Orlando City SC forward Antoine Griezmann (7) scores a goal against FC Dallas defense Osaze Urhoghide (3) during the first half of a summer friendly match at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Mansfield.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Soccer fans in D-FW said goodbye to the FIFA World Cup after Tuesday’s semifinal match between France and Spain.
After nine matches in the area, the tournament created a hunger for the world’s game that FC Dallas is ready to fill.
The club returns to MLS action for the first time in nearly two months next week. Before returning to competitive play, FCD played a friendly match against Orlando City SC and French superstar Antoine Griezmann at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium on Wednesday.
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A meeting with a legend
Griezmann’s four goals and two assists led France to World Cup glory in 2018. He spent the first 16 seasons of his career playing in La Liga — the first division of Spanish soccer — before transferring to Orlando in July.
Fans watched as Griezmann needed only nine minutes to score, leading Orlando to a 2-1 win over host FCD. He spent time after the final whistle signing jerseys for the dozens of fans who attended the match for a chance to see him play.
FCD also played closed-door scrimmages against the San Jose Earthquakes and Oakland Roots SC, a club in the USL Championship. Wednesday’s match against Orlando was the club’s first taste of action in front of fans since May.
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“We gave up two childish goals,” FCD head coach Eric Quill said. “Griezmann is Griezmann for a reason, one chance, one goal. That’s what players of that caliber do. … The mistakes you saw us make maybe were nerves that tend to happen when people are watching. We play ourselves in intrasquad games, and nobody is watching. We look like Barcelona.”
From the World Cup back to MLS
Three FC Dallas players were named to FIFA World Cup squads this summer: forward and MLS All-Star Petar Musa of Croatia, defender Louicius Deedson of Haiti and defender Herman Johansson of Sweden.
Musa made club history during Croatia’s opening match against England at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. With his second-half goal in the 4-2 defeat, Musa became the first FC Dallas player to score in a World Cup.
Deedson played in all three group-stage matches for Haiti, starting in the opening match against Scotland. Haiti went on to lose all three games in the group stage.
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Johansson did not appear in a match for Sweden, but his experience was unusual because the Swedish national team’s base camp during the group stage was in Frisco. That allowed him to train at the same FC Dallas facilities he uses every day.
“It was nice being here and being able to show the guys around,” Johansson said following FC Dallas’ practice on Tuesday. “I just feel happy to achieve being at the World Cup.”
Summer break review
Following the club’s last match on May 22, the players and coaches took a three-week break from team activities. Quill watched from the stands at Dallas Stadium as Musa scored the goal for Croatia.
Although Quill enjoyed the time away from club activities, he couldn’t wait to get back to work.
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“You miss what you don’t have,” Quill said. “The guys love each other. You kind of miss your family members when you go away and do your thing. Then they come back, and now it’s about being a family again and getting back after it.”
Players also had the opportunity to recharge. Forward Sam Sarver has scored three goals in 10 MLS matches this season. The 23-year-old Cleveland native took a trip to New York during the break. Unfortunately for him, the trip came just after the New York Knicks swept his Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
“You do miss the game, but it’s also important to enjoy life outside of it as well,” Sarver said. “It can be very consuming, so it was nice to have time off, but I’m ready to get back.”
For Sarver and the other FC Dallas players, watching the World Cup sweep through North Texas motivated them to think about the future of their careers.
“Some of the guys [who played] for the U.S., I also grew up playing with,” Sarver said. “Hopefully, by the next World Cup, I’ll be integrated with the U.S. national team. That’s one of my goals.”
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Although representing their nation at the World Cup is a dream for professional soccer players, the break provided essential rest before the remainder of the season.
FCD trained five or six days a week from the latter half of June into July. For players like defender Bernard Kamungo — who played six games in 2026 before sustaining an injury — the chance to rest and recover was appreciated.
“For someone like me who has been out for a few months, I think it’s really good,” Kamungo said. “I get to share the field with my teammates before we play a real game. By the time the games start, everybody’s going to be ready.”
Kamungo came on as a substitute against Orlando. He plans to be available for FC Dallas’ match against Portland on Wednesday.
FC Dallas midfield Chris Cappis (12) controls the ball against Orlando City SC defender Robin Jansson (6) during the second half of a summer friendly match at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Mansfield.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The rest of the season
FCD has 22 games left on its schedule, including 19 MLS matches and three in the Leagues Cup — a competition featuring clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX, Mexico’s first division.
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Fans have reason to be excited about how FC Dallas ended the first portion of the season. The club won four of its final five MLS matches before the break, climbing to fourth in the Western Conference standings.
Its first game back is July 22 against the Portland Timbers.
“It is a little unfortunate that we had a bunch of momentum and, obviously, the break came,” Sarver said. “But it’s important that we start off on the right foot against Portland because that could be another momentum swing, or vice versa. If we don’t show up and we go into a slump, all of a sudden all the hard work we did during the first half of the season is gone.”
Quill’s side faces a tall task because of its upcoming schedule.
FC Dallas will play nine of its next 10 matches away from North Texas, including eight of its next nine MLS matches. The unusual schedule is due to renovations at Toyota Stadium. Its only match in North Texas during that stretch will again be at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, where it will face Mexican club Querétaro FC on Aug. 5.
“Last year, they referred to us as the road dogs,” midfielder Caleb Swann said. “We just gotta go be some dogs on the road. I know we can do that. We have the players and the staff.”
In 2025, FCD avoided defeat in 10 of 17 road games, highlighted by a 4-3 win over Inter Miami, albeit without Lionel Messi. In the first half of 2026, the club won four of its final five away games, including all three in May before the break.
“We’ve proven over the course of a year and a half that we can play on the road, so it’s not a daunting task for us,” Quill said following practice on July 14. “We’re consistent on the road. Our guys are committed. We have such a tight group that I think that’s why we’re good on the road. We care about each other.”
FCD returns to Toyota Stadium in Frisco on Sept. 5 against Kansas City.