Introduced as a transition period for the Gainbridge Super League, the 2026 Fall Season was promised to be an action-packed 14-game slate, and so far, it has seemingly delivered. A shortened season means every point matters in the overall picture, and today, at the halfway point of the season, the team sitting in second place and the team sitting in sixth are separated by just two points.
And Dallas Trinity FC is right in the thick of it, attempting to be the team that makes the playoffs in every single season of the league’s existence. As a fan, there’s no better time than now to lock in.
Here are three things to look out for in the second half of the season, starting this Saturday against Brooklyn FC.
Jasmine Hamid’s Goal-Scoring Barrage
Dallas Trinity FC brought in Jasmine Hamid midway through last season to help make its offense one of the most lethal in the league. And in her first full season with the team, she’s leading the club in goals scored.
Not just that. Of the nine goals scored by Dallas this season, four of them have been credited to Hamid. In the month of September alone, Jasmine started all four Dallas Trinity FC games and scored in three straight.
That’s good enough for third-best in the league, with seven games still to go for Hamid to make her climb toward the Golden Boot.
But more than working her way up that list, she’s also climbing the Gainbridge Super League’s all-time goal-scoring list. Hamid, with 17 goals, is just three away from claiming the top spot in the league’s budding history books.
If last month was any indicator, she could hit that milestone before this season ends. Don’t blink, or you might miss Jasmine Hamid making history.
The Dallas Trinity FC Playoff Push
As alluded to before, Dallas Trinity FC is in the midst of a very competitive playoff race. The club currently occupies fifth place, but is just one point behind DC Power FC in second.
Which adds even more pressure to the second half of the season.
Dallas is one of only two teams in league history to make the playoffs in both of the league’s first two seasons. And that is a streak they aren’t planning to end this season.
Dallas has played every team once so far this season, and will do it all over again in the next two months. But now, the new-look roster has built up chemistry and knows what to look for in its opponents.
Of the seven games left, Dallas will play four on the road and three at home at the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium, putting all sorts of terrain and advantages at bay.
The way Dallas closes out the season will be a must-watch.
State Fair Clásico
One thing that Dallas does have that other teams in the league don’t is the 2026 State Fair Clásico.
Less than 10 days from now, on Saturday, Oct. 17, Dallas Trinity FC will host a Liga MX Femenil powerhouse in C.D. Guadalajara, better known as Chivas Femenil, in an exhibition game in front of tens of thousands of people at the Cotton Bowl.
The elite of the elite, with multiple Mexico National Team players on the roster, will provide a much-needed test for Dallas. A positive showing in this game could not only create unexpected momentum heading into the final stretch of the season, but also give Dallas another opportunity to learn what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“It’s amazing. I am super excited,” said captain Sophia Braun on the State Fair Clásico. “Obviously, I played in that league my first year professionally, so it’s super special for me, and I think it’s an awesome league. I’m really excited, and I think we are going to get a great crowd. It’s going to be an amazing game.”
It's official. Chivas Femenil is coming to Dallas.
The State Fair Clásico matchup is set. We'll see you at the Cotton Bowl. October 17.
3 Cosas que los Aficionados de Dallas Trinity FC Deben Esperar en la Segunda Mitad de la Temporada de Otoño 2026
Presentada como un periodo de transición para la Gainbridge Super League, la temporada de otoño de 2026 prometía un calendario lleno de acción con 14 partidos, y hasta ahora parece haber cumplido con las expectativas. Una temporada más corta significa que cada punto cuenta en la clasificación general y, hoy, al llegar a la mitad de la temporada, solo hay dos puntos de diferencia entre el equipo que ocupa el segundo lugar y el que está en el sexto.
Y Dallas Trinity FC está justo en medio de la pelea, buscando convertirse en el equipo que clasifique a los playoffs en todas y cada una de las temporadas que ha disputado la liga. Como aficionado, no hay mejor momento que este para seguir de cerca al equipo.
Estas son tres cosas que debes tener en cuenta durante la segunda mitad de la temporada, que comienza este sábado contra Brooklyn FC.
La Racha Goleadora de Jasmine Hamid
Dallas Trinity FC incorporó a Jasmine Hamid a mitad de la temporada pasada para ayudar a convertir su ofensiva en una de las más letales de la liga. Y en su primera temporada completa con el equipo, lidera al club en goles anotados.
Pero eso no es todo. De los nueve goles que Dallas ha anotado esta temporada, cuatro llevan la firma de Hamid. Tan solo en septiembre, Jasmine fue titular en los cuatro partidos de Dallas Trinity FC y anotó en tres encuentros consecutivos.
Eso le basta para ocupar el tercer lugar de la liga, con siete partidos todavía por disputar para que Hamid siga escalando posiciones en la carrera por la Bota de Oro.
Pero, más allá de avanzar en esa clasificación, también está subiendo en la lista histórica de máximas goleadoras de la Gainbridge Super League. Con 17 goles, Hamid está a solo tres de alcanzar el primer lugar en la joven historia de la liga.
Si el mes pasado sirve como referencia, podría alcanzar esa marca antes de que termine la temporada. No parpadees o podrías perderte el momento en que Jasmine Hamid haga historia.
La Lucha por los Playoffs
Como mencionamos anteriormente, Dallas Trinity FC está en plena pelea por un lugar en los playoffs, en una clasificación muy competida. Actualmente, el club ocupa el quinto lugar, pero está a solo un punto de DC Power FC, que se encuentra en el segundo puesto.
Dallas es uno de los dos únicos equipos en la historia de la liga que ha clasificado a los playoffs en sus dos primeras temporadas. Y no tiene intención de poner fin a esa racha este año.
Eso añade todavía más presión a la segunda mitad de la temporada.
Dallas ya se ha enfrentado una vez a cada equipo de la liga y repetirá ese recorrido durante los próximos dos meses. Sin embargo, ahora el plantel renovado ha desarrollado una mayor química y conoce mejor qué esperar de sus rivales.
De los siete partidos restantes, Dallas jugará cuatro como visitante y tres como local en el icónico Cotton Bowl Stadium, afrontando distintos escenarios y las ventajas que cada uno puede ofrecer.
La manera en que Dallas cierre la temporada será algo que no querrás perderte.
State Fair Clásico
Algo que Dallas sí tiene y que los demás equipos de la liga no es el State Fair Clásico de 2026.
En menos de 10 días, el sábado 17 de octubre, Dallas Trinity FC recibirá a una potencia de la Liga MX Femenil, el C.D. Guadalajara, mejor conocido como Chivas Femenil, en un partido de exhibición frente a decenas de miles de aficionados en el Cotton Bowl.
Un equipo de élite, con varias jugadoras de la Selección Nacional de México en su plantel, representará una prueba muy importante para Dallas. Una buena actuación no solo podría generar un impulso inesperado de cara al tramo final de la temporada, sino también darle a Dallas otra oportunidad para aprender qué se necesita para competir al más alto nivel.
