The two Texas teams in MLS share a bitter rivalry. A third team from the state, looking to join MLS in the coming years, is trying to build the rivalry now.
FC Dallas announced Monday they will play the NASL's San Antonio Scorpions at Toyota Field in San Antonio on March 1 at 8 pm ET. It will be Dallas' final game before their season starts a week later against the Montreal Impact.
The friendly will see the Texas sides face off for bragging rights and the Deeproot Funds Cup, and proceeds from the match will go two charities, Soccer for a Cause and Morgan's Wonderland, a 25-acre theme park in San Antonio designed for people with special needs.
The Scorpions and city of San Antonio have been in the news recently, as the team owner and mayor both met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber last week to discuss the team's prospects as a potential expansion team. Since making their debut in the NASL in 2012, the Scorpions have been lauded for the quality and atmosphere at Toyota Field, and averaged 9,176 fans that season, and 6,957 fans per game in 2013.
FC Dallas and San Antonio have never met in a competitive match. The Scorpions did play the Houston Dynamo in the 2012 US Open Cup, beating the MLS club 1-0 in that meeting.
“We are very excited to travel to San Antonio to play the Scorpions,” said FC Dallas president Dan Hunt in a statement. “They are a fine organization and San Antonio is a very good soccer market. We look forward to competing against them for the Deeproot Funds Cup at Toyota Field. It will be a great test for our players as we prepare for our home opener.”
