FC Dallas will play a friendly match Saturday in Houston ahead of the beginning of the MLS season next weekend. FC Dallas finished third in the Western Conference in 2022, losing in the Conference Semi-Final to Austin FC.
FC Dallas finished 20th in the MLS in attendance in 2022 with an average of 16,469 per game, ahead of Houston and behind Austin, which had the league's tenth best attendance. FC Dallas did have a record seven sellouts.
"I feel like FC Dallas is a great commercial for all of North Texas," says FC Dallas' Gina Miller. "We represent diversity. We represent the commitment to developing talent within, and we represent the inclusive environment."
Miller says FC Dallas is helping North Texas gain more notoriety in other parts of the world. MLS Season Pass is available on Apple TV and available in more than 100 countries.
"That's great for fans of players like Alan Velasco in Argentina. They can absolutely tune in and watch Alan Velasco do amazing things on the soccer pitch during an FC Dallas game," she says.
FC Dallas opens at home at Toyota Stadium in Frisco February 25 against Minnesota.
"The team went to Marbella, Spain this offseason for training camp, just to get away," Miller says. "Not that they want to get away from North Texas, but they did miss the snowstorm and the freeze."
She says that gave players a chance to get to know each other and learn each other's strengths on the field.
"They did team building exercises, so I really do think that chemistry is going to come into play," Miller says. "The fact is we're really keeping that core: Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, Paxton Pomykal. Sebastian Lletget joined us midseason, but he integrated so perfectly into the overall ecosystem at FC Dallas that I really think we're building something special with a group of guys who know each other very well."
Miller says FC Dallas will host six drone shows this season and is planning post-game fireworks shows.
"We're really building a stadium environment that is one you cannot afford to miss," she says.
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