“Es increíble. Estoy muy emocionada”, dijo la capitana Sophia Braun sobre el State Fair Clásico. “Obviamente, jugué en esa liga durante mi primer año como profesional, así que es algo muy especial para mí y creo que es una liga extraordinaria. Estoy muy emocionada y creo que tendremos una gran asistencia. Será un partido increíble”
It's official. Chivas Femenil is coming to Dallas.
The State Fair Clásico matchup is set. We'll see you at the Cotton Bowl. October 17.
El resultado no contará para el registro de Dallas Trinity FC en la temporada de otoño de 2026, pero es difícil imaginar una mejor oportunidad para que el equipo aprenda y siga mejorando.
Los boletos para el State Fair Clásico todavía están disponibles, y este podría convertirse en un momento importante en la historia de esta temporada. No te lo pierdas.
How Lee Nguyễn established Dallas Trinity FC’s pass-first identity
Dallas Trinity FC are on track to become the best passing team in Gainbridge Super League history. Don’t believe me? Let me show you the numbers.
Six games into the season, Dallas has out-passed and out-possessed every opponent they’ve faced. Six games, six times coming out on top in both categories.
Their 3,244 completed passes lead the Gainbridge Super League, 677 ahead of the next-closest club. They average 541 per match. For comparison, Lexington SC set the league’s single-season high at 476 per match during its 2025–26 championship campaign.
That puts Dallas 65 passes per match ahead of the league’s previous benchmark. It may be early, but the pace suggests that Dallas Trinity FC are on track to become the best passing team this league has ever seen.
There are two reasons behind it: playstyle and personnel.
Behind the Numbers
As Dallas Trinity FC’s change in playstyle comes with a noticeable change on the sideline. Former USMNT player Lee Nguyễn, now the club’s head coach and technical director, has brought a pass-first philosophy to Dallas.
Nguyễn’s playing career offers a clue to the style he wants. As a freshman at Indiana, he led the Big Ten in assists. With the New England Revolution, he rose to third on the club’s all-time assists list and became its only player to join the elusive 50-50 club, recording at least 50 goals and 50 assists. He finished among the top 10 in MLS in assists – twice.
Lee was an offensive threat because of what he could do with the ball. He made a career of finding teammates in dangerous spaces and attacking defenses in ways opponents couldn’t always anticipate. Now, in his first head coaching role, he wants Dallas to create those spaces together.
“We want to control the game with the ball. The more we have the ball, the less dangerous they are,” Nguyễn said of Dallas’ pass-first approach.
It’s a straightforward idea: keep the ball, make opponents chase, and limit their chances to attack. Possession isn’t just about creating chances, either. It can take pressure off Dallas’ defense by forcing opponents to spend more time without the ball and less time attacking.
“Being able to possess it, break their pressure, get up their field, you do that over and over, it takes the sting out of their attack as well,” Nguyễn said.
And Dallas has a clear way of putting that philosophy into practice.
They build their attacks from the back, focusing on short, quick passes to move the ball through the pitch. But it’s the long through balls that can really break down opposing defenses, turning patient buildup into dangerous attacking opportunities.
Even their clearances serve a purpose. Rather than simply scrambling to get the ball out of danger, Dallas looks to direct it into areas where they can launch lethal counterattacks.
Of course, completing passes only matters if those passes actually go somewhere. A team can rack up passing numbers all day, but if the ball keeps getting intercepted, that possession isn’t doing much good.
The club leads the league in pass accuracy at 85%, which shows that the volume comes with precision. That combination allows Dallas to maintain possession, dictate the tempo, and move into attacking positions.
The Players Making It Work
Lee might be the mastermind behind Dallas’ passing identity, but he still needs players who can execute it. The players brought in and retained have shown they can move the ball, create chances and make things happen.
Start with the captain, Sophia Braun. She leads the league with 624 accurate passes at a league-best 93.5% accuracy. No other player has completed more than 350. Four of the league’s top 10 players in pass accuracy play for Dallas, more than any other club.
The passes also create chances.Camryn Lancaster leads the Gainbridge Super League with two assists in the Fall 2026 season, while Carissa Boeckmann leads in big chances created. Boeckmann won the August 2026 Assist of the Month award, and Cyera Hintzen’s assist against DC Power FC offers another example of what Dallas can do with the ball.
The club has even more playmaking talent on the way. New signing Giulianna Gianino set Boston University’s single-season record with 15 assists and is tied for first in the program’s career assists. That’s another proven creator joining a team already packed with players who know how to find the right pass.
Dallas’ passing numbers are impressive on their own. But when you look at who’s putting those numbers up, who’s creating the chances and who’s arriving with a track record of doing exactly that, the question becomes even clearer:
Is Dallas Trinity FC on track to become the best passing team this league has ever seen?
Cómo Lee Nguyễn estableció la identidad de Dallas Trinity FC basada en el pase
Dallas Trinity FC va camino a convertirse en el mejor equipo de pases en la historia de la Gainbridge Super League. ¿No me crees? Déjame mostrarte los números.
Tras seis partidos de la temporada, Dallas ha superado a todos sus rivales tanto en pases completados como en posesión del balón. Seis partidos, seis veces terminando por encima de sus oponentes en ambas categorías.
Sus 3,244 pases completados lideran la Gainbridge Super League, con una ventaja de 677 sobre el club más cercano. El equipo promedia 541 pases por partido. Para ponerlo en perspectiva, Lexington SC estableció el récord de la liga en una sola temporada con 476 pases por partido durante su campaña de campeonato 2025-26.
Eso coloca a Dallas 65 pases por partido por encima de la marca anterior de la liga. Puede que todavía sea temprano, pero el ritmo apunta a que Dallas Trinity FC va camino a convertirse en el mejor equipo de pases que esta liga haya visto.
Hay dos razones detrás de ello: el estilo de juego y las jugadoras.
Detrás de los Números
El cambio en el estilo de juego de Dallas Trinity FC viene acompañado de una transformación evidente en la banda. Lee Nguyễn, exjugador de la Selección Varonil de Estados Unidos y ahora entrenador en jefe y Director Técnico del club, ha llevado a Dallas una filosofía que prioriza el pase.
La carrera de Nguyễn como jugador da una pista del estilo que busca implementar. Como estudiante de primer año en Indiana, lideró la Big Ten en asistencias. Con el New England Revolution, llegó al tercer lugar en la lista histórica de asistencias del club y se convirtió en el único jugador del equipo en ingresar al exclusivo club 50-50, al registrar al menos 50 goles y 50 asistencias. Además, terminó dos veces entre los 10 mejores de la MLS en asistencias.
Lee era una amenaza ofensiva por lo que podía hacer con el balón. Construyó su carrera encontrando a sus compañeras de equipo en espacios peligrosos y atacando a las defensas de maneras que sus rivales no siempre podían anticipar. Ahora, en su primer puesto como entrenador en jefe, quiere que Dallas genere esos espacios en conjunto.
“Queremos controlar el partido con el balón. Cuanto más tiempo tengamos el balón, menos peligrosos serán ellos”, dijo Nguyễn sobre el enfoque de Dallas, que prioriza el pase.
