FC Dallas played with heavy hearts during their Wednesday evening US Open Cup match at Nashville SC, honoring victims from this past weekend’s mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas.
The club wore black armbands during the 2-0 defeat and donned a pre-match shirt with the message "Allen Strong" – efforts they’ll mirror around Saturday’s rivalry trip to Austin FC as well (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez, who sported the "Allen Strong" shirt at GEODIS Park and will do the same at Q2 Stadium for Matchday 12, explained the efforts.
"It's something that happened very close where we are," Estévez said Wednesday of the tragedy that occurred a short 20-minute drive from where they train and play. "The players reached out to me and they wanted to send their support to the victims and to the community.
"We have a group that is very mature and they want to help from their side in any situation like that happened in Allen and other situations that also happen around the world. They want to be proactive. There is a good group of human beings that we have in the locker room and this is why we did it. I support them about that and as a staff also we feel very proud of them."
Ways to show support
FC Dallas and the FC Dallas Foundation have launched a Support for Allen jersey auction that will auction match-worn and autographed One Planet jerseys.
A limited number of "Allen Strong" T-shirts will be available for sale at all FC Dallas retail locations beginning May 17 at FC Dallas’ home match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
All proceeds from the auction and sale of the "Allen Strong" T-shirts will go to the Communities Foundation of Texas’ Support for Allen Fund to assist local agencies providing mental health, grief and trauma support to the victims and their families, as well as first responders who may also have been impacted by this event.
The FC Dallas Foundation will make an additional donation to the Communities Foundation of Texas’ Support for Allen Fund.
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"On behalf of FC Dallas, I want to express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the victims and their families affected by the tragic shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets," FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said in a release.
"As a community, we stand together in mourning the senseless loss of innocent lives. We also extend our gratitude to the brave first responders who acted swiftly and heroically in the face of danger. We remain committed to supporting the community and working together towards healing and unity."
North Texas SC, FC Dallas' MLS NEXT Pro team, also showed support over the weekend. On Wednesday, Nashville players players wore black armbands as well.
