18. FC Dallas – Toyota Stadium – Frisco, TX
Capacity: 20,500
Opened: 2005
Pros: Soccer-specific, natural surface, National Soccer Hall of Fame, sightlines
Cons: HEAT, location
Another semi-new, soccer-specific stadium located in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Toyota Stadium is a perfectly adequate stadium until the calendar turns to June and it becomes into an incubator. Water breaks are the norm for midsummer clashes under the Texas sun. Even fans abandon the sunny side of the stadium — which, of course, is the one the TV cameras face — for the shady side in order to get some respite from the heat. The venue does not have any overhangs to protect patrons from the sun, so fans are often left baking. As teams like Chicago and Columbus run from their suburban grounds in favour of downtown stadiums integrated with other infrastructure, Dallas has committed to Frisco with big money upgrades, including the addition of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. You have to give them credit for sticking by their guns, however, this flies in the face of a league-wide trend. Dallas could be even lower on future lists.