Eric Quill has made it clear from day one: FC Dallas wants to win a championship. That word - championship - is something of a forbidden term for the Texas club, which, in 30 years of existence, is one of the few MLS teams to have never hoisted the trophy - despite its hotbed of local talent.
Many great coaches and players before him have failed. But Quill, who played for Dallas in the '90s and coached their MLS Next Pro team, believes that he can piece it all together.
"Some people are scared to put high expectations on something and on themselves, because when you start talking that way, the expectation becomes big on your back. And I don't mind that," Quill tells GOAL.
It would seem to be a big challenge. Dallas were poor last year, missing the MLS playoffs. The response? A pretty hefty retool. Gone are Paul Arriola and Jesus Ferreira. In there place are perennial MLS MVP candidate Lucho Acosta and a host of new names. This is a rebuilt squad, and are currently ninth in the Western Conference.
"I've always welcomed challenge since I was a young kid," he said. "I've always loved challenges and people telling me I can't do something. And so it's just another moment for me, a growth moment to try to make an organization better than how I found it, and help this place that's been around 30 years reach the pinnacle."
The Houston native is an interesting choice for it all - he had never coached in MLS. Quill served as the head coach of North Texas SC from 2019-21. He guided the team to the inaugural USL League One Championship in 2019 and was named USL League One Coach of the Year.
He joined FC Dallas after serving as the head coach of USL Championship side New Mexico United. In 2024 he led New Mexico to the USL Championship Western Conference semifinals and the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, defeating Real Salt Lake along the way. And with the quality of USL improving, Quill says the gap between the two divisions isn't what it used to be.
"You take nothing away from USL Championship," he said. "I've just coached a really great team there, and there are great players in that league that make the jump up in Major League Soccer, or were in Major League Soccer before they went down to the Championship."
The FC Dallas head coach talked about his team's aspirations, the closing gap between USL and MLS and why his squad is so effective on the road in the latest GOAL Convo, a recurring Q&A with central figures in the American soccer scene.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
