According to the deal, Atlético Dallas would use the Cotton Bowl for its matches in 2027, 2028 and 2029. They would also lease MoneyGram Soccer Park for youth teams.
DALLAS — The city of Dallas is set to vote on a three-year licensing deal with Atlético Dallas, a United Soccer League (USL) team based in Garland, to use the Cotton Bowl stadium and MoneyGram Soccer Complex for three years.
The Cotton Bowl already hosts USL Super League team, Dallas Trinity FC, for its home matches.
The new agreement would allow Atlético Dallas to play its home matches, as well, at the iconic 92,000-seat stadium in Fair Park for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons. Atlético Dallas will make its debut in the United Soccer League in 2027.
When the team was announced, it was slated to start in the USL Championship, a Division 2 soccer league within the USL system. The USL then later announced it would be creating a Division 1 soccer league that would directly rival Major League Soccer (MLS), coincidentally also starting in 2027.
WFAA asked Atlético Dallas owner Matt Valentine if the creation of the Division 1 league affected the club’s future.
“It does, yeah. The first division hadn’t been announced when we did this,” Valentine said at the time. “I’ve always thought that eventually that would be a reality. I didn’t expect it to be this soon, so we were slated to be in the championship, which is Division 2 in the United States, but still the top division in USL. We are talking about ‘do we go into the first division?’ We haven’t made a decision. There’s still a lot of information we need to gather, but it’s definitely on our radar and something we would eventually aspire to be.”
One of the notable requirements of competing in a Division 1 soccer league is using a 15,000-seat stadium.
According to the city resolution to be voted on Wednesday, Atlético Dallas would pay the city of Dallas $1,000,000 per season. Fair Park would also receive 100% of all parking revenue. The city would purchase 2,500 tickets at $20 each for 20 games from the team as part of the Mayor’s Youth Sports Ticket Program.
The resolution also states that Atlético Dallas would lease MoneyGram Soccer Park during the three-year tenure for the club’s youth program. MoneyGram Soccer Park is currently managed by MLS club FC Dallas. FC Dallas sent WFAA the following statement regarding the new proposed deal with Atlético Dallas:
“We’re proud of our partnership with the City of Dallas and the Park and Recreation Department. Under our management, MoneyGram Soccer Park has become a nationally recognized facility – thanks to over $6 million we invested in fields, infrastructure and improvements. The idea that the City lost money is not true. Those dollars went straight back into the complex. Our focus has always been on community access and growing the game in Dallas.”
Atlético Dallas was also in talks with the City of Garland on a potential $70 million training facility, headquarters and youth soccer complex located on 65 acres at the intersection of President George Bush Turnpike and Holford Road.
It is unclear how the deal with the city of Dallas affects those negotiations.
WFAA has reached out to Atlético Dallas and city officials for comment on the Dallas and Garland contracts. We will update this story with their response once it has been received.