We have a depth chart on 3rd Degree year round, but with the season kicking off I thought it worth a dive into the depth chart for opening day.
It can and will change rapidly.
Factors
Injuries are having the biggest impact right now (in red on the chart) and I’ve taken them into account based on severity.
Long-term-injury players, I have dropped down to the bottom of the chart (Geovane Jesus & Alan Velasco).
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The shorter-term-injury players I have left in their natural ranking or perhaps tweaked them a little if I feel a player may be threatening their job.
The short-term injuries range from Maraco Farfan who has a knock, to Ema Twumasi who is recovered and in training but not 100%, to Paxton Pomykal and Jesus Ferreira who have both been out most or all of spring with an unclear date of return.
The other consideration is that I want to list each player in one position. Obviously, in reality, that’s not how it works.
Center backs can shift across the line. 10s are interchangeable. Past Logan Farrington or Eugene Ansah at the 9 you might see Bernard Kamungo or Ferreira return rather than an unprover homwgrown.
Sebastian LLetget is probably 2nd in, at least, 4 positions, and could potentially play others. With Pomykal out, Liam Fraser will likely be in the XI with Asir Illarramendi in the double pivot rather than say, Tsiki Ntsabeleng.
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The 3-4-2-1
People at the club have started calling the shape a 3-4-2-1, which is an improvement from calling it a 5-2-2-1.
Look, it’s a 3-4-3. But I’ll give in and go with the 3-4-2-1 that the club seems to want. I think it’s to emphasize the 2-1 up top, as I’ve written multiple times, that’s the key. But it’s all the same shape.
The FC Dallas 3-4-2-1 depth chart for Opening Day 2024.
Notes and Comments
We understand Marco Farfan has a knock but Dante Sealy is a legit candidate to take over the left wingback spot anyway. The wingback in particular needs an offensive punch. Sealy has that.
Speaking of wingback and offensive punch, Herbert Endeley has also had a great spring. With the pile of injuries at the right wingback spot he got his chance and took it. Ema Twumasi is back playing/training but not yet 100% peak form so Endeley could get that opening day start. Right wingback will be a real battle this season, even more so when Geovane Jesus comes back this summer.
Don’t discount the idea that Paul Arriola can also play right wingback. He probably doesn’t want to, we haven’t seen it yet, and I would hate to “waste” a million-plus paid player in that spot, so I’m not putting it on the chart. But if and when everyone is healthy that might be a real option.
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I think the ideal double pivot is Illarramendi and Pomykal. But Fraser will see plenty of action too and Lleget can also factor.
At this point, we have no clue how good Patrickson Delgado is, nor what kind of shape he’s in. So I stuck him on the bottom of the chart for now. Time will tell.
I’ve reported Antonio Carrera is set for a loan. I would expect Tarik Scott and Malik Henry-Scott to both start the season with North Texas SC. Henry-Scott was with them rather than going to Spain while Scott was with Jamaica U20s. I think both are in Los Toritos camp now.
Nolan Norris, Tomas Pondeca, Ale Urzua, and perhaps even Amet Korca could see time at NTX as well.
It remains to be seen what the club is going to do with Isaiah Parker. He too was with North Texas SC rather than going to Spain. I like him but it’s clear the gaffer doesn’t. They should be trying to trade the kid.
DALLAS – A Dallas Police investigation into a double homicide continues after the suspected gunman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mesquite, authorities announced.
Double murder-suicide investigation
What we know:
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Dallas officers responded to a shooting call in the 15800 block of El Estado Drive in Far North Dallas at 2:40 p.m. on December 11, 2025. The preliminary investigation determined that two people had been shot.
The victims were identified as 24-year-old Arlina Sander, who died at the scene, and 27-year-old Darvilease Washington, who was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
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Detectives quickly identified a possible suspect and a suspect vehicle registered in Mesquite. As Dallas detectives prepared an arrest warrant, they were notified by the Mesquite Police Department about a shooting in that city.
Suspect found dead in Mesquite
The suspect in the El Estado homicides was found dead in the 1000 block of Craig Drive in Mesquite, having suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect’s vehicle was found in the driveway.
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The Dallas County Medical Examiner has identified the man as 44-year-old Jonathan Lakill Mantoy Jones. His time of death was just after 5 p.m., according to the M.E. report.
What we don’t know:
The motives and circumstances surrounding the offense are still under investigation.
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Dallas Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Paul Johnson at 469-271-6328 or via email at paul.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police Department.
After a gloomy Saturday, cold temperatures moved through Dallas-Fort Worth through the evening, though the area is expected to see some sunshine on Sunday.
Temperatures are forecast to reach a high near 43 on Sunday with early morning wind chills in the 20s or lower for parts of North Texas, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
Nighttime temperatures are likely to drop to a below-freezing 28, with wind gusts calming down in the evening after reaching as high as 30 mph during the day.
The coming week is expected to be somewhat sunny, barring some cloud cover during the night.
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D-FW Weather Wise
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Starting Tuesday, the weather is supposed to get warmer with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
The latest Dallas weather forecast from KXAS-TV (NBC5):
SUNDAY (HANUKKAH BEGINS): Partly sunny, breezy and much colder. High: 44. Wind: N 10-20 mph.
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MONDAY: Mostly sunny and chilly. Low: 28. High: 53. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mixture of sun and clouds, mild. Low: 43. High: 63. Wind: S 10-15 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny and warmer. Low: 53. High: 71. Wind: S 10-20 mph.
THURSDAY: Plenty of sunshine, warm. Low: 56. High: 71. Wind: N 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Low: 47. High: 67. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.
The BMW Dallas Marathon is in full swing this weekend. Events started Friday night and will run through Sunday.
Saturday morning included a 10K, 5K, and the kids’ 100-meter dash, but Sunday is the big day so many runners have been training for.
From young runners to older runners, thousands participated in Saturday’s events, including one of Santa’s elves.
“Santa made me work today,” said John Schmidt, who participated in the 5K dressed as Santa’s finest.
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Myrna Besley came from Colorado to jog the BMW Dallas Marathon 5K on Saturday morning, pushing her grandson along the way.
“My daughter is a runner, we do this to go along with her, she’s way ahead of us, and she’ll be running in the marathon tomorrow,” Besley said.
Teachers Caroline Menzia and Emma Gayle took a break from the classroom to hit the pavement.
“We work hard every day in our job, and I don’t know, we wanted to push ourselves outside of our work, to do something for us that we can accomplish,” said Menzia.
Organizers said while a lot goes into planning this event, it’s important for runners to enjoy the journey it’s taken to get here.
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“Have some fun, smile, it’s hard, getting to the finish line is not easy,” Jason Schuchard, president of the BMW Dallas Marathon, said. “But just relax, trust your training, and just remember to smile.”
If you’re one of the thousands of runners running on Sunday, organizers said to arrive early, stay hydrated, and stay warm.
“Come early, park early, make yourself comfortable, you don’t want to stress out,” said Dr. Logan Sherman, chairman of the BMW Dallas Marathon. “It’s going to be cold, so bundle up and any clothes or any items you want to discard before you get to the start, please know that you can discard it on the side of the corral right before you’re about to take off.”
There will be many road closures in Downtown Dallas on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit: https://dallasmarathon.com/.
