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Content Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sport
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Atlético Starts A New Fútbol Era In Dallas
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GOTI and a Rebuilt Defense: The Cowboys Have a Case in 2026
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Pros At Home
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Latest From The Commission
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Upcoming Events
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Vo l u n t e e r s & U S A Wo m e n ’ s R u g b y
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Community Champions Child Poverty Action Lab Pushes for Safer Neighborhoods
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ATLÉTICO STARTS A NEW FÚTBOL ERA IN DALLAS
By: Kim Esparza
Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sport The all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexico national team arrives in Dallas, over a thousand miles from his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández begins a new journey. Joining Atlético Dallas as their first player, Javier serves as the face of the new United Soccer League (USL) team, one of the fastest growing and competitive leagues in North America.
environments, he has developed a wide range of skills that he can share with his new team. Atlético First Team Manager Peter Luccin said in an interview with the USL “Javier has competed against the very best players in the world and understands exactly what excellence requires. His experience, professionalism, and competitive mentality will elevate everyone around him. That’s the kind of foundation every successful club needs.”
However, Javier did not become a star overnight. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Javier felt a calling toward fútbol from an early age. He not only inherited his well-known nickname from his father but also a deep passion for fútbol that is rooted in his family. Both Javier’s grandfather and father played for the Mexican national team, serving as role models in his life. Javier earned the nickname “Chicharito” from his father, whose nickname, “Chicharo,” translates to pea in English and originates from his green eyes. When Javier was born, he was affectionately called “little pea,” or “Chicharito.” Growing up in a family of fútbol players, Chicharito discovered his love for the game early on, which motivated him to surpass his family’s accomplishments and make a name of his own. Just six minutes into his professional debut, he scored a goal, foreshadowing a career filled with many goals for various top clubs in Mexico, Europe, and the United States. Chicharito’s diverse background allows him to approach opportunities with an open mind. By learning from various teammates, coaches, and
4 | The Start Of A New Futbol Era
His move to Atlético represents more than just a typical player transfer; it signifies a new chapter in his career. Javier said in an interview with the USL “I’ve worn some of the biggest shirts in the world and played in incredible stadiums in front of passionate supporters. Opportunities like this, though, are
s Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • different.” This is why Atlético could have a significant impact on the USL and Dallas. The team is built on the core values of community, accessibility, and legacy. The crest represents Atlético’s strong connection to Dallas, reflecting the team’s commitment to embracing its surroundings and creating opportunities for everyone. The wolf in the crest symbolizes this dedication, while the snake represents the strategic aspect of building a lasting legacy. With the announcement of Chicharito as their first player, Atlético is truly embodying these values through his presence. In an interview with the USL, Founder and Chairman Matt Valentine of Atlético Dallas said, “Our dream was to build a club that truly belongs to Dallas. Javier believed in that vision… His career speaks for itself, but it’s his leadership, humility, competitive spirit, and genuine love for the game that make him the perfect person to help write the first chapter in Atlético Dallas history.” Chicharito joining this team showcases a promising future for both the team and Dallas. In an interview with the USL, he shares why he chose Dallas: “I believe Dallas deserves a club that reflects its passion for football, its diversity, and its future.” Moreover, he said, “I want to help create a winning culture, inspire young players across North Texas, and give our supporters a team they can believe in from the very beginning. I did not come here simply to finish my career. I came here to help build the future of football in Dallas.” For Atlético Dallas, signing one of Mexico’s most recognizable players is an opportunity to connect with the community right from the start. Dallas has a significant Latino and Hispanic population, making
this new signing even more exciting. Fans from the community have responded to this move with great emotion, having followed Chicharito throughout his career. For many, seeing him play in their backyard is a dream come true.
