FC Dallas (or Dallas Burn) returns home to Cotton Bowl for 1st match in nearly 15 years

DALLAS — On Jan. 22, soccer greatness meets a monumental piece of U.S. soccer history. Lionel Messi – who some regard as the best soccer player of all time – and Inter Miami will take on FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. It'll be the first time FC Dallas has played a match in the Cotton Bowl since Sept.

30, 2009 (another friendly against the New England Revolution). But, once upon a time, this club called the Cotton Bowl "home." The inception of Major League Soccer is said to be the result of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which the Cotton Bowl was one of the hosting venues. Among the founding clubs of MLS, FC Dallas, then called the Dallas Burn, played its first ever MLS match at the Cotton Bowl on April 14, 1996 .

The Dallas Burn won its season opener against the San Jose Clash, 1 0. Turnout for the game was sizable for a soccer match in the U.S. at the time: 27,779. The Dallas Burn played all of its MLS matches at the Cotton Bowl from 1996 to 2002, again in 2004, and for a portion of the 2005 season before moving to its new, permanent home at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The Dallas Burn played in its matches in 2003 at the lower capacity Southlake High School Dragons football stadium. The last FC Dallas regular season match played at the Cotton Bowl was a 2 2 draw versus the San Jose Earthquakes on July 2, 2005. After that July 2005 match, FC Dallas moved from the Cotton Bowl to Toyota Stadium, then called Pizza Hut Park.

Since then, soccer at the Cotton Bowl has been limited to hosting international club teams, such as the FC Barcelona Club America friendly held in December 2023 , or other friendlies like the aforementioned FC Dallas 2009 match against New England. FC Dallas legend David Ferreira, father of current striker Jesus Ferreira, played in that 2009 clash against the Revolution.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming back to North America, and DFW as one of the 16 hosting metroplexes, soccer is once again coming to the forefront of American sports headlines. “We are thrilled to welcome FC Dallas back to the Cotton Bowl, their original home, for a match against Inter Miami,” said Dallas Mayor Eric L.

Johnson. “Dallas is a dynamic city with deep soccer roots, and this highly anticipated match will certainly generate even more soccer buzz as we get ready to host the FIFA World Cup 2026.” Another proponent of the soccer craze was Inter Miami's signing of Messi last season. Messi played his first Inter Miami match away from DRV PNK Stadium right here in DFW, a Leagues Cup match at Toyota Stadium in Frisco .

Inter Miami defeated FC Dallas in a penalty kick shootout . The Messi mania hype was real. He brought $3 million in direct economic impact to the City of Frisco. “We’re looking forward to playing in the Cotton Bowl and welcoming Inter Miami CF to the iconic stadium that served as our franchise’s original home,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt.

“This is a great way to kick off 2024 and get the DFW market excited about our players and the upcoming MLS season.” When FC Dallas welcome Messi and Inter Miami to North Texas (again), history will be on their side. FC Dallas is 74 41 25 (W L D) all time at the Cotton Bowl. But, it'll be a tough test, as Inter Miami is the betting favorite to win the MLS Cup in 2024.

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