Trinity travels to Charlotte, coming off a bye week after Fort Lauderdale rout
Dallas Trinity FC (7-5-3, 24 points) heads to American Legion Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon to face Carolina Ascent FC (5-7-5, 20 points) after an unexpected bye week and is looking to maintain its playoff position.
Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. CT). The match will air locally on KFAA 29 and stream on WFAA+ as part of Trinity’s new broadcast partnership with WFAA, and will also stream nationally on Peacock.
Trinity earned their most complete performance under head coach Nathan Thackeray two weeks ago, dismantling Fort Lauderdale United 4-0 at Beyond Bancard Field on February 7 to extend its unbeaten streak to six matches (4-0-2). Last week’s scheduled match at Lexington SC was postponed due to field conditions, giving Dallas an unexpected break. The Golden Girls sit third in the Gainbridge Super League standings.
Carolina sits fifth, four points behind Dallas. The Ascent won the inaugural season’s Players’ Shield but has struggled to recapture that form in year two, entering this match winless in their last five (0-4-1) after a 2-1 loss to Lexington SC on February 7.
Recent History
The teams have met five times, with Dallas holding the edge at 3-1-1. In the inaugural 2024-25 season, they split four meetings: a 2-2 draw in October, Dallas winning 1-0 at Carolina in November, Carolina dominating 3-0 at home in March, and Dallas taking the regular season finale 2-1 in May. This season, Dallas secured a 1-0 win at the Cotton Bowl in December.
What to Watch
Youth National Team Departures: This is the final match before youth national team camps for two key Dallas players. Lexi Missimo joins the U-23 USWNT (Feb 27-March 7), while Sealey Strawn departs for the U-19 USWNT camp in Portugal (Feb 27-March 6). Trinity’s next league match isn’t until March 8, so neither will miss league play – though both will be absent for the I-45 Showdown friendly against Houston Dash on February 28.
Carolina’s Recent Struggles: The Ascent are winless in five straight and searching for consistency. They’ve managed just one draw in their last five matches, struggling at both ends of the pitch. Carolina has conceded as many goals as they’ve scored this season, suggesting defensive vulnerabilities that Dallas exploited in December.
Road Form: Dallas is 3-3-1 away from the Cotton Bowl this season. The Fort Lauderdale performance showed a team that can dominate on the road – winning possession 51.4% to 48.6% and outshooting their opponent 16-13 with eight shots on target.
Thackeray’s Homecoming: This marks Thackeray’s first return to North Carolina since leaving the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage in January. Thackeray spent eight seasons with the Courage (2017-2025) as an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach, including a stint as interim head coach for the final 12 games of the 2025 season. He was part of the Courage coaching staffs that won two NWSL Championships and three NWSL Shields.
Youth Sports Day: Carolina is hosting Youth Sports Day, capping off a homestand. Memorial Stadium has been a mixed bag – the Ascent are slightly better at home (3-4-3) than on the road (2-3-2).
Key Players
Dallas: Missimo pulls the strings in the #10 role with two goals and one assist this season. Wayny Balata has been clinical with two goals and two assists. Heather Stainbrook continues to impress since joining in January with one goal and one assist. Captain Amber Wisner anchors the midfield, and Strawn provides scoring punch off the bench with three goals.
Carolina: Mia Corbin leads the attack but has been frustrated during the recent winless run. Jill Aguilera – last season’s Defender of the Year – will look to contain Trinity’s attack. Sydney Studer, a first-team All-League selection last year, provides creativity in midfield.
The Stakes
Dallas can create separation in the playoff race with a win, building their cushion in third place. A loss could see them fall as low as fifth, depending on other results. Carolina desperately needs points to climb back into the playoff picture after their difficult stretch.
The Golden Girls showed two weeks ago that they can dominate road matches. Now they need to prove the bye week hasn’t cooled their momentum.
MATCH INFO:
Saturday, February 21, 2026
2:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. CT
American Legion Memorial Stadium – Charlotte, NC
Watch: KFAA 29, WFAA+, Peacock
PROJECTED DALLAS TRINITY FC LINEUP (4-3-3): Tyler McCamey, Cyera Hintzen, Lauren Flynn, Amber Wisner (C), Samar Guidry; Heather Stainbrook, Lexi Missimo, Wayny Balata; Cam Lancaster, Bethany Bos, Chioma Ubogagu