La idea es sencilla: conservar el balón, hacer que los rivales corran detrás de él y limitar sus oportunidades de atacar. La posesión tampoco se trata únicamente de crear ocasiones. También puede aliviar la presión sobre la defensa de Dallas, obligando a sus rivales a pasar más tiempo sin el balón y menos tiempo atacando.
“Poder tener la posesión, superar su presión y avanzar por la cancha, hacerlo una y otra vez, también le quita fuerza a su ataque”, dijo Nguyễn.
Y Dallas tiene una manera clara de llevar esa filosofía a la práctica.
El equipo construye sus ataques desde atrás, enfocándose en pases cortos y rápidos para avanzar con el balón por la cancha. Pero son los pases filtrados largos los que realmente pueden desarmar las defensas rivales, convirtiendo una construcción paciente en oportunidades de ataque peligrosas.
Incluso sus despejes tienen un propósito. En lugar de simplemente buscar sacar el balón de una zona de peligro, Dallas intenta dirigirlo hacia espacios desde los que pueda lanzar contraataques letales.
Por supuesto, completar pases solo importa si esos pases llevan a alguna parte. Un equipo puede acumular cifras de pases durante todo el día, pero si el balón termina constantemente interceptado, esa posesión no sirve de mucho.
El club lidera la liga en precisión de pase, con un 85%, lo que demuestra que el volumen viene acompañado de precisión. Esa combinación le permite a Dallas conservar la posesión, dictar el ritmo del partido y avanzar hacia posiciones de ataque.
Las Jugadoras que lo Hacen Posible
Lee puede ser el cerebro detrás de la identidad de pases de Dallas, pero necesita jugadoras capaces de ejecutarla. Las futbolistas que se han incorporado al equipo y las que permanecen en el plantel han demostrado que pueden mover el balón, crear oportunidades y marcar la diferencia.
Comencemos con la capitana, Sophia Braun. Lidera la liga con 624 pases precisos y una efectividad del 93.5%, la mejor de la competición. Ninguna otra jugadora ha completado más de 350 pases. Cuatro de las 10 jugadoras con mayor precisión de pase en la liga juegan para Dallas, más que en cualquier otro club.
Los pases también generan oportunidades. Camryn Lancaster lidera la Gainbridge Super League con dos asistencias en la temporada de otoño de 2026, mientras que Carissa Boeckmann encabeza la liga en ocasiones claras creadas. Boeckmann ganó el premio a la Asistencia del Mes de agosto de 2026, y la asistencia de Cyera Hintzen contra DC Power FC ofrece otro ejemplo de lo que Dallas puede hacer con el balón.
El club también tiene más talento creativo en camino. El nuevo fichaje Giulianna Gianino estableció el récord de Boston University con 15 asistencias en una sola temporada y está empatada en el primer lugar de la lista histórica de asistencias del programa. Es otra creadora probada que se suma a un equipo que ya está lleno de jugadoras que saben encontrar el pase correcto.
Las cifras de pases de Dallas son impresionantes por sí solas. Pero cuando observas quiénes las están consiguiendo, quiénes están creando las oportunidades y quiénes llegan con un historial de hacer precisamente eso, la pregunta se vuelve aún más clara:
¿Va Dallas Trinity FC camino a convertirse en el mejor equipo de pases que esta liga haya visto?
Dallas Trinity FC’s season opener featured plenty of new beginnings, including two that represented years of work behind the scenes. Drew Coomans and Dallas native Juliet “LJ” Moore made their professional debuts during the club’s 1-1 draw against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Aug. 15 at the Cotton Bowl. Coomans started in defense and played all 90 minutes, while Moore entered as a substitute in the 83rd minute.
They were among 12 players who made their Dallas Trinity FC debuts that night, but for Coomans and LJ, the occasion carried an added distinction: their first professional appearance.
LJ
For LJ, the milestone came in her hometown.
Born and raised in Dallas, LJ spent a year with Sting Soccer Club under coach Tatu Pecorari. She also spent almost a decade playing for Solar Soccer Club and D’Feeters Soccer Club. At Ursuline Academy, she served as a two-year captain and helped the Bears win TAPPS state championships in 2018 and 2021.
LJ began her college career at Mississippi State for two seasons of limited minutes before transferring to Houston where she grew into a larger role. She tied for the team lead with five assists as a junior and led the Cougars with five goals as a senior. Her final season included a three-goal performance against Texas State in September 2024, marking the program’s first hat trick in eight years.
After navigating the college ranks, LJ returned to Dallas to begin her professional career.
“It was surreal. I felt truly blessed,” said LJ. “It’s been a dream that was fulfilled in God’s timing and I’m grateful for what’s to come.”
Drew Coomans
Coomans took a different path to Dallas.
A native of Long Beach, California, Coomans played four seasons at Princeton and established herself as a versatile presence across the field. Primarily an attacking forward during the early portion of her collegiate career, she moved to the back line as a senior after injuries depleted Princeton’s defense.
The transition proved pivotal. Coomans started all 17 matches, helped Princeton capture the Ivy League championship and was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.
Before joining Dallas Trinity FC, Coomans trained with Portland Thorns FC, participated in the NWSL Combine and trained with Bay FC during the 2026 international window. She also started for Bay FC in a 1-0 international friendly victory over Ottawa Rapid FC.
When Dallas Trinity FC opened its season at the Cotton Bowl, Coomans earned a place in head coach Lee Nguyen’s starting lineup.
She played the full match and helped Dallas secure a point in the 1-1 draw against Tampa Bay. “I was super excited to make my professional debut,” said Coomans. “I was nervous initially but our team is so supportive and I know they have my back so I settled in quickly. It was definitely surreal to play in such a historic and big stadium! I was a little bummed with the result because we all worked so hard and wanted a win but still super excited for what’s to come from this group.”
Coomans and LJ arrived at the professional level through different routes playing different roles. But on Saturday night,their paths converged at the Cotton Bowl.
It was the first professional appearance for each player and the beginning of what both hope will be long careers. witnessed by the thousands in attendance and watching online.
El partido inaugural de la temporada de Dallas Trinity FC estuvo lleno de nuevos comienzos, incluyendo dos que representaron años de trabajo detrás de escena. Drew Coomans y la jugadora originaria de Dallas Juliet “LJ” Moore hicieron su debut profesional durante el empate 1-1 del club ante Tampa Bay Sun FC el 15 de agosto en el Cotton Bowl. Coomans fue titular en defensa y disputó los 90 minutos, mientras que Moore ingresó como suplente al minuto 83.
Fueron dos de las 12 jugadoras que hicieron su debut con Dallas Trinity FC esa noche, pero para Coomans y LJ, la ocasión tuvo un significado especial: era su primera aparición como profesionales.
Para LJ, el momento llegó en su ciudad natal.
LJ
Nacida y criada en Dallas, LJ pasó un año con Sting Soccer Club bajo la dirección del entrenador Tatu Pecorari. También pasó casi una década jugando para Solar Soccer Club y D’Feeters Soccer Club. En Ursuline Academy, fue capitana durante dos años y ayudó a las Bears a conquistar campeonatos estatales de TAPPS en 2018 y 2021.
