Fourteen games total, seven home and seven away. All games against conference opponents, starting on February 20 and wrapping up on May 8.
FC Dallas opens up the shortened MLS season next February at Austin FC, before returning to Toyota Stadium a week later for the home opener against the Portland Timbers.
What is the Sprint Season?
The best way to describe it: it is the league’s bridge season between its old calendar and what will become their new calendar starting in July 2027. The Sprint Season fills that gap.
The format is rather simple, too. Conference games only. Dallas plays each of its 14 Western Conference opponents once, with no trips east and no visits from the East.
Don’t mistake a short season for a meaningless one. The Sprint Season decides the 2027 MLS Cup Playoff field, crowns an MLS Cup champion, and hands out spots in the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
Clubs will also keep playing domestic cup competitions, including the 2028 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The top eight clubs from each conference advance into a single-elimination playoffs starting in May. Every postseason game, including MLS Cup, is hosted by the team that finished higher in the Supporters’ Shield standing. The playoffs also won’t stop for FIFA international windows, which could get interesting for teams with key players on international duty.
MLS Cup will be the only East vs West game of the entire season.
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The full schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Feb. 20 | at Austin FC | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | Portland Timbers | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., March 3 | LA Galaxy | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., March 6 | at San Diego FC | 9 p.m. |
| Sat., March 13 | Colorado Rapids | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., March 20 | at Real Salt Lake | 8 p.m. |
| Sat., March 27 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 3 | at LAFC | 9 p.m. |
| Sat., April 10 | San Jose Earthquakes | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 17 | at Seattle Sounders FC | 9 p.m. |
| Wed., April 21 | at Sporting Kansas City | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 24 | Houston Dynamo FC | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., May 1 | St. Louis CITY SC | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., May 8 | at Minnesota United FC | 7 p.m. |
All 14 matches will be broadcast on Apple TV.
FC Dallas will announce complete broadcast details and home theme nights at a later date.
What jumps out
Every game is a six-pointer. No interconference filler. Every opponent is someone Dallas is directly fighting for a top-eight spot.
Texas bookends the spring. The season opens in Austin, and the Texas Derby with Houston lands April 24 at Toyota Stadium. Both carry extra weight as FC Dallas looks to defend its Copa Tejas and El Capitan wins from 2026.
Early March is a gut check. Dallas hosts the Galaxy on a Wednesday, then flies to San Diego for a 9 p.m. kickoff three days later. Those early season legs will get tested fast.
The April gauntlet is the whole season. At Seattle on April 17, at Sporting KC four days later, then Houston at home three days after that. Three games in eight days, two on the road, one against your rival. Whatever this team is, we'll know by April 25.
Fewer Late Nights. Unlike normal seasons, we only will have three 9 p.m. kickoffs out west: San Diego, LAFC and Seattle.
Earlier kickoffs. All of the kickoffs have moved up a half hour to 7 p.m.
Only two midweek games. March 3 and April 21. Otherwise, it's Saturday nights all the way.
Mark your calendars and start doing the points math now. With 14 games, you'll be doing it a lot.
