While North Texas SC only has 10 players currently on their roster, we've seen enough the past few weeks in preseason to get an idea of how things are shaping up and what first-team players we expect to see playing in League One this season.

While there are a number of players on trial or playing out of the academy, at this point, we'll be focusing on who we already know is under contract with either FC Dallas or North Texas SC.

Formation

So far, Eric Quill has been using a very similar 4-3-3 to the first team, which makes perfect sense. The one consistent difference has been the use of Arturo Rodriguez further up in much more of a traditional 10 role. Jatta has been deployed as something of a 6 as the deep-lying central midfielder, and he's been fantastic in that role.

Forwards

Ricardo Pepi of North Texas SC studies FC Dallas training. (2-19-19) (Buzz Carrick / 3rd Degree)

Ricardo Pepi is the overwhelming first choice up top from the NTSC roster. He was electric in the academy even when taking on opponents three to four years older than him, and he's showing all the right signs of a bright future. Watch him for five minutes and you'll see exactly what I mean. It's very early, but I can see him bagging at least 10 goals this year as a professional.

Lining up behind him is Ronaldo Damus, the Haitian youth international and FCD academy graduate who impressed during the Concacaf U20 championship last November. He's been used as both a 9 forward and a left winger, both effectively, and if Pepi is on the field up top, Damus is the starter to his left.

Zdeněk Ondrášek is down here because he's actually played with North Texas SC and has a long and difficult path to starting in MLS. Badji is the clear favorite and Ferreira looks like the overall second choice, so if Cobra is getting minutes, for now it's in USL. Probably not ideal nor what was expected, but that's just how it is.

Wingers

Oscar Romero, another former Academy graduate, signed on with NTXSC at the end of January, and he's been looking comfortable on both wings. I see him as the obvious starting right winger, where he's consistently looked his best. He's also played as a lone forward and as a second striker in a 4-4-2 in the past, and that's the right sort of versatility one looks for in these situations.

Ronaldo Damus (right) celebrates a goal in the 2018 Dallas Cup against Red Bull Brasil along with Brayan Padilla (center) and Thomas Roberts (left). (Billy Johnston / Dallas Cup)

Ronaldo Damus pops up down here where he'll likely play the bulk of his minutes. Damus has that charging speed we saw from Fabian Castillo, only he's much better at finishing his chances already. He's easily the first choice for the left wing. While we haven't seen much of the Damus/Pepi/Romero forward line, it's the logical fit for the three players and gives each of them a lot of flexibility.

Ema Twumasi is likely to start in place of Romero some this season at right wing and he had some promising moments in that position for Energy FC last year. In the preseason, he spent time with the first team, and so long as he's got Michael Barrios and Jesus Ferreira ahead of him on the first team depth chart, he'll benefit immensely from USL minutes.

Francis Atuahene and Dante Sealy will likely see a fair bit of time in League One this season, on the left and right wings respectively. Sealy looks like he'll be either starting or on the bench during the first half of the season for North Texas, and during the double-header home games, I can see him playing with the USL side if he's an unused substitute for MLS. Atuahene is injured (again), and he'll be out at least until the summer. He'll probably start easing back into playing off the bench for North Texas come July.

Playmakers

Arturo Rodriguez of North Texas SC is surrounded by FC Dallas Academy U19 players. (3-6-19) (Garrett Melcer / North Texas SC)

Arturo Rodriguez has the 10 job for North Texas locked down. He's been the same creative, pace-setting player that he was during his academy days, and it's already looking effective. He links up well with Pepi, Damus, and Romero, and he's been great in those brief moments when the team regains possession, resetting the offense to push forward.

David Rodriguez, Arturo's younger brother, is a very similar sort of player, although he did spend some time as a forward with the Academy. Rodriguez the Younger fits in as more of a Pomykal-esque "free 8" player, that 8/10 hybrid in transition. He's craftier than his brother and has shown moments of pure creative brilliance. He was used as a true 10 against Swope Park in the preseason, pushing forward and launching plays, which drew high praise from coach Eric Quill. I'm excited to see what he and his brother can do on the field together.

Thomas Roberts, the Arkansan Homegrown signing, has been drawing plenty of attention from everywhere, with Buzz Carrick openly speculating he might be off to Bayern Munich in the not-too-distant future. You may recall that he's actually spent several months over in Germany training with them already. He's been playing as the top "free 8" within Luchi's system, sitting firmly as the top prospect at his position, and he's just shy of cracking the first team. Expect to see him getting at least 1,000 minutes with North Texas SC if he doesn't end up leapfrogging Jacori Hayes on the depth chart. He's also a potential injury replacement for Bryan Acosta if things get particularly ugly.

Bicou Bissainthe is another name that will appear in this spot and he was the primary holding player for Haiti during the Concacaf U20s. He's quick and manages to cover a lot of ground, but when he was asked to defend, he started to look shaky. He's much more used to playing as a linking midfielder in a 4-4-2 at the international level, so he'll need some time to adjust to LuchiBall.