Ten-year-old Johnathan expressed his admiration for Javier when interviewed by Kera News. He said, “I would say that it has always been a dream to meet him, because in my soccer team, they also call me Chicharito because I play like him. Ever since they started calling me Chicharito, I have always wanted to meet him.” Johnathan is just one of many fans eager to see Chicharito in Dallas. This move extends beyond game days by drawing more attention to Dallas, supporting local businesses, and inspiring future generations of players. With Chicharito’s large following, Dallas is expected to see an increase in visitors. His arrival not only enhances the visibility of Dallas but also contributes to the growth of the fútbol community in the region. This initiative helps maintain Dallas’s reputation as one of the top sports cities.
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The Start Of A New Futbol Era | 5
GOTI AND A REBUILT DEFENSE: THE COWBOYS HAVE A CASE IN 2026
By: Ben Harbuck
Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sport
Dak Prescott was packing for training camp in late July when he found a T-shirt he had forgotten he owned. A vintage shirt, printed for Super Bowl XXX, the last one this franchise won, back in January of 1996, when Dak was just two years old. He wore it off the plane to Oxnard. “It’s just a manifesting thing,” he said when reporters asked about it, and then he said the rest out loud too. Year 11. A 2-5 playoff record. No NFC Championship Game on his résumé, and none for the Cowboys in thirty seasons either. He is done pretending that is not the point of all this. He had already set the tone a few weeks earlier in Park City, where the skill players gathered for a few days of workouts. That was where Prescott floated a nickname for the offense: GOTI, Greatest Offense There Is. Everybody loved it, and the group has the receipts to talk. All eleven starters are back from an offense that finished second in the NFL in total yards. Star Wide Reciever,
CeeDee Lamb has boiled his season down to three things he calls a contract with himself: win, stay healthy, dominate the year. None of which was the problem. The Cowboys scored plenty last season and went 7-9-1 anyway. The defense allowed more points than any team in Cowboys history and that is what the last twelve months have really been about for the Dallas front office. Dallas rebuilt that side of the ball instead of patching it. Christian Parker was hired to run the defense and immediately flipped the front from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Five of the seven draft picks went to defense, starting with safety Caleb Downs (Ohio State) at No. 11 and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence (UCF) at No. 23. Rashan Gary (Packers) and Dee Winters (49ers) came in trades. And the whole thing is anchored in the middle by Quinnen Williams, an All-Pro in his prime who just signed a three-year extension worth $105.9 million.
6 | GOTI and a Rebuilt Defense: The Cowboys Have a Case in 2026
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The result is a training camp that sounds different than the last few. The defense has been coming out loud and physical, which nobody could have said last summer. Lamb has enjoyed every second of it. “It’s fire,” he said.
Cowboys question was either injuries or the defense, and now that defense has an All-Pro in the middle, their mike linebacker back from injuries, a first-round ballhawk safety, and a new young coordinator with energy and a plan.
The rookie wearing No. 13 is a big reason to be optimistic about the defense’s future. Reports and videos going viral across social media of Downs making plays all over the field. And when somebody asked what he wants this defense to be, he did not dress it up. “To be dominant,” he said. Whatever this group is in October, it should be even better in 2027, and that is not a sentence Cowboys fans have gotten to say in a while.
“The first thing is we’re going to be multiple,” Parker said of his defensive scheme. “I think that whenever you form a defensive structure, it’s about the players that you have. So our core principles: we’ll be a 3-4 by nature, but 4-3 spacing will be appropriate, 4-2-5 in nickel, different front structures, coverages behind it. But I will say being multiple is probably the most important thing about it.”
There is a sense of urgency as well. George Pickens is playing this season on the franchise tag with everything after it unsettled. Prescott is 32 and in year 11. This is a team building toward something down the road, but also a team that is built to win now. Brian Schottenheimer has repeated all camp that the work still has to get done, but the second-year head coach is not downplaying anybody’s expectations. “There should be excitement,” he said.
Which brings it back to that shirt. It is older than most of the key starters in that locker room. Plenty of people reading this have never seen the Cowboys win a title, and a fair number have never seen them play in a conference championship game at all. Prescott did not wear it to remember 1996. He wore it to inspire and manifest belief.
Nobody on this roster guarantees any wins. What it does is remove the excuse. For a couple of years, the answer to every
September 13, at the New York Giants, the journey starts. The goal is not to keep that shirt in the closet another year. The goal is to create a new one.
