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FC Dallas
FC Dallas logo.svg
Nickname(s) Toros, Burn
Founded June 6, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-06-06) as Dallas Burn
Stadium Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
Stadium
capacity
19,096
Owner Hunt Sports Group
Chairman Clark Hunt
Head coach Eric Quill
League Major League Soccer
2024 Western Conference: 11th
Overall: 21st
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Primary colors
Alternate colors

Football Club Dallas, often called FC Dallas, is a professional soccer team from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. The team started playing in 1996 as one of the first clubs in the league. It was first known as the Dallas Burn when it was founded in 1995. In 2004, the team changed its name to FC Dallas.

Since 2005, FC Dallas has played its home games at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. This stadium holds about 20,500 fans. Before that, in its early years, the team played at the Cotton Bowl. The Hunt Sports Group owns the team, and brothers Clark Hunt and Dan Hunt lead it. The Hunt family also owns the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

FC Dallas won its first major trophy, the Supporters' Shield, in 2016. This award goes to the MLS team with the best regular season record. In 2010, they almost won the MLS Cup, but lost to the Colorado Rapids in extra time. The team has won the U.S. Open Cup twice, in 1997 and 2016. Their youth academy is very famous for helping young players become professional soccer stars. Many players from their academy have gone on to play for big European clubs and the United States men's national soccer team. Some of these players include Weston McKennie, Reggie Cannon, Ricardo Pepi, and Chris Richards.

Team History

Dallas Burn: 1996–2004

Dallas was chosen to have an MLS team on June 6, 1995. The team was named the "Dallas Burn" because of the burning oil fields in Texas and the state's hot weather. Hugo Sánchez, a famous player from Mexico, was the first player to join the team.

On April 14, 1996, the Dallas Burn played its first game. They beat the San Jose Clash in a shootout in front of 27,779 fans at the Cotton Bowl. Five days later, Jason Kreis scored the team's first goal. The Burn finished second in the Western Conference that year. They reached the playoffs but lost. In 1997, they won their first U.S. Open Cup by beating D.C. United. In 1999, striker Jason Kreis was named the league's MVP. He was the first player to score 15 goals and make 15 assists in one season.

Chicago Fire versus Dallas Burn (JUL-1998)
Dallas Burn (in white) playing against Chicago Fire at Soldier Field in July 1998

In 2001, Mike Jeffries became the new coach. The team reached the playoffs but lost to Jeffries' old team, the Chicago Fire. In 2003, the Burn moved their home games from the Cotton Bowl to a smaller high school stadium, Dragon Stadium, in Southlake. The team did not play well that year and missed the playoffs for the first time.

For the 2004 season, the team moved back to the Cotton Bowl. In August, the team owner, Lamar Hunt, announced that the club would change its name to "FC Dallas." This change happened when they moved to their new soccer-specific stadium in Frisco for the 2005 season.

FC Dallas: 2005–Present

In March 2005, FC Dallas signed Carlos Ruiz, a top forward from Guatemala. On August 6, FC Dallas played its first game at their new stadium, then called Pizza Hut Park. They tied 2–2 with the MetroStars. Dallas made it back to the playoffs in 2005 but lost in a penalty shootout.

In 2006, the team finished first in the Western Conference during the regular season. However, they lost in the playoffs again. In 2007, they reached the U.S. Open Cup final twice but lost both times. For the next two seasons, Dallas missed the MLS playoffs. In 2009, the club signed Bryan Leyva as its first "Homegrown Player" from its own youth academy.

Oduro goal
FC Dallas players celebrating a goal scored by Dominic Oduro in a match against Colorado, 2007

In 2010, Dallas played in the MLS Cup final for the first time. They lost 2–1 to Colorado in extra time. David Ferreira, a midfielder from Colombia, was voted the league's MVP that year. Because they were runners-up in the MLS Cup, Dallas got to play in the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League, which is a big tournament for teams in North and Central America. They won their first group game against a Mexican team, UNAM, which was a big achievement for an MLS team.