Edwin Cerrillo and Ema Twumasi are both likely to get time in either of these roles and Cerrillo already has already spent time on the field with Rodriguez the Elder to great effect. Cerrillo plays comfortably as the holding 8/defensive 6, somewhere in between Carlos Gruezo and Jacory Hayes. He's another one of those guys who's on the bench for the first team who will benefit from USL minutes. Twumasi is an interesting player in that he's in here twice as both a right-winger and as another sort of creative 8 midfielder. He's played all over the place, as a target forward, a second striker in a 4-4-2, a winger, a wide midfielder, and a partridge in a pear tree, and he's just so versatile. I'm still long on him cracking into MLS someday.

Holding/Defensive Midfielders

Alfusainey Jatta showed up out of nowhere as an unexpectedly fantastic young player. He slotted into the deep-lying central midfield spot and immediately made it clear the job was his. He's tall and lanky and still growing into his frame, but the tools are obviously there. His ability to disrupt an attack, recover possession, and make the perfect pass up the field from wherever he's needed is not something we see every day, and the general consensus is very high.

Brandon Servania of FC Dallas playing in the 2018 Concacaf U20 Championship against Trinidad and Tobago (Concacaf / Concacaf)

Brandon Servania is the second string player at defensive mid behind Carlos Gruezo for FC Dallas and he's likely to rotate with Jatta for that role with North Texas. He's converted from a more Hayes/Pomykal style 8, but between the competition at that spot, the lack of depth behind Gruezo, and his defensive acumen, he's made the transition further back and made it well. He's not likely to take Gruezo's job any time soon, but he's definitely someone to keep an eye on long term.

Edwin Cerrillo gets a mention here as well, as his game has him alternating between the 6 and 8 roles, sometimes within a single game. It's not his primary position, nor is he as comfortable that far back, but in a pinch, he can survive the odd start or substitution should Servania and Jatta be unavailable.

Defenders

If anyone is likely to lead the team in minutes in 2019, it's

Brecc Evans

. He's the obvious first choice center back and is the most promising defender out of the academy since Chris Richards. He has the makings of a potential Walker Zimmerman sort-of dude, but he's going to need a lot of coaching to get there. Watching him, the talent and athleticism

there, but he's not playing up to his full potential yet, and he has a lot to learn about defending in the professional game. If Matt Hedges takes him under his wing, he could become a serious threat in a few years' time.

FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez with FC Dallas' two 2019 SuperDraft picks Callum Montgomery (left) and John Nelson (right). (FC Dallas / FCD)

Callum Montgomery is guaranteed to get a lot of playing time with North Texas this season. Signed as the 4th overall pick in the SuperDraft out of North Carolina-Charlotte, he was a First Team All-American and Conference USA Defender of the Year. If history is any guide, it seems that drafting defenders - specifically center backs - pays off more often than other draft picks and Montgomery looks to be not far from MLS ready. One thing: he's currently dealing with an ankle sprain and is still listed as "questionable" by the club.

The other first-round defender drafted, John Nelson, has already worked his way up to the second choice behind Reggie Cannon. He's also been comfortable at left back and center back, making him a massively valuable addition for defensive depth. He's likely another half-and-half player who will spend most of playing time with North Texas, making the odd rotational start/substitute appearance with the first team. He's similar to Ryan Hollingshead in a lot of very positive ways, only potentially better at his defensive obligations.

Bryan Reynolds has found himself likely demoted simply due to depth and Reggie Cannon's emergence, and he's likely going to be playing wherever John Nelson isn't. Reynolds has also made the transition from forward to defender, and rather successfully, but he's still a relative novice to the back line. It makes sense to ease him in, especially going up against professional-level offense in USL. He's young, though, and there's plenty of time for him to get comfortable. That's what North Texas SC is for, really.

Also worth mentioning is Benin-born Togolese defender Abdoul Gaffar Ibrahim, who joined alongside Jatta. He's been used more as a wing-back, according to the limited information about his career in Africa that's available, but he's yet to arrive in Dallas, so we'll have to wait and see for now.

Goalkeepers

Carlos Avilez remains the only goalkeeper on the North Texas roster, having recently returned from some time with the Mexican U20 team. Avilez is a former academy keeper who spent several seasons as the 4th string goalie with the first team. He was the first academy player to sign a USL deal, ostensibly with OKC Energy FC although he never played, and it's just been a matter of time for him to make his debut.

Kyle Zobeck will also likely get some time with North Texas, as he hasn't played regularly since 2014, and if the team wants to keep him match ready, he desperately needs minutes. He's also not a bad potential player/keeper coach for the USL side and could be great for Avilez's development.

Lineup Prediction

It's easy to discern from above, but here it is summarized.

North Texas SC lineup prediction (3rd Degree / John Lenard)

I see Ricardo Pepi up top, with Damus on the left wing and Romero on the right. Behind them, Los Hermanos Rodriguez as the 10 and 8 for Arturo and David respectively, with Jatta as the 6 behind. Brecc Evans slots in as the left center back alongside a hopefully recovered Callum Montgomery. Bryan Reynolds gets the nod at right back, with John Nelson out left. In goal, Carlos Avilez.