LJ comenzó su carrera universitaria en Mississippi State, donde pasó dos temporadas con minutos limitados, antes de transferirse a Houston, donde asumió un papel más importante. Como junior, empató como líder del equipo con cinco asistencias y, como senior, lideró a las Cougars con cinco goles. Su última temporada incluyó una actuación de tres goles ante Texas State en septiembre de 2024, convirtiéndose en el primer hat trick del programa en ocho años.
Después de abrirse camino por el fútbol universitario, LJ regresó a Dallas para comenzar su carrera profesional.
“Fue algo surrealista. Me sentí verdaderamente bendecida”, dijo LJ. “Ha sido un sueño que se cumplió en el tiempo de Dios y estoy agradecida por todo lo que viene.”
Drew Coomans
Coomans tomó un camino diferente para llegar a Dallas.
Originaria de Long Beach, California, Coomans jugó cuatro temporadas en Princeton y se consolidó como una jugadora versátil en distintas zonas de la cancha. Principalmente una delantera ofensiva durante la primera parte de su carrera universitaria, pasó a la línea defensiva en su último año después de que varias lesiones dejaran mermada la defensa de Princeton.
El cambio resultó ser decisivo. Coomans fue titular en los 17 partidos, ayudó a Princeton a conquistar el campeonato de la Ivy League y fue nombrada Jugadora Defensiva del Año de la Ivy League.
Antes de unirse a Dallas Trinity FC, Coomans entrenó con Portland Thorns FC, participó en el NWSL Combine y entrenó con Bay FC durante la ventana internacional de 2026. También fue titular con Bay FC en una victoria 1-0 en un partido amistoso internacional ante Ottawa Rapid FC.
Cuando Dallas Trinity FC abrió su temporada en el Cotton Bowl, Coomans se ganó un lugar en la alineación titular del entrenador Lee Nguyen.
Disputó el partido completo y ayudó a Dallas a sumar un punto en el empate 1-1 ante Tampa Bay.
“Estaba súper emocionada por hacer mi debut profesional”, dijo Coomans. “Al principio estaba nerviosa, pero nuestro equipo es muy unido y sé que me apoyan, así que rápidamente me sentí cómoda. Definitivamente fue surrealista jugar en un estadio tan histórico y tan grande. Me quedé un poco decepcionada con el resultado porque todas trabajamos muy duro y queríamos ganar, pero sigo súper emocionada por lo que viene para este grupo.”
Coomans y LJ llegaron al nivel profesional por caminos diferentes y desempeñando roles distintos. Pero el sábado por la noche, sus caminos se encontraron en el Cotton Bowl.
Fue la primera aparición profesional para ambas y el comienzo de lo que las dos esperan que sean carreras largas.
Dallas Trinity FC’s Camryn Lancaster’s face all over it.
Not subtly, either. This is not a small logo tucked somewhere. It is the kind of shirt that makes it very clear who Janice Lancaster came to watch.
And then you notice the woman wearing it. Janice is not just a soccer mom. She is a super soccer mom.
The shirts are part of the uniform. So are the boots, the flag and the energy she brings into the supporter section. She has turned showing up for her daughter into its own kind of craft, one that has followed Camryn from college soccer at TCU to the professional game with Dallas Trinity FC.
And the story of the shirt actually starts at TCU.
Janice Lancaster
While Camryn was making a name for herself in Fort Worth, Janice saw someone wearing a pair of soccer socks and thought she needed a pair of her own.
Then she wanted a shirt. She went on Etsy and in her own words:
“It just went crazy.”
The shirt became part of her game day routine. Soon, so did everything else that came with being Janice Lancaster on game day.
She picks out which Cam shirt she is going to wear and considers which boots. She texts Camryn before every game, just as she has since Cam was a little girl, still having the same message.
‘Have fun. Show everyone how much you love soccer.’
But somewhere along the way, something changed.
In February 2025, Dallas Trinity FC announced the news. WPSL Player of the Year and TCU forward Camryn Lancaster will play for DTFC.
Janice was no longer simply following Camryn. She was becoming part of the Dallas Trinity FC community herself.
“The fans, the energy,” Janice said when asked what made her care about the club beyond supporting her daughter. “It’s the excitement, how much they just, they follow them, they enjoy them, they cheer for them. I just love the vibe that goes on during the games.”
Spend enough time around Dallas Trinity FC supporters and Janice becomes a familiar name. The fans talk about her, remember her, notice when she is there, and she notices them right back.
That is one of the things that makes her relationship with Dallas Trinity FC different. She came into the club through Camryn, but found something waiting for her beyond the family connection.
A group of people who really wanted her there.
“They just brought us in,” Janice said. “They just gave us a big hug and just let us join in on that energy, and I loved it.”
Janice Lancaster
It is not difficult to see why she fits in. Janice is the definition of a Dallas Trinity FC fan. She cheers, she chants, she gets caught up in the drums and the noise coming from the stands.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “The cheering, the chants, the drumming, the vibe is just amazing and electric.”
Now, years after those early games, Janice gets to watch Camryn do the same thing at the professional level. Six goals and four assists into her Dallas Trinity FC career, Camryn has already given her mom plenty to cheer about. But for Janice, the numbers have never really been the point.
“It was an outlet for our family to enjoy a sport,” she said. “We’ve always enjoyed soccer. The competitiveness, the team.”
Her standards have not changed much. She wants Dallas Trinity FC to win.
“It’s always winning and learning. Competing,” Janice said. “The team coming together as one. To enjoy the moment, to have fun, to compete. And just to show how much they love the game.”
And then, on Saturday, August 8, Janice got to see that journey come full circle.
Dallas Trinity FC was at TCU for a preseason match ahead of the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Fall season. It was a return to the place where Camryn had spent four years building her college career and her legacy. This time, though, Camryn was back as a professional, repping Dallas Trinity FC.
Dallas Trinity FC came away with a 2-1 win, its third victory of the preseason.
Camryn was also recognized during the hydration break, giving Janice another moment to take in just how much had changed since those college days.
“Oh, it makes me want to cry. You know, she started at 3 and just taking her all through the seasons of life and for her to be right here in Dallas, it’s just so special to me… I brought my TCU flag to hold up and like I used to do for the past 4 years.”
A story that started at TCU, and somehow found its way back there. And Janice was right there to see it. As always!
Join Janice in her support of Camryn and the rest of Dallas Trinity FC on August 15th, 2026 at the Cotton Bowl as the team kicks-off their 2026 Gainbridge Super League Fall season against Tampa Bay Sun FC. Buy tickets here.
For most of their career, Tina has helped other people celebrate the clubs they love. Working in the soccer industry for the past 15 years at Soccer Post, they’ve designed and produced everything from youth rec team apparel to gear for professional clubs. They’ve watched children proudly wear their first jersey, seen college athletes chase bigger dreams and helped bring professional brands to life.
