When Mauricio Pochettino announced the U.S. national team for the World Cup, no club played a larger role than Dallas in developing player skills.
The club based in Frisco played a significant part in developing the quartet of Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Ricardo Pepi, and Alejandro Zendejas, making it a leader in talent production among American league clubs.
Dan Hunt, the president of Dallas, told Reuters: "We firmly believe in local talent. And we want to help not just Dallas win, but we also want to help national teams win. Because I really believe that having a strong national team benefits the local league as well. So we stay true to our identity."
All four players were part of the U.S. journey to the Round of 16, but Dallas's status as the city that hosted the most World Cup matches among the 16 host cities points to a potentially brighter future.
Dallas Stadium will host its ninth and final World Cup match on Tuesday when France meets Spain in the first match of the semifinals, concluding more than four weeks of celebrations.
Hunt, who also served as co-chair of the World Cup organizing committee in North Texas, said: "We are extremely grateful to have hosted 9 matches, and we have seen incredible matches here. I mean that match between England and Croatia. Japan performed wonderfully here twice, as did Argentina twice. Even hosting Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup match. I mean these are really amazing things."
Dallas as the city that hosted the most World Cup matches among the tournament's host cities (Reuters)
The Hunt family has long been an integral part of the sport, both regionally and nationally, since Lamar, Dan's father, founded the Dallas Tornado in 1967.
One year later, the team became one of the founding members of the North American Soccer League, continuing in that league until it folded in 1981.
Hunt believes that the deep roots of the Tornado team and ongoing investment in youth soccer through the current league team are among the main reasons why the Dallas area consistently produces the best players in the country.
He said: "Sports hold a significant place in Texas. Families are willing to invest and dedicate the time and effort needed for that. The climate here is also favorable despite the heat. The reason this region is a great market for youth soccer stems from the Dallas Tornado team, as a number of those players remained after their playing careers and established youth clubs."
He added: "There are boys and girls alike who have worked as coaches in local high schools or organized camps and training workshops. Thus, you have this integrated and massive system of teams, where matches are highly competitive all the time, and everyone is in a constant struggle, pushing each other to develop and improve significantly."
Hunt is confident that the system that helped develop McKennie and his peers received an additional boost from hosting the World Cup and can continue to develop players at all levels.
Weston McKennie is one of four players Dallas provided to the U.S. national team (Reuters)
Dallas has seen a nearly 10 percent growth in youth teams in 2025, with an additional expected rise of at least 7 percent this year, as the impact of the World Cup has increased interest in the sport.
Hosting the tournament has also led to the commencement of redevelopment work at Toyota Stadium, which was used as a training base by Sweden.
Hunt hopes this infrastructure will help discover the U.S.'s own "American Messi."
He said: "You hope to inspire a child who might not have chosen soccer, who is an exceptional athlete with a special intelligence for the game, to come and play. And we hope he plays here at Dallas or in league teams, as we develop players like that…