Dallas Trinity FC players huddle around head coach Nathan Thackeray after a victory over Fort Lauderdale United FC in a USL Super League soccer match, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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Then the gleefully hostile chorus of “you’re going to miss!” raining down from a pack of assistant coaches and teammates hiding behind the net.
That was the final scene of Dallas Trinity FC’s Wednesday practice — a full‑volume, fully intentional simulation of the chaos they might walk into this Saturday in Lexington.
The players crowded around a single goal on their practice field to rehearse penalty kicks under pressure.
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One by one, each stepped up to the spot while the noise behind them swelled. It’s the kind of noise meant to rattle even the calmest striker.
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“We hope it doesn’t come down to deciding the game on penalty kicks, but we’re preparing for it in case it’s necessary,” forward Allie Thornton said.
Related: Dallas Trinity FC dominates Fort Lauderdale United FC in regular-season finale to book playoff spot
The winner of Saturday’s showdown in Lexington will punch its ticket to the championship match, where Sporting JAX or Carolina Ascent will be waiting. For Dallas Trinity, simply getting to this point has been a season-long climb.
In just their second year of existence, DTFC has reached the playoffs both times — but this season’s route was anything but straightforward.
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DTFC’s year began like a roller coaster — sharp climbs, sudden drops and more twists than anyone expected.
Eight games into the season, Dallas Trinity sat seventh in the standings, outside the playoff picture. Over the September–November stretch, the team endured a rough spell, dropping five straight matches and going seven games without a win.
Midway through the season came the jolt that changed everything: the arrival of Nathan Thackeray as head coach, replacing Chris Petrucelli, who stayed on as general manager.
Related: Dallas Trinity FC hires Nathan Thackeray as new permanent head coach
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Thackeray walked in with a blank notebook and a steep learning curve.
“My knowledge of them was not great,” the 38‑year‑old Burnley native admitted. “I needed to figure out what worked for them personally and where they fit in the system or the style of play that suited them better.”
Alongside his arrival, the club added three key reinforcements — defender Lauren Flynn, goalkeeper Tyler McCamey, and midfielder Heather Stainbrook — a trio that injected fresh energy into a roster searching for stability.
The final month of the season became the team’s true turning point: two wins, two draws, and a sense that Dallas Trinity had finally found its rhythm.
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The final day of the regular season arrived with a simple, brutal mandate: win, or go home.
They responded with one of their most complete performances of the year, a commanding 4–0 win at the Cotton Bowl over Fort Lauderdale United FC.
“The season is so long, and we’ve been working hard since day one,” Thornton said.
“Being in the playoffs is the goal — something to show for what you did over the last ten months.” said Thornton, who scored once in that decisive victory against Fort Lauderdale.
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Related: Dallas Trinity FC’s first season ends in heartbreak after playoff loss against Tampa Bay
Now, they’re one victory from playing for a title.
“This is the position we want to be in — fighting for the championship,” said Amber Wisner, the club’s captain and a women’s soccer icon who will retire at the end of the season.
Her final regular-season match was historic: She became the first player in league history to reach 5,000 minutes played, and it doubled as her 300th career professional match.
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Dallas Trinity FC defender Amber Wisner is hoisted in the air by teammates after a ceremony commemorating her final home game, the 300th of her career, following a victory over Fort Lauderdale United FC in a USL Super League soccer match, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
“For me, these playoffs represent my last opportunity to win a championship for this franchise,” Wisner said. “So in that sense, I may feel a bit more responsibility. I wouldn’t call it pressure — but yes, a little more desire.”
Saturday will test all of it. Lexington SC finished as the league’s top team and boasts a home crowd that loves nothing more than making life difficult for visiting players.
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The simulated boos and heckles at practice weren’t just for fun — they were a preview.
If Dallas Trinity wants to keep its season alive, they’ll have to silence a stadium full of people trying to do exactly what their own teammates practiced all week: Throw them off.