# Pro Soccer Arrives in Mansfield as FC Dallas Ends World Cup Hiatus With Orlando City Showdown
**MANSFIELD, Texas** — After more than a month on the sidelines while the world’s biggest sporting event took over North Texas, FC Dallas is finally getting back on the pitch — and doing it in a brand-new setting. The club will christen Texas Health Mansfield Stadium with a summer friendly against Orlando City SC, marking both a return to competitive form and a milestone for one of the region’s newest sports venues.
The match, ,scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT,, gives Dallas-area soccer fans their first look at FC Dallas playing outside its usual Frisco home. ,The match marks FC Dallas’ first appearance at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium and serves as a showcase event during a historic summer of soccer across North Texas.,
## A Stadium Built for a Historic Summer
Mansfield’s new venue has already had a whirlwind debut season. ,Texas Health Mansfield Stadium hosted its first competitive match on July 4, when MLS NEXT Pro side North Texas SC welcomed St. Louis CITY2,, and the facility spent the weeks prior serving international duty. ,The venue served as the team base camp for the Czechia men’s national team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.,
City officials wasted no time celebrating the achievement. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, ,Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans welcomed the crowd to what he called the southern gateway of soccer in the DFW Metroplex, declaring it soccer time in Mansfield, Texas., FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt, who also has ties to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bulls, was on hand as well, framing the moment as part of a larger movement. ,Hunt described the current era as the greatest moment in the history of soccer in the country, crediting the success of the U.S.,
The stadium itself is built for atmosphere. It features ,over 6,000 seats, with suite options for fans on the west side of the stadium,, along with ,the Mansfield Mile, billed as the longest bar in an outdoor stadium in North America,. Groundskeepers even went the extra mile — literally — with ,a Bermuda grass field that was trucked in from South Texas in February,.
## Griezmann Headlines Orlando’s Visit
The Orlando City side making the trip to Tarrant County won’t be short on star power. Since Dallas and Orlando last squared off, the Lions bolstered their roster significantly. ,Orlando announced the signing of France forward Antoine Griezmann in March, and the 2018 World Cup winner is expected to make his first road appearance in the United States when the Lions visit Mansfield.,
History slightly favors the home side in this series. ,Dallas and Orlando have met eight times, with the Hoops holding a 4-2-2 advantage and a 12-6 edge in goals scored., On the season, the two clubs have taken very different paths — ,Orlando currently sits 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2-9 record and has conceded 44 goals, exactly double the 22 goals FC Dallas has allowed.,
FC Dallas President Dan Hunt framed the friendly as a reward for loyal supporters. ,”We are excited to bring FC Dallas to Texas Health Mansfield Stadium for the first time and provide our Season Members with another unique experience as part of their membership package,” Hunt said. “This match gives our fans the opportunity to see two MLS clubs compete during a historic summer for soccer in North Texas.”,
## What’s Next for FC Dallas
The Mansfield friendly is just the appetizer. FC Dallas returns to genuine MLS action on July 22 in Portland against the Timbers before circling back to Mansfield on Aug. 5 for its Leagues Cup opener against a Liga MX club, continuing to build the suburb’s case as a legitimate soccer destination alongside Frisco.
The stadium’s calendar only gets more crowded from there. Beyond hosting Czechia’s World Cup preparations, the venue is slated to welcome the U.S. Women’s National Team in November for the CONCACAF W Tournament, a competition being staged entirely within Texas.
Meanwhile, FC Dallas striker Petar Musa has emerged as one of the league’s breakout stars this year. Musa was tabbed for the MLS All-Star roster last week after a World Cup showing that included a goal for Croatia in the group stage, even though his national team was eventually eliminated in the Round of 32 by Portugal. His MLS form has been just as impressive — Musa currently sits tied for second in league scoring with 12 goals, level with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.
Back in Frisco, Toyota Stadium remains under construction as crews work to expand seating capacity and add a partial roof, upgrades not expected to be finished until 2028. FC Dallas will return to its primary home turf on Sept. 5 to host Sporting Kansas City, giving fans in Frisco their first look at the club since the World Cup break scrambled the traditional MLS calendar.
That scheduling disruption was no accident. Major League Soccer built in a seven-week hiatus from May 25 through July 16 specifically to accommodate the World Cup, part of a broader shift toward a fall-to-spring calendar that will bring MLS more in line with European leagues like the English Premier League in future seasons.
For now, FC Dallas sits fourth in the Western Conference standings as it prepares to shake off the long layoff. With North Texas SC — the club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate that relocated from Choctaw Stadium in Arlington — now settled into its new Mansfield home, the city has quickly transformed into an unexpected hub of North Texas soccer activity, one that figures to only grow louder as the Leagues Cup and international friendlies roll through town this summer.