Toyota Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium with a 18,000-seat capacity, built and owned by the city of Frisco, Texas. Its primary tenants are Major League Soccer (MLS) team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas, and Frisco Independent School District high school football games.
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History
The stadium, which is located in Frisco, Texas, cost approximately $80 million, opened on August 6, 2005 with a match between FC Dallas and the MetroStars, which ended in a 2-2 draw. When first designed, the stadium's original seating capacity was 20,500 in a U-shaped design with one end of the stadium having a permanent stage for hosting concerts. Like many of the soccer-specific stadiums being built around the country, it is expected that the stadium will make a significant amount of revenue by hosting mid-sized concerts, as well as various other sporting events, such as high-school football games. The stadium includes 18 luxury suites as well as a private 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) stadium club.
The stadium played host to the 2005 MLS Cup final, seeing the LA Galaxy defeat the New England Revolution 1-0 in overtime for their second MLS Cup. It was also selected to host the 2006 MLS Cup, which ended 1-1 after overtime with the Houston Dynamo defeating the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalty kicks.
The complex also has an additional 17 regulation size, stadium-quality soccer fields (both grass and artificial turf) outside the main stadium. These fields are for practice by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserve squad, and for hosting youth soccer tournaments. Youth tournaments that have made use of the complex include Dallas Cup, Olympic Development Program National Championships, and the USYSA National Championships.
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Stadium name
From 2005 until January 2012, the naming rights to the facility were held by national pizza chain Pizza Hut, which is headquartered in nearby Plano, and the stadium was known as Pizza Hut Park. During the time in between Pizza Hut's loss of and Toyota's acquisition of the naming rights, the facility was known as FC Dallas Stadium.
Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park included PHP, the Hut, and The Oven, the latter referring to Texas' summer climate during afternoon games (and also because the field is well below ground level). On January 7, 2012, the contract linking the pizza franchise with the stadium expired and the site was renamed FC Dallas Stadium.
On September 10, 2013, FC Dallas reached an agreement with Toyota to rename its home field Toyota Stadium, whose United States headquarters will be in nearby Plano, Texas. The 17 practice fields around the stadium would be known as Toyota Soccer Center.
National Soccer Hall of Fame
On October 14, 2015, plans were announced that the stadium would be the new home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the museum, the stadium will receive a wide range of renovations as part of a $39 million proposal. Improvement to the stadium are to include 3,000-square-foot private club to serve about 1,800 members, premium chair-back seats to replace bleacher seating, new team store, a 7,000-square-foot deck with bar and concession stands, and additional upgrades to the video and audio equipment through the stadium.
Notable events
- In 2008, the stadium hosted Christian radio station 94.9FM KLTY's Celebrate Freedom (presented by The Luis Palau Evangelical Association) on June 27-28 and heavy metal/hard rock festival tour Ozzfest in August.
- In December 2008, the stadium hosted the NCAA Men's College Cup. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest and Maryland defeated St. John's. Maryland defeated North Carolina in the final.
- On August 5, 2010, a then-record crowd of 21,193 saw FC Dallas and Inter Milan, fresh off victory in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, play to a 2-2 exhibition tie. On March 19, 2011, FC Dallas opened the 2011 season against the Chicago Fire with a 1-1 tie. The game was the team's first ever regular season sellout (20,145 spectators). On July 28, 2012, FC Dallas set a single-game attendance record of 22,565 when the visiting LA Galaxy defeated Dallas 1-0.
- Beginning in 2010, the stadium became the new host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, the title game of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The contract, originally for the 2010 through 2012 seasons, was later extended through the 2015 season, then again extended through the 2019 season. The game had been played for the previous 13 seasons in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- The stadium played host to the inaugural men's soccer tournament of the American Athletic Conference.
- The stadium played host to matches in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
- The stadium also hosted the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifier.
Dr. Pink Field
North of the main stadium is Dr. Pink Field, a mini-stadium named after former Frisco doctor Dr. Erwin G. Pink. The field is used for Frisco ISD high school football and soccer.
Dr. Pink Field also hosts games for the Frisco Griffins Rugby Club. The Griffins generally draw an attendance of a few hundred people per game.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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