FC Dallas ‘Supporters’ Groups Show Us How To Do Soccer Right

Ten minutes before kickoff at the FC Dallas match against Real Salt Lake, the ‘supporters’ section of Toyota Stadium is already on its feet.

The fans will stand for the pregame rituals and the game itself, and will remain upright until autographs are signed, selfies are taken and the players are ushered through the tunnel 20 minutes later.

There are no seats in the supporters’ section – they would just get in the way of celebrations, anyway.

At Saturday’s game, the seated areas of the stadium were also filled with fans, but the ‘supporters’ section was a different animal.

Let’s make an analogy, and because this is the Dallas Observer, we’ll compare the different sections to live rock and roll shows: If you spend half your paycheck to see Idles at the Bomb Factory, you are definitely a fan. If you spend that same amount and then crowd surf all the way to the stage barrier, you are supporter material. Similarly, if you are at a Power Trip show, headbanging along to every word, you are definitely a fan. If you are bouncing around in the mosh pit, though, you are more supporter material. It’s a spectrum of the rowdiness that awakens in you, really.

After every home goal, there are two mandatory shots that every television director will likely capture: The first is the players celebrating, followed immediately by a second shot of the fans celebrating just as emphatically.

At a match in Europe, Mexico or South America, that quick cutaway can be nice and wide, with thousands of people jumping in unison until the stadium is shaking. And while that kind of thunderous, arena-wide participation is growing at Major League Soccer games, it’s not to the level of international excitement – yet.

Dennis McGowan is the Vice President of the Dallas Beer Guardians, one of the longest-running supporter groups in Dallas. When we asked him what it would take to get to European or Mexican-level engagement here at Toyota Stadium, he had a blunt and clear-headed answer: “We need to fill up our own section every night, and then we’ll go from there.”

There are three supporters’ groups in the FC Dallas universe to know: The Dallas Beer Guardians, El Matador FCD, and La Murga 117, which also describes itself as the FC Dallas Supporters band.

Relationships between the three groups – and between supporter groups across the league, really – are interesting, to say the least. Bailey Brown, a long-time Beer Guardian, describes it as a “10-90-10” split, with the majority representing the actual game time of a soccer match, bookended by the time before and after games. Before and after a match can be complicated, but for the ninety minutes of game action, everyone unites around the team.

Ultimately, the actual FC Dallas team controls the dynamics within the gates. And while supporter clubs worldwide have no real authority, they do have undeniable influence.

Any group of people can call themselves “supporters,” but the bigger, more established supporter groups are part of the Independent Supporter Council of North America. Belonging to the organization gives supporter groups in all pro soccer leagues a larger degree of clout when it comes to developing fan culture at soccer games.

Here in Dallas, we are represented on the ISCNA by the Beer Guardians. Behind the scenes, many of the first things you notice about the supporters’ section have been negotiated with the club. Smoke bombs after goals? Negotiated. Cold flares? Still out. Musical instruments, huge flags and soccer tifos? All negotiated.

The conception of the Beer Guardians began as a 21-and-up group on the north end of the stadium, under the original Toyota Stadium Beer Garden, hence the name. Through stadium renovations, COVID, and more stadium renovations, they have now switched directions to the southwest corner. Along the way, though, the group morphed into an all-ages section. One thing has remained constant in all that time, though: the beer.

Every Saturday, home game begins in the Red Parking Lot, where all three supporter groups have tents set up to get ready for the game. Here’s an insider tip for our readers, though: Only the Dallas Beer Guardians have free beer and food, thanks to Community Beer Company.

Fifteen minutes before game time, the different groups begin the short journey to the stadium in a very loose, parade-like formation. Once inside, they gather in the southwest corner, where, for at least 90 minutes, they’re together as a united force for FC Dallas.

The standing section for supporters is a testament to the history of the original Beer Garden and negotiations between the club and supporters, which led to tearing out the previously existing seats and installing safety barriers for standing.

Supporters aren’t there to sit meekly on their asses and golf clap, they’re showing up to roar, dance and make noise to fill the score to their team’s hopeful victory.

The final part of the unofficial “10-90-10” time break is similar to the bittersweet feeling after leaving a show of your favorite band – it’s now a memory, but one you get to relish in.

In the same way that you needed to crowd surf all the way to the barrier or get knocked down and helped back to your feet in a mosh pit, you need to watch soccer from the middle of the supporters’ section. And much like a rock show, you just have to follow the sound of the drums to find it.