Dallas, TX
Why FC Cincinnati has to make a deal with FC Dallas to potentially get Weston McKennie
For most FC Dallas fans, losing out on former Academy player Weston McKennie was always seen as a major blow to the club. The two sides never got on the same page about a Homegrown deal in 2016 when the midfielder turned 18 and opted to go to German’s Schalke instead.
McKennie has continued to some success in Europe, having spent several years with Schalke and, more recently, with Juventus in Italy.
But it appears that his time in Italy is coming to an end. His new manager, Thiago Matta, told him he ‘doesn’t plan to rely on his services’ for the 2024-25 campaign, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
There are reports that McKennie could be returning to America with FC Cincinnati. The Ohio-based club is looking to make an incredibly ambitious offer to Juventus to secure the US national team player.
Even if Cincinnati is able to make their offer work for McKennie, they will have to secure one small thing first: his MLS player rights from FC Dallas.
According to The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, per the league’s rules, since FC Dallas made a Homegrown offer to McKennie back in 2016, they have retained his MLS rights and will have to be compensated as a result.
This likely means that FC Dallas will secure some general allocation money, or GAM, as a result of any potential transfer for McKennie.
The sum of that will be very interesting to sort out. Some of the higher player’s rights trades in MLS history include D.C. United acquired (now current FC Dallas midfielder) Paul Arriola’s rights from the LA Galaxy in 2017 for $300k in GAM as well as $200k in TAM (targeted allocation money).
First of all, MLS player’s rights are a really dumb thing that teams are still trading around in 2024. But for these purposes, we’ll play the part. Some may recall that when FC Dallas signed Petar Musa earlier this year, they had to send some GAM over to New England for his discovery rights. So, it is kind of along those lines here with this.
Secondly, I think it would be a massive shame that FC Dallas isn’t at the table to discuss trying to bring McKennie home as a player. I get the potential transfer money, which would be tough for the Hunts to get behind after shelling out nearly $10 million earlier this year for Musa. As of this writing, we don’t know what Cincinnati is preparing to offer Juventus for McKennie, but seeing as how they paid a reported $22 million for the Little Elm native back in 2011, it may be a pretty high fee for any MLS side to do.
Lastly, as much as I would love to see a player like McKennie in MLS these days, I don’t think his time in Europe is complete. Personally, I would love to see him go back to Germany or maybe even France for a couple of seasons before returning to America. I always assumed a guy like him would make his way to MLS after the 2026 World Cup. That timing makes more sense than in 2024.
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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