Dallas Burn — around 1995/96

Dallas Burn were one of the original Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs set up in the mid-1990s for the league’s inaugural season (1996). The club was commonly referred to as “Dallas Burn” through the late 1990s and early 2000s before later rebranding as FC Dallas.

• Head coach: David “Dave” Dir served as the club’s first head coach, leading the team into MLS’s inaugural 1996 season and the club’s early years.
• Competition: Competed in MLS beginning with the 1996 season (the league’s first professional season after organization in 1995).
• Home stadium (mid‑1990s): Dallas Burn played their early home matches at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
• Club identity: Early kit and club colors centered on red and black; the Burn identity persisted through the first several MLS campaigns before the later rebrand to FC Dallas (mid‑2000s).
• Notable early players: The roster featured players who became familiar MLS names in later years (one well-known figure from the club’s early era is Jason Kreis, who began his MLS playing career in the mid‑1990s and spent many seasons with Dallas).
• Legacy: The franchise continued in MLS and later rebranded to FC Dallas, moving to a suburban stadium facility in Frisco during the 2000s and remaining an ongoing MLS club.

This summary focuses on the club’s formation and situation around the 1995–1996 period, when Dave Dir was the inaugural head coach and Dallas Burn were preparing for and competing in MLS’s first season.