Opening night games are supposed to feel a bit unhinged. It is a new season, along with new expectations, and to add fuel to the fire, a few new faces were thrown into the mix. Saturday night at Toyota Stadium delivered all of that, and then some.
FC Dallas opened the 2026 season with a 3-2 win over Toronto FC that was equal parts encouraging and mildly stress-inducing. Petar Musa was elite and showed why you pay big bucks for a top-level Designated Player. Logan Farrington continued his path to becoming a rising star in this league. Newcomer Herman Johansson looked like the real deal in his home debut.
But it wasn’t perfect. It certainly wasn’t calm. But it was three points and a reminder that this team might actually have some bite to go with the vibes. Let’s dive into some of the key points we learned from the result.
Musa-Farrington Connection
I know the club has a clever name for the combination of Musa and Farrington. Whatever that may be, it was on full display in the season opener. Musa had the brace, Farrington had a goal and assist of his own.
“There’s a brotherhood, a tight-knit connection. They see the same pictures, they look for each other, they enjoy playing together, and they work hard in the front half to help us behind the ball and trigger our pressing. Their hold-up play was impressive tonight. Our ability to skip lines, play into them, and watch them body Zimmerman and Thompson, collect the ball, and let numbers join was huge. That is very effective in a two-front.” - Quill on the connection between Musa and Farrington
And you could see that not just with the early goal but with the eventual game-winner.