Along the way, they witnessed one thing that never changed, no matter the level. And that is the emotional connection people have with their club. Fans love to wear their colors with pride, defend their team and even create traditions that become part of who they are. For years, Tina admired that passion from the outside. Then Dallas Trinity FC came onto the scene, and for the first time, they weren’t helping tell someone else’s story. Tina had finally found a club that felt like their own.
Tina
That perspective is what makes Tina’s support for Dallas Trinity FC so unique. Unlike many fans who fell in love with soccer as children, their appreciation for the game grew through years of working behind the scenes. Every project literally became a reminder that soccer is about much more than ninety minutes on the field.
A jersey isn’t simply fabric with a logo on it. For a new, young player, it might be the first jersey they ever wear. For a professional, it’s the tangible reward for years of sacrifice. Seeing those moments unfold year after year gave Tina an appreciation for the people behind the sport as much as the game itself.
“It’s the passion of people for their different teams,” Tina said. “Everybody has their own team, and we’re all passionate about our own teams. Getting to interact with people, debating and arguing and trash talking that’s been a lot of fun. Whether it’s your first jersey or you’re getting a professional jersey, you’ve got to put your passion and your heart into that because it could be the next player chasing that dream.”
That passion eventually led Tina to discover something they hadn’t expected, a supporter culture. While working weekends, they often found themselves watching matches on a phone or television, seeing supporters sing in unison, wave scarves and create an atmosphere that was just as important as the action unfolding on the field. It was a community built around shared joy, heartbreak and a belief that showing up every week mattered.
“I wanted to be in a supporter section that brings that type of cheer and you have fun. Everybody goes home happy because they had this cool experience in the supporter section. I wanted to be a part of that. So then when Dallas Trinity FC got announced, it was like, ‘I’m going all in.'”
Today, Tina is one of the familiar faces in the supporter section that helped create the atmosphere, one of Dallas Trinity FC’s defining features. They even helped make the affectionate nickname “Golden Girls” for the players, cool and popular. It was a name born from the idea that this team is something to treasure.
One match in particular stands above every other memory. During Dallas Trinity FC’s friendly against the Houston Dash, several of the regular chant leaders were away at another match. Suddenly, Tina realized someone needed to step forward. No time to hesitate!
After Dallas Trinity FC found the back of the net, the goal that won them the game, Tina led the “Golden Girls” chant themselves.
“I realized that’s going to be on my shoulders. I’ve got to step up and I’ve got to do this… It was the most magical experience. It was so much fun, and I want to get to that high again because it was the coolest feeling.”
Tina
Nobody assigns those responsibilities or tells someone when it’s their turn to take charge. But every voice matters, and every person in the supporter section contributes to making Dallas Trinity FC feel like home for the players and fans alike.
Tina also now has an appreciation for everything supporters don’t always notice.
“Being in the supporter section, I know all the little things that go into making this possible. It’s given me an appreciation for it now that I get to sit there and enjoy the fruits of the labor.”
One of the things Tina values most, outside of the fans, is Dallas Trinity FC and how approachable the club has remained. Conversations with players, familiar faces around the stadium and even interactions with players’ families have helped create an environment that feels more personal than transactional.
“I just had one interaction with you, but you remembered me. That made it cool for me. It feels more like a community club. It feels like I have ownership, even if I don’t. It’s my club, and I will defend it like it’s my club.”
Getting in on the ground floor and being a day one has made every milestone feel really personal. Tina knows Dallas Trinity FC is still writing the early chapters of its history, and that’s part of what makes supporting the club so meaningful. While established clubs have generations of traditions behind them, this community is creating its own in real time.
Kickoff remains Tina’s favorite moment. As the players emerge from the tunnel, the supporter section comes alive. Tina believes the supporters are there to provide energy just as much as encouragement, creating an atmosphere that players can carry with them throughout the match.
“The supporter section is your 12th player. We’ve got to bring the energy and the noise and make it fun for everybody around us. We want to let the girls know that we’re here. We’re behind you. We want to give you our energy.”
It’s hard to believe that someone who now spends weekends leading chants once didn’t consider themselves a soccer fan at all. Tina laughs about how working in the sport completely changed their perspective.
Looking ahead to the new season, Tina’s hopes are refreshingly straightforward. They want Dallas Trinity FC competing for silverware, they want a playoff match at home and they want to celebrate with the supporters who have helped build this club from day one.
“A trophy. You’ve got to be lifting trophies at the end. That’s the definition of success.”
Tina
For someone who spent years helping bring soccer to life for others, Dallas Trinity FC has become a place to belong. Tina has spent years helping others celebrate the game. Now, every time they step into the supporter section, they get to celebrate a club that’s finally their own as the club’s 12th player!
If you want to join Tina in the team’s supporter section for Dallas Trinity FC’s first game of the season on August 15th, buy your tickets here.
There are supporters who leave when the final whistle blows. And then there’s Rich Rogers.
Long after the players have disappeared up the tunnel and the stands have started to clear out, Rich is usually still talking about the match. Sometimes it’s with the people sitting around him, and sometimes it’s with complete strangers who overheard the conversation. Nowadays, it’s into a microphone alongside his friend and fellow DTFC supporter Jesse Madsen. You’ll most likely see them recording another episode of the ‘Pegasus Post Match podcast.’
The funniest part is that none of this was supposed to happen.
If you had met Rich twenty years ago and told him soccer would become one of the defining parts of his life, he says he probably would have laughed.
“I didn’t know anything about the game. I’d see scores like 0-0 or 1-0 and think, ‘This has got to be the most boring thing in the world.'”
Rich Rogers
Today, it’s difficult to imagine anyone saying that to the owner of Scardello, Dallas’ beloved cheese shop on Oak Lawn.
Before Rich became one of the club’s supporters, though, he first had to fall in love with the sport itself. That’s something that happened almost by accident.
A friend dragged him out to watch the matches during the 2010 Men’s World Cup. He enjoyed them way more than he expected, but his obsession wasn’t built in a day. A few years later, he decided to commit to becoming a fan of a Premier League club for a whole season. He promised himself he’d watch every match before deciding whether soccer was really for him or not. He didn’t need to make it to the end of that experiment before he had his answer.
Part of what clicked was how much the game reminded him of hockey, another sport he loves. Low-scoring games didn’t mean low excitement. Every chance mattered, and every mistake carried weight. His family trips to Portland only deepened that appreciation. Watching the Portland Thorns introduced him to an atmosphere unlike anything he’d experienced before. Still, the club that would eventually make soccer feel personal wasn’t in Oregon or England. It was waiting back home in Dallas.
When Rich first heard Dallas was getting a professional women’s soccer club that would actually play in the city, he didn’t overthink it. He put down a deposit for season tickets, picked up his phone and called his friend Jesse.
For Rich, Dallas Trinity FC felt different almost immediately. Not because there was finally a professional women’s team in Dallas but also because supporters weren’t treated like people watching from the outside. They are always encouraged to become part of the club’s identity from the very beginning.
“By the end of that first year, I definitely felt like this is my club,” Rich says. “It’s different from any other team I’ve ever followed.”
