Dallas, TX
Big D Weekly – October 21: FC Dallas finished 2024 on a positive note
Well folks, we’ve made it. After 34 games this season, plus some Leagues Cup and Open Cup matches along the way, FC Dallas is done for 2024.
Yes, the rough season is hopefully behind us as the team fully moves into the offseason here, starting with a press conference tomorrow with Dan Hunt and Andre Zanotta.
Will we get answers to whether or not Peter Luccin is being retained? Will any roster moves be announced this early (they do have until next month to wrap all of that up)? Or will it just be a press conference full of what-ifs from the two in charge? We will certainly find out those things and possibly more.
My gut tells me they’ve already made plenty of decisions both on the bench and on the roster. The lack of Luccin’s name on the media invite for the post-season press conference does lead me to believe the club will be moving on from him. For what it is worth, last year their end-of-season press conference was Zanotta and former head coach Nico Estevez.
We shall see.
I don’t think the roster moves will be announced just yet, despite the team being completely off this week from training. Typically, once the season wraps up (either with or without a playoff game), you’ll see some exit interview style training for the players for about a week or so. They’ll likely come back together next week for that as the begin their, what will be very long, off seasons.
Aside from that, I do have some exciting stuff coming to this space in the coming days. I am really excited to roll those things out when the time comes, but first, let’s get into some things from the last week around the club and around MLS.
FC Dallas vs Sporting Kansas City: Highlights, stats and quote sheet
FC Dallas wraps up 2024 season with 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City
Michael Collodi and Nico Gordon Voted into 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Best XI
Three questions facing FC Dallas as they head into the offseason
Here are some other posts from the last few days that are worth a read:
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Three questions FC Dallas must answer this offseason (Texas XI)
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As its fanbase grows, FC Dallas eager to improve on-field product (Dallas Morning News)
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Petar Musa’s Unexpected Journey Has Just Begun (D Magazine)
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FC Dallas 2025 Part 1: Expiring Contracts and Options (Toros and Toffee)
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FC Dallas Ends 2024 Season with 2-1 Win Over Sporting Kansas City (D210SPORTS)
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FC Dallas Close 2024 With Home Win (Afterburn Soccer)
Decision Day wraps up the regular season
For us in Dallas, Decision Day certainly lacked the energy and drama that we’ve had in previous years with FC Dallas and Sporting KC already eliminated from playoff contention. But that didn’t stop the drama from finding a way to come up elsewhere. Let’s start with the swap atop the Western Conference, as LAFC snuck into the top seed after a late goal from the Houston Dynamo over the LA Galaxy.
In the East, Atlanta and Montreal locked up the final two playoff spots with big Decision Day performances.
Breaking down the contenders in the MLS Cup Playoffs
I always do appreciate how Matt Doyle breaks down the entire league in one single post. If you haven’t paid a lot of attention to who are some of the top contenders this season for the playoffs, this is as good of a place to start as you’ll find out there.
Cristian Benteke wins the Golden Boot
It wasn’t a 30+ goal season for the D.C. United star but 23 goals isn’t anything to shy away from either.
Some how Inter Miami qualified for the Club World Cup
Yep, Lionel Messi is going to the Club World Cup. It is just a shame how Miami qualified for the tournament. But winning this year’s Supporters’ Shield wasn’t the why they managed into the tournament.
Dallas, TX
2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
Dallas, TX
World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released
We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.
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