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FC Dallas\u2019 Sean McGinty unloads baggage from the team van for their flight to Salt Lake City from Atlantic Aviation at Love Field in Dallas, August 18, 2026. After boarding, the flight was delayed by a mechanical issue a day. Within a weeks span, the team will have traveled to Mexico, Salt Lake City and Vancouver for matches.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
FC Dallas<\/a> is chasing points on the field and frequent\u2011flier miles in the air.<\/p>\n After returning from a two\u2011month World Cup break<\/a>, the team will log 15,000 miles by the end of August \u2014 a staggering load that includes domestic trips to Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jos\u00e9, as well as to\u00a0Toluca, Mexico for Leagues Cup play.\u00a0<\/p>\n This week alone brings flights to Salt Lake City, Vancouver and St. Louis.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The club hasn\u2019t played an MLS regular\u2011season match at Toyota Stadium since May 13. <\/a>Its next home game won\u2019t come until Sept. 5, when Sporting Kansas City visits\u00a0Frisco.<\/p>\n This run is, by every measure, an anomaly. MLS teams occasionally endure long road swings, but nine straight league matches plus two additional trips for Leagues Cup play is virtually unheard of. The closest recent parallel is Vancouver, which opened its season with six consecutive road games.<\/p>\n The mileage is staggering, but the deeper strain comes from the nonstop motion. Packing and repacking, the customs lines, the hotel shuffle, and the emotional weight of being away from home and family for weeks at a time. This stretch has become a genuine stress test of FC Dallas\u2019 infrastructure and capability\u00a0to handle an atypical schedule and a window into the behind\u2011the\u2011scenes operation that makes it possible.<\/p>\n FC Dallas players and staff check-in for their flight to Salt Lake City from Atlantic Aviation at Love Field in Dallas, August 18, 2026. After boarding, the flight was delayed by a mechanical issue a day. Within a weeks span, the team will have traveled to Mexico, Salt Lake City and Vancouver for matches.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n All hands on deck<\/p>\n The physical toll of travel is obvious. The logistical toll is harder to see.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For its matches in Salt Lake City, Vancouver and St. Louis, FC Dallas travels with approximately 150 bags.\u00a0<\/p>\n The players\u2019 equipment weighs around 900 pounds: uniforms, 50 balls, cones, hurdles, resistance bands, GPS vests, gym equipment, rehab tools, practice cleats, game cleats, indoor shoes, and dozens of other items that make a professional team function.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of pressure and responsibility, but I love my job,\u201d said equipment manager Alejandro \u2018Nacho\u2019 Pareja, who oversees the entire operation.<\/p>\n Pareja\u2019s office at Toyota Stadium is small, but it functions like a command center. Every player\u2019s gear is organized in separate compartments, each tailored to individual preferences. And those preferences are endless.<\/p>\n Some players wear compression shorts under their game shorts. Others insist on short\u2011sleeve training tops, while a few prefer long sleeves. Some cut their socks for comfort. Others use specialized socks different from the rest of the team. A handful request specific shoe models for training, another for matches and a third for gym sessions.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Pareja packs each player\u2019s bundle separately. One might think he relies on a customized list with each player\u2019s name and requirements.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no list,\u201d he said. \u201cI already know by memory what each of them likes.\u201d<\/p>\n His memory is a tool as valuable as any piece of equipment he handles. But communication is just as important. Pareja says the constant dialogue with players builds trust \u2014 a bond that ensures they feel prepared, comfortable, and cared for.<\/p>\n The work for Pareja and his crew never stops.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Sunday night, FC Dallas played in Austin.<\/a> After a three\u2011hour bus ride home, the team arrived in Frisco just before sunrise. A few hours later, Pareja and his crew were already in the laundry area, washing and folding uniforms for the next three matches on the road.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to plan every trip, every training session, every game, every uniform,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s my job.\u201d<\/p>\n FC Dallas equipment manager Alejandro \u201cNacho\u201d Pareja works from his Toyota Stadium office, organizing and preparing uniforms and practice gear ahead of the club\u2019s three\u2011match road trip on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Frisco.<\/p>\n Abraham Nudelstejer\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Inside the logistical mayhem\u00a0<\/p>\n While Pareja manages the day\u2011to\u2011day demands of keeping a team outfitted and ready, the broader challenge of moving FC Dallas across North America falls to Tanner Holley.<\/p>\n Holley, the manager of soccer operations, is responsible for planning and executing every aspect of FC Dallas\u2019 road travel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Charter flights. Hotel accommodations. Negotiations with airlines, hospitality partners and ground transportation companies.<\/p>\n This season has tested him more than any other.\u00a0<\/p>\n FC Dallas is in the final stretch of nine straight MLS road games, plus two additional trips \u2014 to San Jos\u00e9<\/a> and Toluca<\/a> \u2014 for Leagues Cup matches. The scale of the challenge is unlike anything most MLS clubs face.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a planning job that takes months,\u201d Holley said. \u201cFor a lot of these flights, we book even in January, during preseason. And then when Leagues Cup gets thrown at us, having to go to Toluca, some things change.\u201d<\/p>\n Some trips are straightforward. Others are labyrinths.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Toluca trip was one of the latter. To enter Mexico, the team had to hire an airline authorized to land at Toluca\u2019s airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly 150 bags went through Mexican customs. Players had to clear immigration.\u00a0<\/p>\n The team played on Wednesday, Aug. 12, and immediately after the match headed to the airport for the return flight.<\/p>\n A two\u2011hour delay meant the delegation didn\u2019t reach North Texas until Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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