While Dallas may be most famous for its football and baseball teams, soccer fans can also get in on the action with FC Dallas. The MLS team serves up heart-pounding, net-ripping excitement from March to October at Pizza Hut Park, a multi-purpose stadium in Frisco, Texas. Don’t miss a single goal!
FC Dallas played its first game in 1996, defeating the San Jose Clash in front of nearly 28,000 fans at the Cotton Bowl. FC Dallas won the 1997 US Open Cup, were runners-up in 2005, and continue to compile an impressive record, going 180-185-63 between 1996 and 2009.
International partnerships with Mexican First Division club Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nueva Leon (UANL), the Clube Atletico Paranaense of Brazil’s Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, and Trinidad & Tobago Pro League allow FC Dallas opportunities for international play and player exchange. The international match-ups are also a great way for soccer fans to see rising international superstars in action on the field.
After playing all their home games at both the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and Dragon Stadium in Southlake, FC Dallas moved to its official home at Pizza Hut Park in 2005. Nicknamed the “Brick Oven” and “the Hut”, Pizza Hut Park is routinely voted by fans as one of the best stadiums for watching a soccer match. The multi-purpose stadium was built specifically to house the FC Dallas home games, but also does double duty as a home to high school football games and concerts.
Right before making the big move the Hut, the team rebranded to FC Dallas from its original name, the “Dallas Burn”. Trading in its old colors and a logo for a red and blue bull, the new brand pays homage to North Texas’s cattle ranching history.
Today, FC Dallas continues to keep fans entertained with its action-packed soccer rivalries. The Texas Derby is a rivalry between the state’s two soccer teams, FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo, with the winner earning bragging rights and the right to take home ‘El Capitan’, a replica of an 18th Century mountain howitzer cannon.
The Brimstone Cup, created by FC Dallas supporters, pays homage to Dallas’ original name ‘the Burn’. In Dallas’ oldest rivalry, the team battles the Chicago Fire for the rights to claim the most brimstone.
In honor of Lamar Hunt, a visionary advocate for the creation of MLS, FC Dallas plays Columbus Crew. Both teams are owned by members of the Hunt family, and the competitive tribute series is known as the “Pioneer Cup”.
Single game tickets for regular season games, rivalry games and international exhibition games in Frisco can be purchased online through the FC Dallas website in conjunction with Ticketmaster. Full prices admission ranges from $19 and up. Tickets can also be found on StubHub.
Like with any sport in Big D, Dallas fans are loyals supporters, and FC Dallas frequently plays to a full house. If you need tickets for a specific game (and don’t have scheduling flexibility) or want to score the best seats, we recommend an advanced purchase. As the play-offs approach, be sure to keep an eye on FC Dallas’ record. When they’re play-off contenders or battling a rivalry team, advanced ticket purchase is also strongly recommended.
FC promotional vouchers allow two free tickets (with a $2 service fee per ticket) to any one game. The best way to find promotional voucher codes for a specific game is through Google. Many Metroplex soccer associations, such as the Greater Lewisville Area Soccer Association (GLASA) also offer discounted tickets through promo codes. For example, East Sideline tickets that normally cost $30 are available for just $18.
Parking is available for free at Pizza Hut Park during Dallas matches. Located at 9200 World Cup Way, Pizza Hut Park can be reached from Dallas by taking the Dallas North Tollway to the exit for Cotton Gin Rod/Main Street. Merge on to the Dallas Parkway, turn right on to Main Street and then left on to World Cup Way.
Related: