FC Dallas

**History** edit **Dallas Burn era: 1996–2004** edit Dallas was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise on June 6, 1995, the same day as teams were awarded to Kansas City and Colorado. The team was given its name for the burning in the Texan oilfields and the state's hot weather. On October 17, former Mexico international Hugo Sánchez was designated to the team as their first player. Initially not attracting investors, the Burn was financed by the league itself. Dallas Burn (in white) playing against Chicago Fire at Soldier Field in July 1998 On April 14, 1996, the Dallas Burn played their first game, defeating the San Jose Clash in a shootout win in front of a crowd of 27,779 fans at the Cotton Bowl. Five days later, Jason Kreis scored the team's first goal in a 3–0 home win over the Wiz. With a record of 17–15, the Burn finished in second in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Galaxy. They lost in the best of three playoff semi-finals to the Wiz after three games, the last one being decided by a shootout. Their first campaign in the U.S. Open Cup ended with a 2–3 home defeat in the semi-finals against D.C. United. In their second season, the Burn again reached the playoffs, where they lost in the conference finals to the Colorado Rapids. Later in 1997, they won their first U.S. Open Cup by defeating the MLS Cup champions, D.C. United. In 1999, striker Kreis was voted the league's MVP for a season in which he became the first player to reach 15 goals and 15 assists. That season ended in the playoffs with a defeat to the Galaxy in the conference finals. In October 2000, head coach Dave Dir was fired, despite again taking the team to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive time. Dir's replacement in January 2001 was Mike Jeffries, who had won the 1998 MLS Cup and two U.S. Open Cups with the Chicago Fire. In his first season in charge, which was cut short as a result of the September 11 attacks, Dallas lost in the playoff quarterfinals to Jeffries' former team. They were also eliminated in the second round of the 2001 U.S. Open Cup by the Seattle Sounders Select, an amateur team from the third-tier Premier Development League. The 2002 season ended with a third-place finish in the West and overall for Dallas, along with an early playoffs exit to the Colorado Rapids. For the 2003 season, the Burn relocated their home games from the Cotton Bowl to the much lower capacity Dragon Stadium (a high school football stadium) in Southlake, which is a northern Fort Worth suburb. The team performed poorly in 2003 and Jeffries was fired in September. He was temporarily replaced by his assistant, former Northern Ireland international Colin Clarke. The team missed the playoffs for the first time, having been one of only two teams to have qualified on all seven prior occasions. For the 2004 season, Clarke was named the permanent coach and the team returned to the Cotton Bowl, for a campaign in which they again missed the playoffs. In August, club owner Lamar Hunt announced that the club would be re-branded and known as "FC Dallas" to coincide with their new soccer-specific stadium in Frisco for the 2005 season. **FC Dallas era: 2005–present** edit In March 2005, FC Dallas signed Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz, who had scored 50 goals in 72 games for the Galaxy and earned the MVP award for helping them to the 2002 MLS Cup. On August 6, FC Dallas played their inaugural game at Pizza Hut Park and tied the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, 2–2. Ranked second in the West behind the San Jose Earthquakes, Dallas returned to the playoffs for the first time in two seasons, losing in the conference semi-finals to Colorado in a penalty kick shootout, with Roberto Miña's attempt saved by Joe Cannon. In 2006, the team finished the regular season at the top of the Western Conference, but lost in the playoffs in the conference semi-finals again, leading to Clarke's dismissal. He was replaced by Steve Morrow. In 2007, a third consecutive playoff appearance ended at the same stage with a 4–2 aggregate defeat to fellow Texas club, the Houston Dynamo, who would go on to win their second consecutive MLS Cup. In 2005 and 2007, Dallas reached their first two U.S. Open Cup finals since their 1997 victory, losing both by one-goal margins to the Galaxy and the New England Revolution respectively. For the following two seasons, Dallas missed the MLS playoffs. During the 2008 season, Morrow was replaced by Schellas Hyndman. In 2009, the club signed Bryan Leyva as the club's first Homegrown Player from its development academy. In 2010, Dallas played in the MLS Cup for the first time, losing 2–1 after extra time to Colorado at BMO Field in Toronto, after an own goal by George John. They were the last of the surviving original MLS clubs to appear in the MLS Cup final. On-loan Colombian midfielder David Ferreira was voted the league's MVP, having missed only one minute of the season, and Hyndman won the MLS Coach of the Year Award. FC