The club has sold several senior players, including Marco Farfan and Lucho Acosta, without immediate replacements, creating roster gaps but also offering roster flexibility.

The team's recent improvement is largely due to strategic roster moves and tactical changes, notably shifting to a back 3 formation, which drastically reduced goals conceded from 43 in 29 games to just 3 in 5 games.

Since dropping Lucho Acosta in late July, FC Dallas has experienced a notable turnaround under coach Eric Quill, posting a 2-0-3 record over the past six weeks.

FC Dallas operates under MLS salary cap rules, using mechanisms like Designated Players, TAM players, and the U22 Initiative, but has left several roster spots unfilled, including the key DP position after selling Acosta.

Development of homegrown players continues, with Michael Collodi and Logan Farrington emerging as positive contributors, though overall youth impact remains limited.

The U22 Initiative remains underutilized, with some signings like Patrickson Delgado and Kiack showing promise, while others like Leo Chu and Geovane have been less successful or injured.

Overall, Quill’s strategic roster management, tactical adjustments, and effective player contributions have enabled FC Dallas to succeed despite operating with only one designated player and underutilized salary cap mechanisms, exemplifying a 'winning with half a deck' approach.

The current roster features one effective Designated Player, Petar Musa, along with TAM signings like Anderson Julio and Osaze Urhoghide, though some TAM players are underperforming or injured.

Defensive improvements have been driven by key players such as Christian Cappis, Ramiro, Bernard Kamungo, Lalas Abubakar, Sebastien Ibeagha, and Jacob Jackson, who stepped in after a red card to Collodi.