Salazar ranks second among the forwards in the class of 2026 and is eighth overall in our Rankings. He plays for FC Dallas U19 in MLS Next, but also features for North Texas SC in MLS Next Pro, where he made 15 appearances off the bench in 2025. A striker, Salazar is a handful for opposing defenders because of how well he uses his body to shield the ball and dominate the space both inside and outside the penalty box. A lethal finisher, he consistently gets into great spots in the box and rarely needs more than one touch of the ball to send it to the back of the net. Salazar also does a good job of linking up plays when he drops outside the penalty box, facilitating his team’s chance-creation.

FC Dallas ‘ No. 9 Salazar is the team’s main source of goals, efficiently converting most of the chances he has to put the ball into the back of the net. A physical player, he’s excellent at fighting for space and protecting the ball, both inside and outside the box, often working as the hub of his team’s offense with his excellent holdup play. Salazar does a great job of consistently getting into good spots to finish chances, be it by peeling off defenders to space his team’s offense or with his excellent movement inside the box to finish chances. He has solid ball control skills, but scores a fair amount of his goals with first-time finishes, be it with one of his feet or his head.

Salazar is a prototypical striker, who knows every corner of the penalty box and consistently puts himself in great positions to score. His movement in the final third is excellent, as he only needs a few steps in the right direction to get separation from opposing center backs while also opening up the perfect angle for his teammate who’s on the ball to find him. Salazar is very accurate with his first-time shots, and he also always finds a way to get on the end of crosses, especially by attacking the far post. He also works well with his back to the goal and can help his team by getting on the end of long passes and holding the ball up top.

The forward came off the bench during the second half and scored in a critical moment, sealing FC Dallas’s victory. In the goal, Salazar displayed excellent positioning inside the penalty box to score off of a cross with a one-time finish. He also used his physical tools to make some plays with his back to the goal, getting on the end of long passes and engaging in quick combination plays. Salazar also