FRISCO — As FC Dallas hosts Inter Miami CF and world-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 at Toyota Stadium on Sunday night, local businesses are preparing for overflowing crowds and increases in sales.
The stadium, which holds 20,500 people, sold out of tickets for the match in a matter of minutes, and those who bought them are coming from far and wide for a chance to watch a generational player in person.
“I think it’s going to be an incredible revenue opportunity for the businesses around here,” Dan Hunt, president and co-owner of FC Dallas, told The Dallas Express. “There will be people driving in from different cities in Texas, probably Oklahoma … It was a much more national buying audience than a typical FC Dallas game.”
“People will be staying in hotels, people will be using airports, and people will be driving in,” Hunt continued. “This is going to be a huge economic impact for the city of Frisco on Sunday night.”
One of those local businesses is the Blue Goose Cantina. A staple in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for nearly 40 years, the local Tex-Mex chain has a location that sits near the stadium and has served as a spot for fans to gather for FC Dallas games and whatever other events may come to Toyota Stadium over the years.
“It’s going to be a madhouse,” Blue Goose manager Jeremy Garza told The Dallas Express. “Anywhere Messi goes, it’s going to bring in so much volume and revenue for restaurants and everything around the area. We’re just getting prepared and stocked up — prepping extra food, extra alcohol, all the good stuff. From sun up to sundown, it should be fun.”
The restaurant plans to set up a taco tent for fans to sample its food and beverages and even take some to go.
“We’ve had North Dakota State come up here for a big one, but with something like this, we’re just going to be ready to go from 10 a.m,” Garza said. “FC Dallas fans show up strong for any game: before, after, and during … It’ll be a fun little environment — a lot of music, good margaritas, [and] good food. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
The Green Gator, another restaurant in the area, is also preparing for increased crowd capacity.
“We’re walking distance, so we’re hoping to get a lot of the before and after crowd of the game,” Green Gator office manager Arelin Marquez told The Dallas Express. “We [usually] get like a pop [in] before and sometimes afterward. With it being sold out and everything, I think it’s going to double or triple how many people are usually in here … I’m expecting a lot of groups here.”
The increase in people coming to the area will be great for local hotels. Comfort Suites, which is just a short walk from the stadium, saw a significant spike as people started coming into town for the match.
“We’ve been at 100% [capacity] for a while, and we’re continuing to have to put people on a waitlist,” hotel manager Lisa Stevens told The Dallas Express. “Usually, on a Saturday or Sunday, we’re probably anywhere from 90 to 95%. The only time that we get hit hard is whenever there’s something going on, but this is big time … I feel the electricity and excitement.”
Of course, FC Dallas has had to make some adjustments as it prepares for possibly the highest-profile match it has played, partly because of Messi’s presence but also because of the conditions of North Texas in the late summer and the large crowds expected.
“Obviously, you’re going to add security, which we’ve done,” Hunt explained. “There’s going to be a huge mobile police command center here, and the City of Frisco is setting up on-field security, too. It’ll probably double or triple the normal presence. In Miami, they’ve been doing the same. This is a new league protocol for wherever he goes.”
“We’re going to make sure that we double and triple staff and give people water and make sure there’s plenty of shade and periodic breaks for our staff, too, just because we’re going to have a huge crowd here,” he added. “It’s going to be an incredibly busy day.”
The match begins at 8:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday. The temperature is expected to be near 100 degrees at kickoff, the National Weather Service told The Dallas Express.