Dallas players celebrating a goal scored by Dominic Oduro in a match against Colorado, 2007 By finishing as runners-up in the MLS Cup, Dallas competed in the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League, their first time in the leading continental tournament. Following a victory in the preliminary round against Alianza F.C. of El Salvador, they reached the group stage. In the first group game, Marvin Chávez's goal defeated Mexican champions UNAM at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, making Dallas the first MLS team to win an away match in the Champions League against a Mexican team. The team followed this achievement with a victory by the same score at Toronto FC, but did not win any of their four remaining games and were eliminated from the competition after finishing in third place in their group. In October 2013, Hyndman resigned as head coach after a second consecutive season without making the playoffs. Óscar Pareja coached Dallas to the U.S. Open Cup and Supporters' Shield in 2016 Three months after Hyndman's resignation, his replacement was confirmed to be Colombian and former Dallas player and assistant coach Óscar Pareja, who had resigned from the Colorado Rapids after two seasons as head coach there. Pareja led the club back to the playoffs in 2014. Dallas finished in first place in the Western Conference in 2015. They defeated the Seattle Sounders FC in the conference semi-finals, only to fall to the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference finals. In 2016, Dallas won the U.S. Open Cup with a 4–2 final win over New England on September 13, ending a 19-year trophy drought. The club ended the regular season with the Supporters' Shield for best record for the first time, but fell to Seattle in the Western Conference semi-finals, 4–2 on aggregate. In the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League, Dallas lost 4–3 on aggregate to eventual champions Pachuca after an added-time goal by Hirving Lozano. Dallas lost in the first round of the 2018 MLS Cup playoffs to Portland, and in the round of 16 of the year's CONCACAF Champions League to Tauro of Panama, on the away goals rule. Pareja then left for Tijuana. Academy director Luchi Gonzalez succeeded Pareja as head coach. He and the players he had brought through the academy were known as the "Luchi Gang". His first two seasons led to playoff qualification and elimination by Seattle, including a 1–0 loss away in the Western Conference semi-finals in 2020, and he was fired in September 2021 with the club struggling to qualify again. For 2022, Dallas hired a new coach in Nico Estévez, who had been assistant of the United States men's national team. His first season saw the club finish third in the regular season, before a 2–1 Western Conference semi-final loss to fellow Texans Austin FC. His team made the playoffs again in 2023, and he was fired in June 2024 with a 3–8–5 start to the season. - ^ a b c d "Dallas Burn 1996". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ a b "The clubs, the facts and the origin of their names". FIFA. February 12, 1996. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Carrick, Buzz (August 7, 2013). "Original 1996 MLS Logos". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Dallas Shuts Out Kansas City, 3–0". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 1996. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "D.C. United 1996". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "MLS labor agreement means we won't miss any games". Chicago Sun-Times. March 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Fourth round Welcomes MLS Sides into 2015 Edition of U.S. Open Cup". USSF. June 15, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Firchau, Nick (December 3, 2013). "How Jason Kreis turned compulsive desire into coaching success at Real Salt Lake". Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Los Angeles dominates Dallas 3–1 to win West, advance to MLS Cup '99". Soccer Times. November 11, 1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Jones, Grahame L. (October 22, 2000). "Hankinson, Dir Take Ultimate Fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Fire's Jeffries To Coach Burn". Chicago Tribune. January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Fire Back in Semifinals". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 30, 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Lopez, Tobias Xavier (June 28, 2001). "Amateur team ousts Burn". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2D. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. - ^ "2002 Dallas Burn Stats, All Competitions". FBref. Retrieved November 21, 2025. - ^ a b "Burn To Play at Dragon Stadium in Southlake in 2003; Team Announces Ticket Prices for 2003 Season". Our Sports Central. January 14, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Gutierrez, Paul (September 16, 2003). "Jeffries Out as Coach of the Burn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Dallas Burn To Return To Cotton Bowl For 2004 MLS Season". Our Sports Central. November 13, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Hall, Cheryl (July 13, 2013). "Lamar Hunt's soccer vision a pipe dream no more, sons say". