Atlético Dallas Sacked From $71 Million Garland Headquarters

26 September 2025

The City of Garland scrapped plans to back a $71 million soccer complex that was supposed to anchor Atlético Dallas’ entry into the professional ranks.

The club, set to join a United Soccer League division in 2027, said they found out this week the city no longer intends to pursue the project. The move unwinds a deal the Garland City Council blessed in June, when it authorized a lease for city-owned land at Holford Road and the President George Bush Turnpike, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Atlético Dallas envisioned a headquarters and training hub with a 2,000-seat “show pitch,” academy fields, and a 28,000-square-foot building with team offices, locker rooms, therapy space and a dining hall. Plans also included futsal courts, a plaza and the possibility of a 127-acre sports and entertainment district nearby.

Executives called the reversal “deeply disappointing.” Club co-founder Matt Valentine told the outlet that Garland residents had rallied around the project and that the decision “came out of left field.” He added that Atlético had already been sourcing materials for the facility and offered to fund certain components privately to ease what he described as the city’s “legal concerns” about the lease. Garland officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The proposed financing included $25 million for the fields, $20 million for the multipurpose building and $26 million for road improvements and a planned extension of Naaman Forest Boulevard. The club was also prepared to lease the complex from the city under a 20-year agreement with an annual rent of $75,000 for the fields with a 2.5 percent annual escalation

While Garland was still in play, Atlético secured agreements with Dallas to stage home matches at the Cotton Bowl and to take over MoneyGram Soccer Park, a tournament hub at 2200 Walnut Hill Lane in Northwest Dallas. That arrangement won Dallas City Council approval in June. Valentine declined to say whether Garland’s about-face was tied to the Dallas deal but acknowledged the timing raised questions.

Losing Garland as a partner means the club’s front office will look closer to Fair Park for its headquarters. Valentine said Atlético, currently operating out of Richardson, has begun scouting Dallas sites and expects to lean on MoneyGram for training.

— Eric Weilbacher