It was a gorgeous day at FC Dallas training and consequently, there were a couple more media than usual for a Wednesday. I'm sure that's not really the case but with the temps in the 60s it was most certainly a wonderful day for soccer watching.

Today (Wednesday, April 3rd) FC Dallas Head Coach Luchi Gonzalez continued to work his team on tactical concepts of what I'm calling Luchi-Ball. Build from the back down the wings, breaking of pressure wide or through the middle. Capitalizing on turnovers created by using a press of their own. The press also included a little tactical shape twist today. I'll try and keep an eye out for it in the game Saturday and I'll mention if it happens but I don't want to talk about it in advance.

One of the groups today always replicating what I assume the staff has scouted to be the Philadelphia Union system. If you haven't seen the Union yet this year, that system is something like a diamond 4-4-2, or perhaps it's a 4-3-1-2. Either way, it uses two strikers and a 10, that's not something we see a ton of these days in MLS.

News, Notes, Observations, and Comments

Cristian Colman is on schedule to begin some individual ball work and small side stuff at the end of April. So there's light at the end of his tunnel.

Dom Badji is expected to push for roster inclusion next week against Portland. If he doesn't pass the trainer test and get cleared that week it should certainly be the week after against Atlanta.

Francis Atuahene is doing some small on ball work now and should take the next step if his progression in about 3 weeks. Remember his injury is upper-body so he can do individual ball work with this legs already.

Moises Hernandez is still on loan with San Antonio FC and should be for some time unless Dallas has an injury emergency in the back line. Hernandez has made 2 starts for SAFC so far.

Speaking of injured players, today is the first time I've seen Ema Twumasi since his return from the back problem. He looks pretty good and scores a couple of nice goals, getting forward aggressively. Nice showing. That's good for him and the team with Badji still out. I think he's been hitting the weight room, he seems to have put on some upper body muscle. He's looking strong.

Dante Sealy remains on loan with North Texas SC, where I expect him to train and play all season.

From my observations and the playing time he has gotten, I think John Nelson has put himself in contention at left back and is challenging Marquinhos Pedroso for the backup spot there.

Ryan Hollingshead continues to excel in training as well as in games. He's playing the best soccer of his career.

Again based on games and training, midfield seems to be a direct completion for places each and every week between 5 players: Paxton Pomykal (perhaps the only lock right now?), Carlos Gruezo, Bryan Acosta, Edwin Cerrillo, and Jacori Hayes. Just on the outside of that group are Brandon Servania and Pablo Aranguiz, although the latter is really the 2nd choice left wing.

While I don't think the 17-year-old Thomas Roberts is threatening to start yet, he is in the rotations and in competition for playing time off the bench.

FC Dallas is deep enough into the season players are starting to get little knocks and the like physically. National team call ups are a factor too. Don't be shocked if you continue to see a change or two each game in the lineup as Coach Gonzalez tries to keep the players fresh and on their toes. Maybe we'll see a player rested a game? Perhaps a bit less rotation in the backline though, as Gonzalez mentions below.

Ricardo Pepi and Mohamed Sesay are called over from North Texas training and participate in the first hour of training with FCD before calling it a day. NTX starts training about an hour before FCD.

The aforementioned Mohamed Sesay, although unsigned, is obviously still here and working with NTXSC. I understand the 7 internationals limit in USL-1 is the holdup. So he may yet factor into the roster as the season goes on.

I'd like to compliment Bressan. He continues to train hard and looks pretty good even though he has to know he's not getting a start real soon. He will be needed at some point though. Injuries, cups, cards, and workload will all take their toll. At some point, he's going to have to spell the 34-year-old Reto Ziegler and maybe Matt Hedges as well.

Coach Gonzalez said he watched the North Texas SC game on replay and liked the overall performance except for the let down at the end. He did offer one funny quip about it. "Really happy for Pepi. He scored three, could have scored five. So that's my message to him. Cause that's the relationship I have with him." That tongue-in-cheek statement earned a good chuckle from the assembled media.

Catching up with Luchi Gonzalez

I was as big a fan as anyone of Edwin Cerrillo coming out of the Academy last season. But he's further ahead in the depth chart than even I expected. What's he doing to put himself so high up the chart and in your thinking for selection?

That's one where we were just taking steps. But there was a circumstance with national team duties with some of our center mids and we needed a player like Edwin to step it up. And he had a good preseason playing in that 6-roll. He can play 8 no problem, but he's been playing more of a 6-roll.

Just smart movements away from the ball that, in windows, get us out of pressure. And allow him to rotate the ball, us to penetrate better, and so he's just calm, he's confident. It's natural and he's shown it home or away.

He's got a little knock, but he looked fine today. I think he'll be good to go for the weekend. There's no final decision on a lineup but certainly, he's in that mix to start games. We're really happy to see him take that step. In no way has he shown complacency or comfort, he's fighting every day just like his teammates.

It's early in the season, but where does squad rotation enter into your thoughts in terms of workload and games as you begin to have things like the Cup and other stuff coming up?

We've had to do that up top and in the midfield already. So those have been by choice and by circumstance. In the back line not so much, with the exception of Reggie picking up a knock. You know in the back line you want to have a bit more stability and consistency cause there's more structure there.

The rotations have been pretty consistent in the midfield and up top. Not so much in the back line. So, we're just taking it one game at a time. But we need everybody.

Ema Twumasi looked pretty sharp today. Is he doing the right things to get into your mindset for the roster?

I think he's having a good week. He's healthy. He's showing verticality and a desire to get in behind. Change speed and compete. He hasn't been available for almost a month now and to have him complete is positive to see that we have a roster.

We don't depend on one, we don't depend on three, we don't depend on 11... we need a roster. We need a roster and I'm glad to see him respond like that.

So it seems Jesus Ferreira won't get his citizenship in time to make the US U20 team for the World Cup. So a bonus for you but maybe a bummer for him?

Oh yeah. Look, if we're missing five guys and that hurts us, our starting lineup... we're a development club, we want those guys to get that international experience and exposure. We're going to have to adapt without them. So yeah, I would want Jesus, absolutely, to get that opportunity.

But there's a FIFA rule that you need to have your citizenship for six months before you can play. And his birthday was just in December, he turned 18. If his birthday was earlier in the year, last year, then he probably could have gotten it done. It's a timing, and logistic thing, and a rule by FIFA. He can't control that. But he'll be ready for the next Olympics and so forth and so on, if he earns that opportunity.

FC Dallas' Jesus Ferreira (right) is interviewed by reporter Steve Hunt. (4-3-19) (Buzz Carrick / 3rd Degree)