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Davis, Glenn (August 12, 2004). "On Soccer: Dallas Burn nickname about to become history". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 12, 2023. - ^ "Galaxy trade Ruiz to Dallas, Donovan returning to L.A.?". USA Today. March 30, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Pizza Hut Park Opens". Frisco Independent Schools District. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Rapids Advance to Conference Championship With Penalty Kick Win Over FC Dallas". Colorado Rapids. October 29, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "MLS roundup: Guevara hat trick lifts Red Bulls into playoffs; Rapids clinch spot". USA Today. October 15, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ Fallas, Bernardo (November 3, 2007). "Dynamo defeat FC Dallas to advance in playoffs". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Los Angeles Galaxy Take U.S. Open Cup Title on Herculez Gomez Goal". USSF. September 29, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "2007 Final: First time for everything; Revolution win first trophy, 3–2 over FC Dallas". The Cup. October 3, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "Homegrown: 10 To Watch". US Soccer Players. Retrieved March 28, 2017. - ^ Goff, Steven (November 22, 2010). "2010 MLS Cup: Colorado Rapids beat FC Dallas in overtime for first Major League Soccer title". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2015. - ^ "FC Dallas playmaker David Ferreira voted MVP of MLS". USA Today. November 19, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ Lalas, Greg (November 11, 2010). "FC Dallas' Hyndman wins 2010 Coach of the Year". Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ MacAree, Graham (July 29, 2011). "Alianza FC Vs. FC Dallas, CONCACAF Champions League: Dallas Earn 1–0 Away Win". Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ "CCL Recap: FC Dallas make history with 1–0 win vs. Pumas". Major League Soccer. August 17, 2011. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ Hall, Joseph (August 25, 2011). "TFC falls to FC Dallas 1–0 in rain-delayed Champions League match". The Star. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ Hunt, Steve (October 18, 2013). "Schellas Hyndman resigns as head coach of FC Dallas after five seasons". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ "Óscar Pareja to FC Dallas: Colorado Rapids coach to former club after messy divorce". Denver Post. January 10, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2015. - ^ "FC Dallas, 'The Little Payroll from Frisco' just won the West". The Dallas Morning News. October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015. - ^ "FC Dallas runs out of magic as it is eliminated by Portland in the Western Conference finals". The Dallas Morning News. November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015. - ^ Straus, Brian (September 13, 2016). "FC Dallas's investments in youth, playmaker Diaz pay off with U.S. Open Cup title". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "MLS Review: Dallas win Supporters' Shield, Sporting KC sneak into play-offs". FourFourTwo. October 23, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "Seattle Sounders hold off FC Dallas to advance to West finals". ESPN. November 7, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "FC Dallas ousted by Pachuca in CCL semis on Lozano's dramatic, injury time goal". Sports Illustrated. April 5, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ Goldberg, Jamie (November 1, 2018). "Portland Timbers beat Dallas 2-1 in knockout round of MLS Cup Playoffs: 5 takeaways". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "FC Dallas bounced from CCL by Tauro FC". ESPN. March 1, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ Edwards, Andy (November 19, 2018). "FC Dallas confirm departure of Tijuana-bound Oscar Pareja". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "FC Dallas names academy director Luchi Gonzalez as new coach". ESPN. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ a b Maddox, Will (September 22, 2021). "What Does Life After 'Luchi Gang' Look Like for FC Dallas?". D Magazine. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ Booth, Tim (December 1, 2020). "Sounders beat FC Dallas, advance to Western Conference final". Everett Herald. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "FC Dallas names USMNT assistant Nico Estevez as new head coach". ESPN. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ Bohls, Kirk (October 24, 2022). "Bohls: Austin FC in a rush to make history after win over FC Dallas in Western semis". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 27, 2025. - ^ "USMNT assistant Nico Estevez exits to become Austin FC coach". ESPN. October 25, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2025.