FRISCO — The moment that defined Eric Quill’s tenure as FC Dallas head coach came before he ever had a chance to settle into it.
In his very first home match last season, he stepped in front of the media and apologized. It was startling — rare honesty in a profession built on deflection.
“I did it because I felt like I truly had an impact in the way the result went,” said Quill as he recalled the 3-1 loss against Chicago. “We were in control of the game, and I erred on the side of changing the rhythm. That’s why the apology was, ‘I could be better.’”
He didn’t care that it was early in the season. He didn’t care how it looked.
Sports Roundup
FC Dallas midfielder Patrickson Delgado is consoled by head coach Eric Quill after the Vancouver Whitecaps victory in a penalty shootout in Game 2 in the first round of MLS soccer’s Western Conference playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Frisco.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
“I live a life of accountability,” he said. “If I feel like I’ve done something that hurt the result, I have to be the same as what I ask of my players.”
That night, he set the tone for his entire first year, a season defined by humility, recalibration and a massive roster overhaul.
By the time preseason ended last year, he was coaching a team he barely knew.
“We had 20 players change over,” he said. “They don’t know me. I don’t know them. You’re not set up for success in Year 1.”
On Saturday, Quill begins his second season as an MLS head coach when FC Dallas opens its home campaign against Toronto at Toyota Stadium.
Expectations are sky‑high this year, especially with Quill insisting he now has the ingredients to turn Dallas into one of the league’s true contenders.
Last year, the vibe was very different.
The club wanted results. Quill wanted them too. But the math didn’t lie. “People want success, but the percentages don’t favor that many changes coming off an unsuccessful season.”
So he shifted his focus. Instead of chasing a title, he built the foundation for one.
“What I was proud of was that even through difficult results, the players didn’t turn on the team or me,” he said. “They stayed in the trenches. We found a way together to pull ourselves out of it.”
The season became, in his words, “a tale of two seasons in one:” a rocky search for identity followed by a late surge once the pieces finally clicked to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Quill doesn’t hesitate when asked about the biggest lesson from his first season as an MLS head coach. Humility, he said, came to him quickly.
“I got humbled,” he said. “Sometimes wanting to play a certain way isn’t in the best interest of the player profiles you have.”
That realization forced a crossroads. He could cling to his preferred system, insisting the roster bend to his ideas, or he could evolve.
“You can jam a formation down people’s throats, or you can adjust and build a style that fits who your team actually is,” Quill said.
He chose the latter. And now, entering Year 2, he feels he has the tools to execute his vision.
FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill stands near the bench before the first half of an MLS game against the Chicago Fire, Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Frisco.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Before diving into his second season, he allowed himself something rare: a break. He spent part of the offseason on a family cruise to the U.S. Virgin Islands, his first cruise.
“It’s basically meant for kids,” he said, laughing. “Waterslides everywhere. But I was pretty impressed.”
Did he enjoy it?
“Yeah,” he admitted, a grin sneaking in. “Not something I’d do every year… but once a decade. Sure.”
Seven days at sea were enough. Enough to disconnect. Enough to breathe. Enough to return with clarity about what needed to come next.
This season, Quill insists, is different. No scrambling for signings. No last‑minute arrivals. No guessing.
“We’re picking up where we left off,” he said. “We’ve added three or four important pieces. We have everything we need now.”
The tactical plan is clear: a three‑center‑back system with layers of flexibility. “We can play two nines and a ten, or two tens and a nine,” he explained. “We can play inverted wingbacks. We have versatility.”
And for the first time, he faces a problem every coach wants.
“It was very easy to pick an eleven last year,” he said. “That’s not a good thing. This year, it’s very tough. I feel like I’ve got 30 starters.”
For Quill, mentality is far more important than technical skills in a player.
“For me, mentality is the essential ingredient,” he said.
Quill said that talent alone doesn’t impress him. Resilience does.
“You can have the most talented player, but if he’s not a warrior, if he doesn’t bounce back quickly, he won’t last. You don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself in professional sports”, said the 47-year-old coach.
It’s a philosophy that traces back to that first‑game apology, a moment of vulnerability that became a blueprint.
Accountability. Adaptability. Resilience.
A year later, Quill is still living by those words. And now, he believes, FC Dallas is finally built to win by them.
Twitter/X: @abrahamrussek
FC Dallas set to debut new ‘DNA’ kit for fast-approaching 2026 season
According to FC Dallas, the jersey’s hoop designs pay tribute to the club’s past major trophy victories.
Goalkeeper Marteen Paes transfers from FC Dallas to AFC Ajax
Paes made 114 career appearances in net for FC Dallas. FCD also added Montreal keeper Jonathan Sirois.
FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour will be making a stop in Dallas
Dallas will be one of 38 stops the tour will make across all three host nations.
Find more FC Dallas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.