This weekend is a big one for soccer fans, as Major League Soccer begins a new season.
FC Dallas will kick off 2024 on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Fans can expect fireworks, theme nights, and multiple drone shows throughout the 17 home games this season.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of opening day:
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TICKETS
As of Friday morning, there are still some tickets available for the game.
Click here to get a single match ticket or to purchase tickets for the entire season.
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Tickets for Saturday’s game range from $21 to $217, according to the ticket website. There will be another home game next Saturday, March 2.
The match on Feb. 24 starts at 7:30 p.m., with excellent weather forecasted for the night.
NEW ARRIVALS AND ABSENCES
This new season will feature the result of multiple departures and acquisitions for the team.
FC Dallas said goodbye to José Martínez, Facundo Quignon, Jáder Obrian, Jesús Jiménez, and Collin Smith while signing eight new players: Petar Musa, Enes Sali, Omar Gonzalez, Logan Farrington, Patrickson Delgado, Malik Henry-Scott, Tomas Pondeca and Alejandro Urzua.
Petar Musa, a Croatian forward, broke an FC Dallas transfer record to bring him in from Portuguese giants Benfica.
According to the team, Musa has the pedigree to be Dallas’ long-awaited answer at the striker position. However, Musa isn’t in the U.S. yet because he is still in the process of getting his work visa. Musa was married this month and the visa acquisition process is now fully underway for the couple.
Musa is expected to arrive in the next three weeks and can start on the field soon after.
Last season also saw the emergence of some new key contributors like defender Nkosi Tafari, midfielder Asier Illarramendi, and winger Bernard Kamungo – who has gone on to become one of the league’s most efficient goal-scorers.
This season, all three players are set to build on the roles they carved out for themselves toward the end of 2024.
There are a number of injuries that will continue over from the 2023 season, including winger Alan Velasco and defender Geovane Jesus, who both suffered ACL tears in the latter half of the last season. They are expected to miss the first half of the 2024 season.
Jesús Ferreira and Paxton Pomykal – both from North Texas – are also uncertain to take part in the home opener due to previous injuries but will be able to get back in the game soon.
FANFARE EXPERIENCES
Fans can expect a bigger emphasis on theme nights this year.
There will be 17 home games featuring a different theme over the next several months, starting with FC Dallas’ Black History Month celebration on Saturday.
The celebration will feature a 100-person choir from the Concord Church in Dallas that will sing the Black National Anthem and National Anthem before kickoff, as well providing pre-game and halftime performances.
The club’s second home match, against Montreal on March 2, will be Fast and Furious Goals Night – a theme that includes a postgame drone show depicting iconic cars from cinema history.
In total, there will be seven post-game drone shows at Toyota Stadium in 2024.
Click here to see the full list of theme nights, which includes Asian American Heritage Night in May and a Star Wars night in August.
There will also be a number of free swag giveaways at home games. On Saturday, guests entering Toyota Stadium will also receive an Afterburner jersey-shaped luggage tag, while supplies last.
NEW STADIUM FOOD
FC Dallas will add several new items to its menu this season, including some Texas-sized offerings that are perfect for sharing.
NBC 5 spoke with The Legends Hospitality culinary team at Toyota Stadium directed by Executive Chef Erika Dabney.
Some popular new additions include the Cheesy Chipotle Bacon Foot-Long and the Texas Monster Dog, both of which can be found at the Everything’s Bigger in Texas stand at the stadium.
The Kicking Chicken, which are golden fried chicken wings tossed in a Casa M Lemon Pepper Dry Rub, can be found at Burgers & More.
The viral Monster Taco will also be back again for the third year.
“Our big-flavor, Texas-sized offerings are so popular with FC Dallas fans, and we’re building on this exciting menu for the 2024 MLS season with even more spicy, delicious and shareable items like The Monster Dog with our house-smoked barbecue and Texas chili,” said Chef Dabney. “We are also extra excited to bring Kicking Wings to the FC Dallas fan experience, with all the seasonings and sauces that everyone craves.”
Click here to read a full list of new foods this season at Toyota Stadium.
