After five seasons as head coach and 20 seasons with the club, Oscar Pareja appears to be leaving FC Dallas to take on the next stage of his career under the bright lights and intense heat of Liga MX at Club Tijuana (a.k.a. Xolos). While no official announcement has been made, our sources say the deal is all but done and will be happening.

Which means it's time for us at 3rd Degree to start looking ahead. It's what we do. I've had this list of potential candidates kicking around in my head for some time, just in case. If nothing happens and Pareja doesn't leave... well, you can file this in your head for the day he eventually does.

So here are five candidate suggestions, listed from likely to unlikely, based on the Hunt's usual hiring practices.

Remember as you read this list, Colin Clarke was an assistant under Mike Jeffries. Steve Morrow was an assistant under Colin Clarke. Schellas Hyndman was Clark Hunt's coach at SMU and a family friend. Oscar Pareja was an assistant coach under both Steve Morrow and Schellas Hyndman. The Hunt's like internal candidates and continuity.

The Continuity Candidate - Marco Ferruzzi.

Marco Ferruzzi (Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas)

Marco Ferruzzi is a San Antonio native and has been on the FCD coaching staff for 15 years. Ferruzzi was an assistant coach under Colin Clarke, Steve Morrow, Schellas Hyndman, and now Oscar Pareja. In 2008 he was named interim head coach after Steve Morrow was fired leading FCD to a 2-2-1 record before Schellas Hyndman was hired. In 2012 Ferruzzi was appointed the FCD reserve team coach as well as being an assist on the primary team.

The point being, that while Ferruzzi and Pareja certainly get along and Ferruzi is a valued member of the staff, Ferruzzi is a native Texan and an FC Dallas guy. His son Diego plays for the FCD Academy. I think it a safe assumption Ferruzzi would be more interested in staying in Dallas than he would be in following Pareja to Mexico. This all makes Ferruzzi a more likely candidate than say, Josema Bazan, who while certainly qualified has less MLS and Hunt connections and is more likely, as one of Pareja's hires, to go with Pareja to Xolos.

So the 48-year-old Ferruzzi is your continuity candidate. He was here for the creation of the Academy and the creation of the USL side. He's worked under four different FC Dallas head coaches, had a stint as interim FCD coach, and is very experienced at the MLS level. He also holds an "A" level US coaching license. In addition to running FCD training, Ferruzzi has overseen the college scouting program and the SuperDraft preparations for several years now. Ferruzzi has also been the "defensive coordinator" this year responsible for the defensive rebuild.

The Hot Young Name Candidate - Luchi Gonzalez

Luchi Gonzalez (FC Dallas / FC Dallas)

There's a lot of love around FC Dallas for Luchi Gonzalez, including from us at 3rd Degree. He's a hot name, a young and up and coming coach. He's currently the FC Dallas Academy director.

After coaching some high school soccer, Gonzalez joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2012. After Gonzalez coached the FCD U16s to two straight USSDA National Championships he was promoted to Academy Director. He's been in that role ever since. So Gonzalez at least deserves some credit for the development of Paxton Pomykal, Jesus Ferreira, Bryan Reynolds, and Reggie Cannon.

The caveat: Gonzalez has never coached pros as a head coach or an assistant. There is a difference between youth and adult pros. If the Hunts are after a hot name who has dealt with their own Academy, Gonzalez would be a really good candidate.

But I think Gonzalez is an even better candidate to be the FCD USL head coach next season. That's a good next step, handling a balance of pros and young men as they take the next step in their development. Gonzalez is for sure a coach on the rise, he may just need one more step before he's MLS head coach ready.

The Big MLS Name Candidate - Jason Kreis

An all-time FCD great as a player, Jason Kreis remains the club's leading scorer to this day (91 goals). The club's first MLS MVP and the first 15 goal/15 assist player in MLS history. Kries is a proven winner as a head coach, leading Real Salt Lake to the MLS Cup title in 2009.

Hired at 34 by RSL, Kreis was the youngest head coach in MLS history at the time. He led RSL to their first ever playoffs in 2008 and the aforementioned cup in 2009. In 2011, Kreis led RSL to the Concacaf Champions League final where they lost to Monterrey. Certainly, Garth Lagerway deserves a great deal of credit for putting those clubs together.

In 2013, after leading RSL to another MLS Cup (this one a loss), Kreis joined New York City FC as their inaugural coach. After NYC's inaugural (and really messy) 2015 season didn't see them make the playoffs, Kreis was let go.

In 2016 Kreis joined Orlando City SC as head coach and was let go during the middle of 2018 with a below .500 record. But Kreis had Orlando City at a 6-8-1 record when he was let go and the club managed only 2 wins and 3 ties over their last 18 games. Perhaps the Orlando City meltdown after he left indicates Kreis was doing some really good coaching down there.

The playing club connection and the proven MLS track record make Kreis a strong candidate even if he doesn't have a relationship with the Hunts.

The No Club Connection MLS Candidate - Caleb Porter

Caleb Porter (Ray Terrill / Wikimedia Commons)

Another proven MLS quality coach that is out there looking for a gig is Caleb Porter. A former MLS player with San Jose Clash and Tampa Bay Mutiny, Porter came to Portland Timbers after successful coaching runs at the University of Akron and the US U23 team.

Hired by the Timbers in 2013, Porter compiled a 68-50-52 record over five seasons, led the Timbers to two first-place finishes in the Western Conference, and won the 2015 MLS Cup.

Certainly, Porter has the track record of winning in MLS and had great success within the NCAA rank, enough to land the US U23 job. So there is some youth development cache there. But Porter clearly has no Hunt connections and that makes him a less likely name.

Porter also reportedly turned down the Orlando City job earlier this year. So he may be waiting for a high profile job, which some might not see in the FC Dallas position. Although FCD is certainly better placed to win soon and isn't a rebuild like Orlando City is.

The Outside the Box Candidate - Leonel Alvarez

Former Colombian national head coach Leonel Alvarez speaks during a press conference in Bogota, on September 8, 2011 after being appointed as head of the national squad. (LUIS ACOSTA / Getty Images)

A former FC Dallas player from back in the late 90s, Alvarez essentially taught this entire organization how to be professionals. Jason Kreis has cited Alvarez as the biggest influence on his career. Alvarez used to run position only training session for the midfielders on the Burn team, coaching them himself.

Alvarez is an old school, winning is everything kind of coach. As a player, he was a perfect example, (grit, tenacity, and willpower) of what FCD is missing a little bit of in the current squad. He would absolutely shake things up, change the atmosphere in the team and at the club, and put the fear of god into the opposition.

But this idea is for sure way outside the box. Alvarez has a job as he is currently coaching at Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. He's formally coached Independiente Medellín (winning two titles), Deportivo Cali, and the Colombian National Team, to name a few.

But if you want a big, ambitious, shake up the entire club hire, Alvarez would be it.