Luciano Acosta makes home debut as FC Dallas faces Fire

After back-to-back away matches to start the 2025 MLS season, FC Dallas plays host to the visiting Chicago Fire in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday.

Saturday marks the home debut of Luciano Acosta, acquired in a trade with FC Cincinnati in the offseason. The 2023 MLS MVP scored his first goal with his new team in a 3-3 draw against the Colorado Rapids on Mar. 1.

After erasing a 2-0 deficit on the road before ultimately settling for a point, the focus for Dallas (1-0-1, 4 points) is establishing a home-field advantage.

"Now we get to go home in front of our fans and, hopefully, be more stingy on the defensive end, but give them goals," Dallas head coach Eric Quill said. "Give them goals and start to create a brand that we're a team that's gonna go get our respect."

Dallas' success will hinge on the play of both Acosta and Petar Musa, the team's leading scorer in 2024 with 16 goals. Musa has a goal and an assist in both matches this season.

The Fire, meanwhile, will be looking to erase the memories of a disheartening home draw.

Behind a Hugo Cuypers brace, Chicago (0-1-1, 1 point) found itself up 2-1 on D.C. United, but a Jacob Murrell tally deep in second-half stoppage time saw the match finish 2-2 to deny the Fire a first win under head coach Gregg Berhalter.

"A crazy, unfortunate play in the last second, literally, of the game changed the course of that result," Berhalter said, according to On Tap Sports Net. "(But) we remain calm, we remain focused. We know we have three away games in a row. We're just going to be focused on playing the game."

Cuypers, per Berhalter, isn't yet at full fitness after missing the entirety of the Fire's preseason due to injury.

"That's something we just have to deal with," Berhalter said. "We're urging patience to keep getting him to where he needs to be, but it's certainly great when you're not 100 percent and you're scoring two goals."

--Field Level Media