In October 2013, coach Schellas Hyndman left the team. Three months later, Óscar Pareja, a former Dallas player and assistant coach, became the new head coach. Pareja led the team back to the playoffs in 2014. In 2015, Dallas finished first in the Western Conference. They beat the Seattle Sounders FC in the semifinals but lost to the Portland Timbers in the conference finals.

First Big Wins

Their strong performance in 2015 earned them a spot in the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League. In 2016, FC Dallas won its first Supporters' Shield and its second U.S. Open Cup. This was a great year for the club, winning two major trophies! They made it to the semifinals of the Champions League but were knocked out by a Mexican team, Pachuca.

Team Colors and Badge

When the Dallas Burn first started, their colors were mostly red and black. Their logo showed a black mustang breathing fire with the word "Burn." This logo and the colors were first shown on October 17, 1995.

When the team changed its name to FC Dallas in 2005, they also changed their colors and logo. Their new colors became red, white, silver, and blue. Their uniforms started to have horizontal stripes. The official colors are called Republic Red, Lonestar White, Bovine Blue, and Shawnee Silver. Red is still the main color for their home uniforms, and blue is often used for their away uniforms. The new team badge has a bull instead of a mustang.

In July 2012, the team wore jerseys with a sponsor's logo for the first time. It was for AdvoCare, a sports nutrition company. In 2014 and 2015, the jerseys had a special message, "Dallas 'Til I Die," inside the collar. They also had the initials "LH" on the back for Lamar Hunt, the club's owner.

Stadium

Toyota Stadium
Toyota Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Frisco
CottonBowl
FC Dallas played at the Cotton Bowl from 1996 to 2002; 2004–2005

FC Dallas has played in three different home stadiums, all located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

Name Location Years
Cotton Bowl Dallas 1996–2002
2004–2005
Dragon Stadium Southlake 2003
Toyota Stadium Frisco 2005–present

From 1996 to 2002, the team played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. In 2003, they moved to Dragon Stadium, a high school stadium in Southlake. This was to save money. After hearing from fans, the team moved back to the Cotton Bowl for the 2004 season.

In August 2005, the club moved to Toyota Stadium in Frisco. This was the third stadium in the U.S. built just for soccer. In 2018, the south end of the stadium was updated. It now includes a new home for the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

NewToyotaStadium interior
New Toyota Stadium project

Big changes are planned for Toyota Stadium starting in 2025. These changes will cost $182 million and should be finished by 2028. They include adding roofs over the east and west stands for shade. A new north stand will be built for the team's biggest fans, called "ultras." The stadium will also get the largest LED screen in an American soccer-specific stadium.

Uniforms Over Time

  • Primary Uniforms
1996
1997
1998–1999
2000
2001–2002
2003–2004
2005
2006–2007
2008–2009
2010–2011
2012–2013
2014–2015
2016–2017
2018–2019
2020–2021
2022–2023
2024–
  • Alternate Uniforms
1996
1997
1998–1999
2000
2001–2002
2003–2004
2005
2006–2007
2008–2009
2010–2011
2012–2014
2015–2016
2017–2018
2019–2020
2021–2022
2023–
  • Third/Special Uniforms
2006
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023

Team Culture

Mascot

FC Dallas mascot - Tex Hooper
Tex Hooper, the FC Dallas mascot

FC Dallas has a fun mascot named Tex Hooper. He is a bull! The team says he was born in Frisco, Texas, on September 6, 1996.

Supporters

Dallas fans
FC Dallas fans enjoy pre-game activities

FC Dallas has two main fan groups: the Dallas Beer Guardians and El Matador. These groups cheer loudly for the team at games.

Rivalries

FC Dallas has a big rivalry with the Houston Dynamo. This is called the Texas Derby. The two teams play for a special trophy called El Capitan. It's a replica of a Civil War cannon. The team that wins the most games against the other in the regular season gets to keep it.

There used to be a rivalry with the Colorado Rapids. This started because of some comments from Colorado players and their wins over FC Dallas in the playoffs.

FC Dallas also plays for two other rivalry cups. The Brimstone Cup is against the Chicago Fire. This cup started in 2001. The Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup is played against Columbus Crew SC. This cup is named after Lamar Hunt, who helped start both teams. These cups are not as important now because the teams don't play each other as often.

