The new Major League Soccer season is upon us. FC Dallas will take on the Houston Dynamo this weekend to kick off the new season and to get the Texas Derby going early in 2025.
Saturday will also be a big day for new FC Dallas manager Eric Quill. Not only will he make his debut as a head coach in MLS but it will be in front of his hometown crowd in Houston.
“I don’t think the jitters are here yet,” said Quill during Thursday’s media call. “I think come Saturday, when we arrive at the stadium, that is typically when things will hit. But once the whistle blows, its locked in and doing what I love to do the most.”
Going into the week, both Dallas and Houston were hit with a winter storm that brought freezing temperatures to both cities. This forced FC Dallas to leave Frisco on Wednesday instead of Friday for their trip to Houston. This was to get training time on a grass field in Houston rather than a turf field at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco.
“I think for some it may be weird, but I just prefer to be in above freezing temperatures on match day,” explained Quill. “The weather is going to be in the 40s and these guys can run all day in that.”
Quill believes that the fans will enjoy this one, even in the cooler temperatures as the game should be a bit more open than one played in June or July between these two sides who would be dealing with the Texas summer heat.
Despite playing the Dynamo in February, Quill hopes his club is able to get the new season started on the right foot.
“It's a rivalry, let’s kick it. Let’s kick it off with a bang man,” stated Quill.