Rich Rogers
That feeling extended well beyond ninety minutes on matchday.
After home games, Rich and Jesse settled into a routine. They’d leave the Cotton Bowl, find somewhere nearby and spend the next hour replaying everything they’d just watched, debating the lineup, questioning substitutions and trying to figure out what had worked, and what hadn’t. After enough of these conversations, Rich’s wife Karen finally interrupted with a simple suggestion.
“You should just record this.”
So they did.
The Pegasus Post Match podcast was simply an extension of conversations they were already having, with the hope that other supporters might want to join in.
“We wanted to support the club,” Rich says. “It’s not that we can’t be critical, but for the most part we want to talk about the positive things we see and bring more people in.”
That last part has become something of a theme for Rich. Bringing people in.
By the end of last season, what had started as two friends with microphones had turned into postgame gatherings of twenty-five or thirty supporters. Some stopped by to celebrate a win, while others came to vent after a frustrating loss. Eventually, the result almost became secondary. People stayed because they enjoyed spending time together.
It’s why Rich rarely starts talking about Dallas Trinity by mentioning league standings or memorable goals. He talks about the people first.
“The most important thing I realized last season was the community that’s built. Win or lose, you’re doing it with people you’ve gotten to know really well and care a lot about.”
That same sense of community has become part of Rich’s family life too. When he first discovered soccer, Karen was happy to let him enjoy it while she watched from the sidelines. Dallas Trinity FC changed that.
Today they travel together, attend matches together and build their schedules around the club. Somewhere along the way, soccer quietly became one of the things they enjoy most as a couple.
Rich says neither of his daughters grew up especially interested in sports, but supporting a women’s professional club still means something to him. Having spent his life surrounded by strong women, from growing up with three younger sisters to raising two daughters, he appreciates seeing young girls grow up with professional opportunities that simply didn’t exist before.
“Having the ability for young women to have this career option… it’s really, really great.”
Ask Rich about his favorite DTFC memory and he’ll immediately tell you he can’t choose just one.
One of them took place on a freezing night in Spokane, where four Dallas Trinity FC supporters made enough noise to make it sound like four hundred. Throughout the match, the players on the bench celebrated with them, and after the final whistle the team walked over to exchange high-fives with the tiny traveling contingent.
“It just felt great,” Rich says.
The other story could probably only happen to someone known around the club as “the cheese guy.”
For Amber Brooks’ farewell match, Rich wore a Sydney Cheesman jersey. Why?
Because, as he puts it with a grin, “I’m a cheese man and she’s Cheesman.”
Rich Rogers
The joke turned into an ice breaker, and the following morning Sydney visited Scardello with her family. They sampled cheese, talked about the game and spent time getting to know one another. It’s a wonderfully ordinary story that says a lot about what Dallas Trinity has become. The distance between players and supporters doesn’t always feel quite so large.
Even Boots, the club’s mascot, has become part of Rich’s matchday routine. His seats are directly behind the bench, where Boots is constantly interacting with fans.
“We lock eyes once in a while,” Rich laughs. “I feel like we know each other pretty well.”
This captures Rich pretty well. He notices the little moments and loves to celebrate them.
Running a business takes time, and recording a podcast after every home and away match doesn’t exactly leave many free evenings either. But with both daughters now out of college, Rich and Karen have embraced this stage of life by filling it with something they love.
“The club’s fun to follow,” Rich says. “And we love the people we’ve met.”
That’s probably the simplest way to explain why Rich Rogers has become such a familiar face around Dallas Trinity FC.
He’s still the owner of Scardello. He’s still “the cheese guy.” He still spends long after the final whistle talking through every pass, every substitution and every result with anyone willing to join the conversation. He found something many supporters hope to find but can’t force, a club that, to him, feels like home, and fans that keep giving him a reason to come back every week.
If you’re looking for the easiest way to spot Andrea Gordon on a Dallas Trinity FC matchday, all you need to do is just listen.
She’s almost always somewhere in the supporter section, helping lead chants, welcoming first-time fans, handing someone a drum, or catching up with people she now sees almost every weekend during the season. For her, that routine has become just as meaningful as the soccer itself.
She has been in the supporter section since Dallas Trinity FC’s inaugural season in 2024, but her connection to the game stretches back much further.
“I grew up being a soccer fan,” Gordon said. “My best friend played growing up, and I went to watch her play. I thought, ‘That looks fun.'”
She kicked off her journey with Garland Soccer Association before continuing through high school, college and beyond. Soccer remained a constant throughout her life, even though following a local professional women’s club wasn’t an option she had growing up.
That changed the moment Dallas Trinity FC entered the picture.
“When they did their big announcement at Klyde Warren Park, I saw several social posts and sent them to my friends,” she said. “We go to lots of soccer things together, and I was like, ‘We’ve got to be involved.’ So we signed up, got season tickets in the supporter section, and we’ve been there ever since.”
That excitement still comes through when Gordon talks about the club.
“Growing up, there wasn’t a club to watch,” she said. “Now that we do have one, I’m very excited to be able to invest in them. Showing up to games, supporting them, going to different events, my love for the sport is still there, and this gives me another way to be part of it.”
Investing is a word Gordon comes back to often.
Not because she’s talking about ticket sales or attendance figures, but because she believes supporters shape the club every time they choose to show up.
A mindset that also carries into her role on the leadership team for the Dallas chapter of the American Outlaws, the country’s largest U.S. Soccer supporters’ group. The experiences overlap more than people might expect.
“The biggest thing is inclusivity,” Gordon said. “Making sure everyone’s able to have access and participate in whatever way they’re able to support the team and the sport they love. And then it’s empowering one another and utilizing everyone’s talents and strengths in the supporter section.”
Andrea Gordon
You can literally see that philosophy in action before a Dallas Trinity FC kickoff.
The tailgate fills with familiar faces and the conversations pick up where they left off the previous match. When new supporters wander over, often unsure what to expect from the section behind the goal, Gordon’s introduction is always about making people comfortable.
“We tell them, ‘We’re loud, we’re having fun,'” she said with a laugh. “‘Feel free to join in however you’re able. If you want to drum, you’re welcome to.’ We just want it to be a welcoming environment.”
That invitation has become part of this club’s supporter section’s identity.
Some fans sing every chant from the opening whistle. Others spend their first match watching and listening before finding their voice a few weeks later. Andrea enjoys seeing all of it unfold.
“My favorite part is seeing the kids get involved with the chants,” she said. “They want to come back and chant some more. They get comfortable using the megaphone or drumming. It’s really fun to see.”
She smiles talking about how many different people now fill the section.
“It’s very intergenerational,” she said. “We have kids in the section, and we’ve got adults of all ages. Everybody’s there together.”
The match itself is only a small part of her day but it actually starts at the tailgate and often ends hours after the final whistle celebrating the win, or analysing the draw.
“We go to a bar afterward, get drinks, recap the game and hang out,” she said. “Rich and Jesse do the podcast, so we’ll meet up with them too. It’s kind of a full day’s worth of stuff, which is fun.”
