Every summer when the transfer window rolls around, there are teams who buy and teams who do not. Teams who are actively trading players and those who opt to remain content with what they have.

This summer could be one of those quiet ones for FC Dallas as the team sits near the top of the Western Conference standings.

Or maybe they won’t be. We know Dan Hunt has publicly stated that they’ll be looking to make additions to the roster.

Depth to be explored

Over the course of the season we've seen the depth tested in various ways. Between the injuries at the beginning of the season, to the various extra games on the schedule, the depth has been tested time and time again this season.

Oscar Pareja has done an excellent job up until this point in making sure some players down the depth chart have seen minutes on the field this season. But there are areas where things could improve. The central defense has been tested pretty heavily this season with international call ups to Matt Hedges and more recently an injury to Walker Zimmerman; guys like Atiba Harris, Walker Hume and Maynor Figueroa have stepped up nicely in the process. But more depth in the back is always a welcomed thing. After all, it is defenses who do win championships in this league when you get down to the playoffs.

Then there is also the obvious third keeper spot that has yet to be filled. While it isn’t a highly needed item, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see that position filled at some point.

I also wouldn’t mind seeing some wing depth brought in behind Roland Lamah and Michael Barrios. Sure there are guys like Tesho Akindele, Ryan Hollingshead, any number of the Homegrown players on the roster but getting some proven depth in that area might be nice for the stretch run.

Key pieces for the bench

Last year it was the addition of Carlos Ruiz late in the year that helped provide a spark off the bench. My gut tells me that Fernando Clavijo will be looking for that cheap option late in the season yet again. It worked well for him last year as Ruiz provided a nice boost off the bench in late game situations.

Adding a striker for late in the season like Ruiz may not be in the cards for this season, but I would see another winger or central midfielder added to the mix.

This is about 2018 as it is 2017

While there could be a move that reshapes the race in MLS in 2017, a lot of moves are for the future during this transfer window. The acclimation period in MLS is always a tougher thing for some players to deal with. And in some cases it never really happens.

There are two areas that I see FCD being potentially active in with regards to next year. One spot is the Homegrown players. The other could revolve around finding the next Designated Player to potentially replace loaned out fullback Anibal Chala (my gut tells me we’ll never see him here in Dallas again).

So far all of the HGPs signed before this season have seen some success in various places, either here with the senior team or on the youth national team level. We know the well runs deep for this club and as they position themselves for a USL squad in the future, lining up who will be apart of that could begin to take place this summer.