FC Dallas has\u00a0completed the signing of 22 year old Paraguayan international striker Cristian Colm\u00e1n from Nacional Asunci\u00f3n of Paraguay for a reported fee of two million dollars. Colm\u00e1n will be signed by FC Dallas as a\u00a0Young Designated Player, pending finalization of his P1 Visa\u00a0paperwork. He will take the Designated Player\u00a0spot vacated by\u00a0Fabian Castillo, who left Dallas for\u00a0Trabzonspor last year.<\/p>\n
After a busy offseason<\/a>, it looked like\u00a0FC Dallas might\u00a0not land the goal scorer\u00a0that fans and pundits wanted. But Fernando Clavijo got his man, fending off competition from Brazilian, Argentinian, and Mexican clubs\u00a0including S\u00e3o Paolo and Lanus.<\/p>\n Colm\u00e1n has spent three seasons as a professional in the Paraguayan first division. He has good speed for his sturdy six foot frame and has amassed 31 goals\u00a0over 105 appearances. He also earned\u00a0three caps\u00a0for the Paraguayan U23 national team at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. Paraguay finished third in their group behind Mexico and Uruguay in that competition.<\/p>\n As a young designated player, Colm\u00e1n will carry a budget charge of $200,000, rather than the maximum of $457,500. Additionally, FC Dallas does not have to pay the $150,000 fee for signing a third Designated Player because of his age.<\/p>\n Given his Designated Player\u00a0status, Colm\u00e1n will likely slot directly into the starting eleven at the top of FC Dallas’\u00a0frequently used 4-2-3-1 formation.\u00a0If he does, will Maxi Urruti become a super sub or perhaps find a role on the right or left side of the attacking three? Pareja could of course opt to play two strikers, especially if his\u00a0team needs a goal. Pareja experimented with formations at the end of last season as he tried to cope with the loss of Mauro D\u00edaz. Since D\u00edaz is expected to be out through June, Pareja will likely continue to experiment to find a\u00a0formation that fits his impressive new look squad.<\/p>\n Cristian Colm\u00e1n continues a pattern of lower profile South American designated player signings for Pareja and Clavijo. They choose\u00a0to comb their native South American\u00a0continent for promising young\u00a0talent rather than splash the cash on pricey\u00a0European veterans. Given their back-to-back Western conference titles\u00a0and the recent addition of two trophies<\/a>, it looks like a formula that works.<\/p>\n