Academy

The FC Dallas Academy is famous for training young soccer players. Many talented players have come from this academy. Some of them are Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Jesus Ferreira, and Ricardo Pepi. In 2020, it was ranked the best academy in MLS.

Affiliated Teams

FC Dallas used to work with other soccer teams. They were linked to Oklahoma City Energy FC and Arizona United SC. They also had ties with teams in Mexico and Brazil.

In 2018, FC Dallas started its own team called North Texas SC. This team plays in USL League One, which is the third division of American soccer. FC Dallas owns and runs this team.

Sponsorship

When Toyota Stadium opened in 2005, it was first called Pizza Hut Park. In 2012, FC Dallas signed a deal with AdvoCare, a health company, to be their jersey sponsor. The stadium's name changed to FC Dallas Stadium for a short time. In 2013, Toyota became the official stadium naming rights partner, and it was renamed Toyota Stadium.

AdvoCare continued to be the jersey sponsor until 2020. In 2021, MTX Group became the new main shirt sponsor. AdvoCare then became the sleeve sponsor. In 2023, Children's Health and UT Southwestern became the new jersey sponsors.

Broadcasting Games

Bobby Rhine FC Dallas 2007-04-29
Former Dallas midfielder Bobby Rhine was a play-by-play announcer until his death in 2011

Television

Since 2023, you can watch every FC Dallas game on MLS Season Pass through the Apple TV app.

Before this, FC Dallas games were shown on local TV channels like KTXA. The team sometimes had trouble finding TV partners in the busy Dallas–Fort Worth area. In 2018, FC Dallas started its own TV network, FCDTV Network. This network showed games on local stations in different parts of Texas.

From 2013 to 2014, most games were on the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel. Fans did not like this because many people did not have that channel.

Radio

Since 2018, you can listen to English radio broadcasts of FC Dallas games on the club's website. For local TV games, the radio broadcast is the same as the TV audio. If a game is shown nationally, a radio-only broadcast is available online.

Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon provide Spanish commentary on radio stations like KFLC and KFZO. Carlos Alvarado has been the play-by-play announcer since 1996.

Players and Staff

For details on former players, see All-time FC Dallas roster.

Current Roster

No. Position Player
2 Brazil DF Geovane Jesus
4 United States DF Marco Farfan
7 United States MF Paul Arriola (captain)
8 United States MF Sebastian Lletget
9 Croatia FW Petar Musa
10 United States FW Jesús Ferreira
12 Haiti MF Carl Sainté
13 United States GK Antonio Carrera
16 South Africa FW Tsiki Ntsabeleng
17 United States DF Nkosi Tafari
19 United States MF Paxton Pomykal
20 Argentina FW Alan Velasco
No. Position Player
21 Angola MF Manuel Cafumana (on loan from Maccabi Haifa)
23 United States FW Logan Farrington
25 United States DF Sebastien Ibeagha
27 United States FW Herbert Endeley
29 United States DF Sam Junqua
30 Indonesia GK Maarten Paes
32 United States DF Nolan Norris
34 United States MF Alejandro Urzua
35 United States MF Tomas Pondeca
41 Jamaica FW Tarik Scott
77 United States MF Bernard Kamungo
99 Romania MF Enes Sali

Team Management

Coaching Staff
Head coach United States Eric Quill
Assistant coach Peter Luccin
Assistant coach John Gall
Assistant coach Kevin Martinez Gil
Goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan
Head of performance Miguel Villagrasa
Chief Soccer Officer
Sporting Director
Andre Zanotta
Technical Director Sandro Orlandelli
Director of Scouting Leonardo Baldo

Head Coaches Over Time

Name Nation Years Coached
Dave Dir  United States 1996–2000
Mike Jeffries  United States 2001–2003
Colin Clarke  Northern Ireland 2003–2006
Steve Morrow  Northern Ireland 2006–2008
Marco Ferruzzi  United States 2008 (interim)
2021 (interim)
Schellas Hyndman  United States 2008–2013
Óscar Pareja  Colombia 2014–2018
Luchi Gonzalez  United States 2018–2021
Nico Estévez  Spain 2021–2024
Peter Luccin  France 2024 (interim)
Eric Quill  United States 2024–Present