Ask her for a favorite memory from the 2025/26 season, though, and one story immediately comes to mind.
“The last December game,” she said. “We started turning Christmas carols into Dallas Trinity chants.It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things. We had the idea and thought, ‘Okay, let’s run with it.'”
There wasn’t a committee meeting or a carefully planned rollout. It happened because a group of supporters decided to have fun together. And those moments have become the defining part of Dallas Trinity FC’s personality.
Gordon hopes even more people get the chance to experience them in the seasons ahead.
“I hope we have more folks investing in their local soccer club and community,” she said. “Someone comes to their first game, they meet another fan, and then the next time they come, they reconnect. You just continue building that community.”
That community extends well beyond Dallas and North Texas for Andrea.
She and her friends have traveled to the last three FIFA Women’s World Cups, watching firsthand how supporters can transform a tournament.
“We were in Australia when they went to shootouts,” said Andrea Gordon. “The atmosphere was incredible. I became a Tillies fan because of everybody cheering for them.”
Those experiences reinforced something she already strongly believed.
“It feels small at times,” Gordon said of the women’s soccer community, “but it’s actually very large.”
Andrea Gordon
A professional women’s soccer club like Dallas Trinity FC makes that community easier to find.
Growing up, Andrea mostly knew the U.S. Women’s National Team. The pathway into professional soccer felt distant, and opportunities to regularly watch elite women’s players simply didn’t exist.
“Accessibility and opportunity are big pieces,” she said. “As a kid, I really only knew the national team. Now women’s soccer has grown so much, and it’s cool to see people stay engaged.”
That growth is exactly what she hopes continues in Dallas.
Of course she wants wins.
“I mean, we win as much as we can,” she said with a grin.
But when she imagines what success looks like for the club, her answer goes beyond the final standings.
“Bringing the energy and the fun,” she said. “Creating a positive atmosphere for everybody, whether they’re in the stands or on the field.”
For a supporter who signed up before the club had played a single match, that’s still the goal.
Create an atmosphere people want to come back to. Everything else has a way of growing from there.
If you want to join Andrea in the supporters section this season that kicks-off on August 15, you can get your tickets here!
The Cotton Bowl has seen some of the biggest moments in soccer history. World Cup matches. International stars. Generations of supporters filling its stands.
For Kelli Roach, though, one of its most memorable moments wasn’t a championship or a famous goal.
It was simply walking through the gates.
She still remembers looking around during her first Dallas Trinity FC match. Children in jerseys darted through the concourse, parents chatted excitedly before kickoff, longtime soccer fans found their seats, and down on the field, professional women prepared for another night under the lights.
Then it hit her.
“Holy cow, how far we’ve come.”
The words weren’t about the stadium. They weren’t even about the match. They were about everything that had happened before she ever arrived at the Cotton Bowl.
Because decades earlier, when Roach first fell in love with soccer, nights like this didn’t exist.
There wasn’t a professional women’s team in Dallas. There wasn’t a clear pathway beyond youth soccer. For many girls, high school marked the end of the dream.
Yet here she stood, watching little boys and girls cheer for women playing professional soccer in her hometown.
“I got chills,” she said. “Every time I think about it, I still do.”
Kelli Roach
Long before Kelli became an ambassador, before international tournaments, before lifelong teammates and Saturday mornings on the pitch, there was simply a nine-year-old little girl in Plano who just wanted to play.
That ‘will to play’ became the foundation of all the roles she’s held since, be it an attorney, a business owner, a mother, a traveler and a fly-fisherman.
“It was the first,” she said. “It was the foundation. What I learned in soccer, I carried over in my professional career, my education and being a mom. It’s a blueprint for life.”
For Roach, soccer was never simply about passing, defending or scoring. It was also the opportunity to learn about life. Learning to adapt and learning that every teammate brought something different to the field.
“Confidence,” she said. “It gives you confidence. And it lets you see other people for strengths that maybe aren’t obvious. You learn to see people differently.”
Many people separate sports from the rest of life. Roach never has. To her, they’re inseparable.
“Soccer is what life is,” she would later say. “Just like soccer, you have wins and losses in life.”
Kelli Roach
The remarkable thing isn’t that Kelli Roach has spent more than fifty years around soccer.
While many people remember sports as something they used to do, Roach still organizes her calendar around matches.
She currently plays in multiple women’s leagues across North Texas, suits up whenever another team needs a substitute, and continues competing in tournaments with teammates scattered across the United States and Canada.
Atlas began as a Dallas-and-Atlanta roster and has gradually grown into something much larger, bringing together women from Seattle, Vancouver, Minnesota, North Carolina, California, New Jersey, Virginia and beyond. Together, they’ve taken the game to Spain, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana and countless cities across the United States. Next year, they’ll travel to Japan to compete in the World Masters Tournament.
But that world travel, while fun, was never the point. The people are.
You may have come here to read Kelli’s story and how it is intertwined with Dallas. But here’s also a lesson on friendship. One that helped her hold on to friendships over three decades long.
Those shared experiences evolved as they grew. Births and Deaths and Weddings and Divorces.
And it’s what allows them to have the difficult conversation about what comes next.
For Kelli Roach and many of the women she’s spent decades playing alongside, it’s a conversation that surfaces more often now than it once did. Knees take a little longer to recover. Hamstrings don’t forgive as easily. Every tournament reminds them how fortunate they still are to be out there.
“Some of my teammates and I have actually had a conversation,” Roach said. “‘When do we just stop?’ Because we’re all one injury away, and it becomes more and more possible the older you get.”
It’s a difficult thought for anyone whose identity has been shaped by the sport.
After all, when you’ve spent fifty years introducing yourself through soccer, who are you when the games eventually stop?
That question is one reason Roach admires former Dallas Trinity FC captain Amber Wisner so deeply.
Amber Wisner, Dallas Trinity FC
When asked which Dallas Trinity player she’d take on one of her soccer adventures around the world, Roach answered without hesitation.
Dallas Trinity FC Captain from the 2024 to the 2026 season, Amber Wisner.
Wisner arrived in Dallas expecting to help build a club from the front office before ultimately becoming its first captain, playing every minute of the inaugural season and helping establish the culture that still defines the club today. Even as she remained capable of competing at the highest level, she chose to leave the game on her own terms.
Roach understands just how rare that is.
“To go on your own terms would be ideal,” she said.
Yet even when the day finally comes to hang up the boots, Roach doesn’t believe soccer truly leaves you.
“The good thing about soccer,” she said, “is that you’re not giving up the people.”
Kelli Roach
For all the tournaments that she’d played, and all the countries she’d visited in all the decades she’d spent around the game, one of the moments that changed her relationship with soccer didn’t happen on a field.
It happened over breakfast.
At a Texas General Counsel Forum, Roach listened as Dallas Trinity FC Senior Director Of Date, Strategy, and Partnerships, Jack Chasanoff spoke about the club’s vision. The mission was to not simply to field a professional women’s team, but to build something that belonged to the city of Dallas. Promising and working towards investing in young players, embracing the community and creating opportunities that hadn’t existed for previous generations.
