If you still have FIFA fever and don't want to break the bank to see a professional soccer game, now is the perfect time to root for Dallas's home team... well, one of them. The Dallas Trinity Football Club is gearing up for its season, and while the price to enter might be small, at just $24 a ticket, women’s professional soccer is anything but.
We went to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas' Fair Park to find out what makes Dallas Trinity worth the trip.
Dallas Trinity is still growing. The league is young, the team is young, and professional women’s soccer, in general, is still growing in the United States. The only thing that is not new is the Cotton Bowl. But, walking into a Dallas Trinity game, there’s a sense that the club already knows exactly what it wants to be.
The first thing you notice is the setting. The Cotton Bowl sits in Fair Park, surrounded by the architecture and history of a place that has been part of Dallas for generations. And then you look down at the field, and you see a team that’s just getting started.
The club's name comes from the Trinity River, a body of water with deep roots in the metroplex. Something this club is hoping to grow.
The night we attended, Trinity Dallas took on Carolina Ascent. The temperature was around 102 at kick-off, and you would think that would dampen enthusiasm, but inside the Cotton Bowl, fans were ready for some football.
Shortly into the game, Carolina scored. Not the play the home team wanted, but the excitement of the shot brought everyone in the stands to their feet. One quick sequence, and the crowd is hooked.
This is football – or soccer – so sometimes all you need is one moment to make a lifelong fan.
Caleb Young, his wife Alex and their two girls made the trip from Venus to catch a game. His older daughter, Millie, is a soccer fan.
“She's picked up interest in soccer and professional athletes that she admires, especially with the FIFA World Cup and all that stuff," Caleb said. "So, we just wanted to come and try it out and see what it is about.”
Seeing a game in person can make a little girl’s dream of becoming a professional athlete feel more achievable.
And that was a pattern we kept noticing.
For parents, especially those looking for local, female role models, there’s something special about watching women play at the professional level in your own city.
And according to Alex, the experience makes kids feel like they belong there, too.
"The tickets are affordable, and that allows the whole family to come,” Alex said. “It's not just for date night; the kids get to come watch and enjoy, too."
That family atmosphere is a big part of the Trinity experience.
Take Rodrigo Maycotte and his six-year-old daughter Penelope. They’re OG fans.
“We've been coming since the first season. This is our third season with the club,” said Maycotte.
Penelope plays soccer herself, but she's a big fan of the Kids Zone at the Dallas Trinity games.
"My favorite part is having fun at the Trinity game, and I actually get face paint and do arts and crafts," Penelope said.
And her favorite player?
"Sophia. Because she's a goalkeeper."
"No, she's the captain," her dad corrected.
Not missing a beat, Penelope replied, “Well, I've been the captain a lot of times."
Penelope brings up a good point about soccer terminology, so let's run through some lingo for those who didn’t catch FIFA fever.
A goalkeeper is the player who protects the goal.
The captain is the player designated to lead the team on the field.
And then there are players you might hear described as being “on loan.” They are temporarily playing for Dallas Trinity while their contractual rights remain with another club. It's one of the ways a young club like Trinity can bring in experience, develop its roster and compete while building toward its own future.
Based on what we saw, the team has a good foundation with its fans. There may not be tens of thousands of them filling the Cotton Bowl just yet, but the people who are there are invested.
Maycotte said the club appears to have grown since that first season.
“I think the fan zone has grown and concessions and all that. And then in terms of what the club is doing, we've seen that growth as well.”
The fan zone brings in small, local businesses and activities aimed at kids. And Maycotte says that helps the club feel different from larger professional sports experiences around Dallas.
"It doesn't feel as corporate as some of the other teams in the area; it feels like it's more for the fans and for the community," Maycotte said.
"It definitely feels more like a home team."
That idea of home is important.
About a quarter of the roster has roots in the area, helping connect a relatively new team to a city that can be particular about its sports identity.
Dallas Trinity isn't trying to replicate another professional sports experience and be the “Girl version” of FC Dallas. They are doing their own thing.
And for fans, that can make the decision to spend an afternoon at the Cotton Bowl pretty easy.
Details:
Dallas Trinity FC's next game is Sept 5 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. You can find ticket information and the 2026 fall schedule on its website.
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