FRISCO, Texas - Here we go again! FC Dallas begins the 2024 season with its Home Opener this Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30PM against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Here's everything you need to know before the match.
How to Watch
The match will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Eric Krakauer and Jalil Anibaba will call the game in English on Apple TV with Raul Guzman and Carlos Ruiz (the FCD legend!) providing Spanish commentary.
How to Listen
English: You can listen to all the action on Talk Radio 1190AM and the FC Dallas app. Host Sam Hale will provide pregame and postgame coverage beginning at 7PM with broadcasters Owen Newkirk and Steve Davis calling the game.
Spanish: Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon will call the game in Spanish on the FC Dallas app starting at 7:30PM.
Match Overview
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS
- FCD record: 0-0-0 (0 points)
- SJ record: 0-0-0 (0 points)
- FCD vs. SJ all-time: 21-29-22 (87 goal scored, 109 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. SJ home: 13-12-10 (45 goal scored, 47 goals conceded)
STORY LINES
- New Beginnings: Home Openers are always fun, aren't they? They're full of hope and promise for what the new season can bring. You get to see the friends you haven't touched base with since last season, grab a bite and a beer, and sit back and relax to see the progress your team made over the offseason. And FC Dallas was busy this offseason. The team said goodbye to four players and signed EIGHT new ones: Petar Musa, Enes Sali, Omar Gonzalez, Logan Farrington, Patrickson Delgado, Malik Henry-Scott, Tomas Pondeca and Alejandro Urzua. There's also the new formation to think about. Head coach Nico Estévez strayed from his usual 4-3-3 shape during preseason in favor of a 3-4-3. The new three-back formation includes wingbacks covering the entire length of the field, which has unlocked Homegrown Dante Sealy and SuperDraft pick Herbert Endeley. The formation change is partly to push more players into the attack and increase the team's goal output, something everyone can be excited about. It worked well in preseason but Saturday is the first real test.
- Designated Players: FC Dallas will likely be without all three of its Designated Players (the roster designation for players whose large salaries don't count towards the salary cap). The club's DPs are Jesús Ferreira, Alan Velasco and Petar Musa. Ferreira is questionable for Saturday's game having missed most of preseason with a muscle injury while Velasco is currently rehabbing from the ACL injury he sustained in last year's playoffs. Musa, FCD's new record signing, is still in his native Croatia awaiting his work visa, which should come in the next 2-3 weeks. So, Dallas opens the season without three of its biggest impact players. Still, the club handled their absences well during preseason, earning a 5-1-1 record which includes a comfortable 2-0 win over D.C. United in its final tune-up game last weekend. If Dallas can weather the early storm, it'll be in good shape once Ferreira and Musa are ready to go in the next few weeks.
- Hello Again: The Home Opener sees the San Jose Earthquakes travel to Toyota Stadium, meaning former FCD head coach Luchi Gonzalez will return to familiar ground. Gonzalez, who took charge of San Jose last season, spent nearly a decade with FC Dallas initially as a youth coach before taking over the first team in 2019. It will be Gonzalez's second return to his former club as San Jose played Dallas to a 1-1 tie at Toyota Stadium last October; a result that mirrored the 1-1 draw FCD earned at San Jose earlier in the year. This time around, both Dallas and Gonzalez will be looking to earn all three points - although only one can prevail.
