The Argentinian had a hand in 18 goals last year and he’s going to be out until at least June. How will FC Dallas adapt their game in his absence?

The former Real Salt Lake player was signed to be a like-for-like substitution for Mauro Diaz. While he may fill the hole tactically, it’s doubtful that we will see Diaz level production out of him in the number ten role. Additionally, he’s 37 years old and will have to be rested often and may even sit out for games on turf. He may be an adequate Band-Aid solution, but I don’t expect him to be the answer to all of FC Dallas’ problems.

Morales also showed signs of a decline last season. Despite appearing in 29 games in 2016, he only tallied four assists. The 2015 season he recorded twelve assists even though he played nearly identical minutes. If this trajectory is any indication of how he will play this season, it's hard to be optimistic about Dallas' record through the spring. If Morales struggles early look for Pareja to begin to give Paxton Pomykal minutes to see what the young homegrown can bring to the table.

The 4-4-2

FC Dallas broke the bank on striker Cristian Colmán, but Urruti’s effort alone may find him a spot in the starting XI. On paper it makes sense, Dallas has two strikers and a current lack of a dominant number ten, playing with two up top would play to their strengths. This formation would rely on the wingers creating chances for themselves and Colmán and Urruti using their height and speed to create problems for the defense. There is one major problem; Kellyn Acosta is not the creative player Diaz is. He may put in the leg work necessary as a box to box midfielder, but he cannot create the chances Diaz did.

The 4-4-2 was adopted at the end of last season after Diaz’s injury and FC Dallas failed to create chances when other teams refused to adopt the high defensive line that FC Dallas needed to score goals. The 4-4-2 without Diaz depends on long through balls that the fast wingers and strikers can run onto. To be more successful this go around with the 4-4-2 FC Dallas would have to maintain a high line and desperately try to win the ball high up the field so that they could be just one pass away from a goal scoring opportunity and minimize what will be rocky interplay between the defense-minded Gruezo, Acosta, and the isolated wingers. This also solves the problem of the vacuum of space near the center of the pitch. If Acosta and Gruezo press diligently then there will be no problems with only playing two players in the center of the pitch and if the back line presses high enough, then there will not be a pocket of space for the opposing midfield to work in when Acosta is caught up field out of possession.

On a more optimistic note, the Urruti-Colmán combination could prove deadly. Colmán dropping deeper and holding up play for Urruti, Barrios, and Lamah to run in behind could give opposing center backs fits, and if crosses are pumped in from wide areas with any regularity, then Dallas could see an unprecedented amount of production from their strikers.

It's nearly impossible to replace a player of Diaz's caliber, but these are just two of the strategies Papi and Co. may utilize until June.