FRISCO, Texas — FC Dallas honored the victims of the Allen outlet mall shooting by wearing "Allen Strong" armbands and a t-shirt in their upcoming road matches.
The FC Dallas starters wore the shirts during their walkout before the game and for the ceremonial team photo on Wednesday night, when they play a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Nashville SC.
The Wednesday night game aired on the Bleacher Report app and the B/R Football YouTube channel.
"It’s something that happened very close to us, and the players reached out to me and wanted to send their support to the victims and community," Head Coach Nico Estévez said. "We have a group that’s very mature and they want to help in any situation. They want to be proactive. It’s a good group of human beings we have in the locker room, and this is why we did it and I support them on that. As a staff, we are very proud of them.”
FC Dallas will wear the same shirts during warmups Saturday before their regular season match against Austin FC in Austin. All regular season matches air on Apple TV+.
All FC Dallas players will wear the armbands during both matches. Club officials also said Nashville SC is planning to hold a moment of silence before Wednesday's match.
FC Dallas plays their home matches at Toyota Stadium, about 12 miles from the Allen Premium Outlets mall, where eight victims were killed in a shooting Saturday, May 6.
“On behalf of FC Dallas, I want to express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the victims and their families affected by the tragic shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said in a press release. “As a community, we stand together in mourning the senseless loss of innocent lives. We also extend our gratitude to the brave first responders who acted swiftly and heroically in the face of danger. We remain committed to supporting the community and working together towards healing and unity."
FC Dallas is also launching a "Support for Allen" jersey auction, featuring match-worn and autographed jerseys. The club has information on how to auction on the jerseys here.
Fans can also purchase the "Allen Strong" shirts at FC Dallas retail locations, starting Wednesday.
All of the proceeds from the jersey auction and t-shirt sales will go toward the Communities Foundation of Texas support fund for Allen, which will help local agencies in providing mental health, grief and trauma support in the wake of the shooting.
More coverage of the Allen shooting:
