the club is currently in negotiations with defender Matt Hedges about a new contract with FC Dallas," it announced in a news release.
Three players had their options extended, including left back Marco Farfan. Farfan was one of the most consistent contributors to FCD last season, playing 2,731 minutes over the course of 32 regular season games and a pair of playoff contacts.
Homegrown midfielder Edwin Cerrillo, who also was a starter most of the 2022 campaign, and midfielder Tsiki Ntsabeleng, a draft pick who mostly functioned as an energy option off the bench, had their options picked up.
FCD bid farewell to a handful of players with much less tenure than Hedges. The team declined options for center backs Lucas Bartlett, a 2022 draft pick who never debuted, and Joshue Quinonez, who was on loan from Barcelona in Ecuador. Like Quinonez, utilizing the option for Porto fullback Nanu would've meant paying the parent club a large transfer fee. Nanu and fellow fullback Eddie Munjoma both had their options declined. The other players with their options declined are young players who will look to find somewhere else to break through.
Midfielders Nicky Hernandez and Thomas Roberts, who have spent large portions of the last several seasons on loan, and wingers Kalil ElMedkhar and Beni Redžić will not be returning.
The players currently on the roster for 2023 are goalkeepers Antonio Carrera, Jimmy Maurer and Maarten Paes; defenders Farfan, José Martínez, Isaiah Parker, Collin Smith, Nkosi Tafari and Ema Twumasi, midfielders Cerrillo, Sebastian Lletget, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Paxton Pomykal, Facundo Quignon and Brandon Servania; and forwards Paul Arriola, Jesús Ferreira, Franco Jara, Bernard Kamungo, Jáder Obrian and Alan Velasco.
Justin Che and Dante Sealy remain under contract with FCD but both are on loan.