Team Achievements

Domestic Trophies

  • MLS Cup
    • Second Place: 2010
  • Supporters' Shield
    • Winners: 2016
    • Second Place: 2006, 2015
  • U.S. Open Cup
    • Winners: 1997, 2016
    • Second Place: 2005, 2007
  • Copa Tejas (Division 1)
    • Winners: 2021, 2024

Continental Tournaments

Season Records

Year-by-Year Performance

Here's a look at FC Dallas's performance in recent seasons:

Season League Position Playoffs USOC Continental Average
Attendance
Top Goalscorer(s)
Played Wins Losses Ties Goals For Goals Against Goal Diff. Points Points Per Game Conf. Overall CCL LC Other(s) Name(s) Goals
2020 22 9 6 7 28 24 +4 34 1.55 6th 11th Quarterfinals Not Held Did Not Qualify Did Not Qualify/Not Held Did Not Qualify 5,527 Argentina Franco Jara 7
2021 34 7 15 12 47 56 -9 33 0.91 11th 23rd Did Not Qualify Did Not Qualify 13,418 United States Ricardo Pepi 13
2022 34 14 9 11 48 37 +11 53 1.56 3rd 7th Quarterfinals Round of 32 16,615 United States Jesús Ferreira 18
2023 34 11 10 13 42 38 +4 46 1.35 7th 14th Round 1 Round of 32 Round of 16 18,287 United States Jesús Ferreira 14
2024 34 11 15 8 54 56 -2 41 1.21 11th 19th Did Not Qualify Quarterfinals Group Stage 19,096 Croatia Petar Musa 16

1. Avg. attendance only includes numbers from league matches.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, Leagues Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and other official continental games.

MLS Scoring Champions

These players from FC Dallas have won the MLS Scoring Champion or Golden Boot award:

Player Season Points / Goals
United States Jason Kreis 1999 51
United States Jeff Cunningham 2009 17

Top Goalscorers of All Time

As of September 18, 2024
Players who are still playing for the team are in bold.
Carlos Ruiz
Carlos Ruiz was FC Dallas's top scorer in 2005, 2006 and 2007
# Name Years Played MLS Goals Playoff Goals U.S. Open Cup Goals CCL Goals Leagues Cup Goals Total Goals
1 United States Jason Kreis 1996–2004 91 4 4 0 0 99
2 United States Jesús Ferreira 2017–Present 53 1 0 0 1 55
3 United States Kenny Cooper 2006–2009
2013
46 0 6 0 0 52
4 Panama Blas Pérez 2012–2015 37 1 5 0 0 43
5 Guatemala Carlos Ruiz 2005–2007
2016
32 5 3 2 0 42
6 Colombia Fabián Castillo 2011–2016 34 1 5 0 0 40
7 Colombia Michael Barrios 2015–2020 31 0 3 2 0 36
Argentina Ariel Graziani 1999
2000–2001
30 5 1 0 0
9 Argentina Maximiliano Urruti 2016–2018 29 1 3 2 0 35
10 United States Jeff Cunningham 2008–2010 33 1 0 0 0 34

International Games

FC Dallas has played in several international club tournaments:

  • 1998 CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup
    • Played against teams from Mexico.
  • 2004 La Manga Cup
    • Played against teams from Norway and Ukraine.
  • 2007 North American SuperLiga
    • Played against teams from Mexico and other MLS teams.
  • 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
    • Won against Alianza from El Salvador.
    • Won against UNAM from Mexico and Toronto FC from Canada in the group stage.
  • 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League
    • Won group stage games against teams from Nicaragua and Guatemala.
    • Won in the Quarter-finals against Árabe Unido from Panama.
    • Reached the Semi-finals but lost to Pachuca from Mexico.
  • 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
    • Played against Tauro F.C. from Panama.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Football Club Dallas para niños

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