She remembers leaving that meeting with the same feeling she gets before a big game.
“It wasn’t a game,” she said. “It was learning what the mission was, the story behind it and what they were trying to accomplish. I was in.”
Roach grew up in an era where girls rarely saw women playing professionally. When her own playing days kicked-off, there were no hometown professionals to look up to. No Dallas women’s club or obvious next step after club soccer. You simply played because you loved it, knowing that some day the game and life would ask you to move on.
Today, she sees things differently. Girls don’t have to imagine what the future could look like. They can just turn on the TV and see it. They can sit in the stands at the Cotton Bowl, watch women representing their city, and have a realistic belief that one day they could do the same.
Roach has watched soccer in some of the biggest stadiums in the world.
She has attended the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She even watched Brazil play at the Cotton Bowl during the 1994 Men’s World Cup. She’s competed across North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
Yet when asked what makes Dallas Trinity FC feel different, she never mentions the size of the crowd or the quality of the football.
Instead, she talks about something much simpler.
“It’s reachable,” Kelli said. “It’s approachable. You’re part of it.”
Professional sports often create distance between athletes and supporters. But Dallas Trinity FC has done the opposite.
The players are part of the community and the supporters know one another. Children stay after matches hoping for an autograph. Families return week after week, not just because of the elite soccer, but because of the people they’ve met along the way.
Despite decades on the pitch, Roach still gets butterflies before kickoff.
Some rituals never change.
The night before a tournament, the gear is laid out. The morning begins with coffee, stretching and music, usually something from The Head and the Heart.
“Happy music that’s calming,” she said.
As kickoff draws closer, the playlist shifts to Kid Rock and AC/DC’s Highway to Hell. The energy picks up, the nerves settle and game mode takes over.
“Soccer is what life is,” Roach said. “There’s always that calm before it works.”
Near the end of our conversation, I asked Roach what the city of Dallas meant to her.
For the first time all morning, she paused.
Dallas is where she first fell in love with the sport. It’s where volunteer coaches gave girls the chance to play, and where lifelong friendships were formed.
For Roach, Dallas Trinity FC is more than a soccer club. It’s a reminder of how far the game has come, and of everything that’s now possible for the girls filling the Cotton Bowl stands.
“To have a women’s professional soccer team in Dallas,” she said, “is like a dream come true.”
The foundation soccer gave her as a nine-year-old in Plano is now being passed on to the next generation.
And for Kelli Roach, there’s no greater victory than that.
Name a better way to kick off a new era of Dallas Trinity FC than by bringing in a name just as big to lead the club forward. Dallas Trinity FC has announced its new head coach: former USMNT player Lee Nguyen.
The former Indiana Hoosier enjoyed a 15-year playing career that spanned from the United States to Vietnam before transitioning into coaching as an assistant in 2021. Now, he’s making his way to one of only two teams in the Gainbridge Super League to reach the playoffs in each of its first two seasons, with the goal of helping Dallas Trinity FC go all the way.
Whether you already know Lee’s legacy or you’re hearing his name for the first time, here’s everything you need to know about Dallas Trinity FC’s new gaffer.
‘Even Bigger Than Lionel Messi’, Lee’s Playing Career That Put Him on the Map
That quote isn’t mine. It came from Goal.com in September 2025, and there was a reason they made that claim. But before we get to the end of the story, let’s start at the beginning.
Born in the very city he’s now set to lead, Lee Nguyen grew up in Dallas, graduated from Plano East Senior High School, and came through the Dallas Texans academy. In 2005, he was named the National Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year before spending one standout season at Indiana, where he earned National Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and First Team All-Big Ten honors.
After a stellar showing at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, Lee began his professional career with PSV Eindhoven, becoming the first player of Vietnamese descent to appear in a top-flight European league. A spell with Randers FC in Denmark followed, but his big calling finally came calling.
Although born in Texas, Lee became a superstar in Vietnam after being lured away from Europe to join Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in the V.League 1. In just two seasons, he developed a level of popularity few players in the world have ever experienced.
“The status that I have here is awesome and kind of fun. Here, it’s not just one city. The whole country knows who I am.”
Lee returned to the United States in 2012 and cemented his MLS legacy with the 6-years he spent with the New England Revolution. Most memorably, he led the club to MLS Cup 2014, finished as an MLS MVP finalist after recording 18 goals and five assists in 32 regular-season matches, and later suited up for LAFC and Inter Miami CF. Across 256 MLS regular-season appearances, he totaled 224 starts, 55 goals and 59 assists before returning to New England in 2020.
His playing career came full circle in Vietnam. After joining Ho Chi Minh City FC, retiring, becoming an assistant coach with the Washington Spirit, and briefly returning to Ho Chi Minh before retiring for good, Lee turned his full attention to coaching.
His playing career was a movie by all accounts, filled with success and stardom in ways one could only script. Despite being born in Dallas and representing the United States, he was beloved by more than just the MLS clubs and country he played for.
The Climb to the Top, Lee Nguyen’s Rise Up the Coaching Ranks
In 2021, Lee joined Kris Ward’s coaching staff at the NWSL’s Washington Spirit before returning to the club in February 2022. Despite his relatively short stint, he helped the Spirit win the 2021 NWSL Championship and finish as runners-up in the NWSL Challenge Cup. He then continued climbing the coaching ranks with the Kansas City Current in 2023, Angel City FC in 2024, and Seattle Reign FC this season, serving in similar assistant coaching roles.
Wherever Lee Nguyen went, glowing reviews followed.
“He was an incredibly important part of our championship run, and I know the group is excited to have him return,” said Kris Ward.
And it wasn’t just his tactical mind that stood out.
“He’s very level-headed,” said Becki Tweed. “When you have a conversation with him one on one, he doesn’t come across as the stereotype of a successful athlete. He’s driven by zero ego. You would never know about his career. He doesn’t speak about it.”
Now, at Dallas Trinity FC, Lee is taking on a new challenge, one with more responsibility and one he’s ready to embrace.
“Coming home to North Texas to lead Dallas Trinity FC is an incredible opportunity,” Lee Nguyen said in the club’s official press release. “This club has already established a strong foundation, and I’m excited to work with our players, staff and supporters as we continue building something special. Dallas has always been part of who I am, and it’s an honor to help shape the future of this club and continue growing the women’s game in this community.”
Dallas Trinity FC is gearing up for the 2026 Fall Season, which kicks off in August, and now has the pieces in place to build a team capable of competing for silverware. There are still roster spots to fill in the coming days, but one thing is already clear: the new era of Dallas Trinity FC has officially begun!
This is it, Dallas Trinity FC fans, the final month of the offseason, and it’s a big one.
While you won’t get the chance to see DTFC back on the field just yet, you’ll definitely be seeing us all around the city.
To help you plan your month, we’ve put together a guide to where Dallas Trinity FC will be throughout July. Come spend the summer of soccer with Dallas’ team.
We’ll continue updating this list as more events and appearances are confirmed, so be sure to check back throughout the month.