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GOTI and a Rebuilt Defense: The Cowboys Have a Case in 2026 | 7
PROS AT HOME IN
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CHILD POVERTY ACTION LAB PUSHES FOR SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS B y : S a m We i g e r
Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports
Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) has become a community champion by the sizable impact they have made, focusing on improving public safety for children in Dallas. CPAL works directly with communities, partnering with the city, nonprofits, mutual aid groups, and grassroots organizations on the ground. This work includes remediating vacant lots and coordinating with vendors on fencing, lighting, and security measures like cameras. These environmental improvements are designed to deter crime, particularly violent crime, in the neighborhoods where children live. “Our goal is cutting child poverty within a generation,” said Patrick Averhart, CPAL Senior Director Of Neighborhood Insights. “A kid who is 4 or 5 today, by the time they turn 18, 19, 20, we want to help the community they live in, the city, the county,
and totally change the socioeconomic trajectory of their lives.” One of CPAL’s most significant collaborations is its City Action Strike Team (CAST), a partnership with Dallas’s Office of Emergency Management and several city departments including the Office of Homeless Solutions, Transportation, Public Works, and Code Compliance. CAST uses risk terrain modeling, layering geospatial and crime data to locate hot spots and time-specific crime spikes across the city. The CAST team targets problem areas with a coordinated mix of solutions: Public Works might clean up a median, Code Compliance might cite a neglected lot, or the Office of Homeless Solutions might step in on an ongoing issue. Rather than narrowing focus to just the child, CPAL’s decision to work across the city’s broader ecosystem engaging the
12 | Child Poverty Action Lab Pushes for Safer Neighborhoods
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full range of players, stakeholders, making collaboration easier to build. By centering on the everyday, week-to-week realities that shape a child’s life, CPAL creates more points of shared interest with other groups and institutions. When those groups’ priorities align, it opens the door to meaningful partnerships, particularly when the work is backed by data. Every decision, every move that we make, every collaboration that we make is data informed and data led,” Averhart said. Our data has shown us that 50 percent of the crime takes place in about eight to 10 percent of Dallas geographically. And unfortunately, in that eight to 10 percent of those areas, we have a lot of kids that stay in those areas and a lot of schools that are in feeder patterns in those particular areas.” One of those areas, Red Bird Landing, illustrates the problem well: it is a recreational desert, with no parks, rec centers, or school playgrounds despite several nearby apartment complexes full of children needing somewhere safe to play. That gap is exactly what brought CPAL and the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee together during the World Cup, with each group bringing a different piece to the table. The Organizing Committee supplied the funding to build a mini soccer pitch, and CPAL supplied the on-the-ground knowledge of where in the community that pitch would do the most good. “When creating the transformative change site I always viewed it as a canvas that other entities, non profits, organizations
could come along and leave their mark and help the community as well,” Averhart said. “The FIFA mini pitch is a great example of that. When different entities work together for the greater good of the community, things like the mini pitch are the result.” The mini pitch, a hard-surface court roughly the size of a regulation soccer field, was built to let neighborhood kids play pick-up games without traveling far. The FWC Organizing Committee funded construction, while CPAL helped identify the location. The long-term goal for CPAL is to eliminate violent crime within the next five to 10 years in the neighborhoods and school feeder patterns where these kids live. A goal of this scale will not be accomplished by CPAL’s staff alone, so the organization is always seeking outside help. Given the nature of CPAL’s work, financial donations, while useful, are not actually the top priority. What the organization needs most right now is volunteers that are willing to show up in person at CPAL’s pop-up fairs and at various fairs at schools and community centers. “Volunteers, a physical body, that is priceless,” Averhart said. “I think that for our neighborhood resource pop-up fairs that we have all across the city in line with our benefits delivery initiative, we always need people for that. And it is a great way to interact with the community.” Learn more about the Child Poverty Action Lab at the link below. MORE INFO
Child Poverty Action Lab Pushes for Safer Neighborhoods | 13