In this Building Sports Teams series, we speak with Presidents, Founders, and CEOs of sports teams across USL, European basketball, rugby and more.
This week, we feature Matt Valentine, Founder and Chairman of Atlético Dallas, the new professional soccer club set to join the USL in 2027 and the first USL team to compete directly with an MLS franchise in the same market.
👇SCROLL DOWN to learn how Atlético Dallas is developing real estate, youth infrastructure, and a fan-first business model to transform soccer in one of North America’s most important sports markets.
What is it? Atlético Dallas is an expansion franchise in the United Soccer League (USL), launching in 2027. The club will play home matches at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium, located just 1.2 miles from downtown Dallas, and aims to become a community-driven, accessible, and commercially sustainable soccer property.
Why Dallas? Dallas is the largest market in the USL and one of the most soccer-intense regions in North America. Set to host nine matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the International Broadcast Center. Dallas County (2.7M residents) has no professional team located in the city center. FC Dallas, the existing MLS club, plays nearly 40 miles away in the suburbs.
Youth & Real Estate? The club builds youth fields and training facilities to address Dallas’s shortage of playable spaces, serving 2,400 academy players. Around these sites, it develops commercial and community spaces for tournaments, events, and hospitality.
How will the Team Generate Revenues? Atlético Dallas aims to generate revenues by hosting matches and events at the Cotton Bowl, using its 90,000-seat capacity and 270-acre Fair Park location to sell tickets, activate sponsorships, and run pre- and postgame fan experiences like food festivals and community events. Plans to develop commercial real estate around training fields and youth programs.
“The fact that we're going to have promotion, relegation, division one, we have an open player system. The ability to develop players, create meaningful local connections, and potentially compete at higher levels makes the investment much more scalable and sustainable than in a closed-league model.”
Who Is the Consumer? Atlético Dallas targets young, urban, and diverse soccer fans, primarily ages 18–35 and largely Hispanic, living near downtown Dallas. The club engages them through affordable tickets and concessions, accessible stadium location, and family- and youth-focused experiences that turn casual soccer fans into loyal, lifelong supporters.
Why Do They Watch? Fans are drawn to Atlético Dallas because of its high-energy, community-focused experience in the heart of the city, which is more accessible than the suburban MLS alternative.
My Thoughts & Future Outlook
1️⃣ Tackling Dallas’s youth field shortage while building commercial assets that engage academy families, shows how smart development can benefit the community, fans, players, and investors alike.
2️⃣ The approach of combining pay-to-play with selected free academy players, mirroring European club models, highlights how USL owners are directly influencing talent development and the growth of soccer in the U.S.
P.S. Over the next 12 weeks, The Sport Businessman Podcast will feature founders of emerging leagues, sport-focused private equity and venture capital investors, sports tech VCs, and owners/executives across rugby, basketball, football, North American soccer, and more. We want these emails to be useful to you.
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Next week, we’ll sit down with the CEO building the re-birth of a historic soccer franchise in North America. He’ll share how he’s developing real estate assets, creating youth programs, engaging fans and families, and creating a European style membership model.
Best,
Edoardo Grandi
