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Axios
3 days ago
- Sport
- Axios
Dallas Trinity FC faces must-win game to end first season
Dallas Trinity FC could be on the brink of making the playoffs in their first season. Why it matters: Dallas is becoming a hub for professional soccer, with the professional women's soccer team, FC Dallas and another men's team on the way. The region is also preparing to host the FIFA Men's World Cup next year. The latest: Dallas Trinity is fifth in the USL Super League, with 11 wins, seven draws and nine losses. They face top-ranked Carolina Ascent FC at 7pm Saturday in Fair Park. The must-win game marks the end of the regular season. State of play: The team has steadily built a fanbase. Nearly 5,000 fans, on average, attend the home matches at the Cotton Bowl. The upstart USL Super League rivals the National Women's Soccer League. The Dallas Trinity name and logo were rolled out last May, just a couple of months before the season kicked off in August. The big picture: Dallas has the fifth strongest soccer economy among U.S. cities, per the latest ranking from the Sports Business Journal. The ranking measures fan enthusiasm, venue development and brand investment. Youth soccer involvement plays a large role in the growth of the sport in the region. Zoom in: Dallas Trinity officials regularly visit youth teams to drum up support for the team and the sport. The players hang out after matches to sign autographs, and kids have the opportunity to meet the professionals and walk with them on the pitch. What they're saying: The goal during next year's World Cup is to pitch the Dallas region as a possible host site for the 2031 Women's World Cup. "It's very important for us to make sure that we show FIFA that Dallas embraces women's sports, women's soccer, and cares about all constituents within the community," Dallas Trinity founder and chief operating officer Trip Neil tells Axios. Threat level: Dallas Trinity must win Saturday to advance to the playoffs. Dallas has won, lost and drawn in three meetings with Carolina. Carolina and Tampa Bay Sun FC have already clinched a playoff berth. Zoom out: Spokane Zephyr FC and Fort Lauderdale United FC are also in contention for the remaining two playoff spots. Two semifinal matches start June 7, and the first-ever USL Super League Final is the weekend of June 14. If you go: There is a pre-match concert before Saturday night's game and a fireworks show afterward for fan appreciation night.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Young soccer players are finding different ways to launch pro careers
Of the emerging young players in the National Women's Soccer League this season, Sam Meza has had one of the more unusual journeys to start her professional career. Meza was drafted by the Seattle Regin in 2024 out of North Carolina. She made one appearance with the team before she was loaned to the Dallas Trinity for the first season of the women's pro USL Super League. Meza, who earned Super League player of the month honors for November, was brought back to Seattle this season. She's one of several young NWSL players who have launched their careers in an ever-growing women's soccer ecosystem that offers a variety of professional pathways. Other players have skipped college soccer, or have navigated the job hunt without the benefit of a college draft. While Meza considered the loan a blow at the time, now she sees the value in it. 'Ultimately, it was an opportunity for me to learn prove to myself, which is the most important, and to prove to everybody else that I was a player that I've always been. It just took me a little bit more time to get to where I wanted to be,' Meza said. As veteran midfielder Jess Fishlock nurses a knee injury, Meza has started six games for the Reign. She assisted on Jordyn Huitema's game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw with Bay FC last month, and she is tied for second in the league for tackles with 32. 'She's a great example of how loans can be really good, and sticking with it, sticking to the journey, because last year was really challenging for her going on loan,' Reign coach Laura Harvey said. 'She wanted to do it in the end, but I'm sure she would have preferred to be with us the whole time.' Meza, a Dallas native, is a member of the final draft class in the NWSL. The league eliminated the college draft in the latest collective bargaining agreement and 2025 was the first year without a draft. She's also one of a handful of players who have been loaned to the Super League, which is on the top tier of women's soccer in the United States alongside the NWSL but is only in its first season. Those deals are expected to grow. North Carolina Courage defender Natalia Staude followed a similar path. She started her pro career on loan to the Super League's Tampa Bay Sun before joining the Courage this season. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said one of the strengths of the league on the international stage is its depth — and part of that is due to its emerging young stars. The loan process helps develop young players who in the past may have left soccer altogether. 'There have been examples where our teams have loaned players to those other leagues when they anticipate that a particular player isn't going to get playing minutes, or that it's not the right fit from a technical environment perspective, but they want to give the player an opportunity to continue to develop and play,' Berman said. 'So I think optionality for players is good, and I think a robust ecosystem that allows for players at all levels to be able to continue to play is a good thing for the sport.' Some of the other emerging young players who haven't taken traditional paths to launch their pro careers: Riley Tiernan, Angel City In the absence of a draft, Tiernan was a non-roster invitee to Angel City's preseason training camp this year. She did so well she earned herself a spot on the team and signed a two-year contract. She's scored five goals, tied for second in the league. Claire Hutton, Kansas City CurrentHutton initially committed to North Carolina but then decided to go pro instead. She was signed by the Current ahead of the 2024 season via the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism and was a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year. Hutton followed in the footsteps of other talented NWSL players who skipped college, including Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman. Olivia Moultrie, Portland Thorns Although Moultrie made her professional debut in 2021, she's still just 19 years old. She turned pro at just 13 when she hired an agent and signed a deal with Nike. But she wasn't allowed to play professionally because of an NWSL rule that required players to be 18. In 2021, she sued for the right to play and won. Moultrie's legal fight created the pathway for the rule that Hutton and many others have used to turn pro. The Thompson Sisters, Angel City Alyssa was the first high school player drafted into the NWSL when she was the No. 1 pick in 2023. Gisele Thompson was just 17 when she joined Angel City ahead of the 2024 season through the under-18 rule. She scored this month against Bay FC with an assist from Alyssa for the league's first sister-to-sister goal. ___ AP soccer:
