By Emily Bazelon, Reuters – It’s not every day a soccer club gets a top-flight debut.
But the New Orleans Saints, in their first year in the MLS, are the latest MLS team to get their debut.
The Saints played their first game in MLS on Sunday night, beating FC Dallas 3-1 in the first game of their preseason, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The team also announced that midfielder Dario Vidosic will be sidelined for three months after fracturing his fibula.
The club said that winger Jordan Moore-Gonzalez suffered a hamstring strain, and midfielder Alex Morgan suffered a calf strain.
“We are all disappointed, and we are still dealing with the pain and suffering of this injury,” Saints coach Anthony Hughes said in a statement.
The game against the Dallas side, which will face Orlando City SC on Tuesday, will mark the Saints first preseason game.
It will be their first preseason match at the newly renovated Mercedes-Bermuda Stadium, home of the New England Revolution.
The two teams are slated to meet in New York on Aug. 31, with the winner advancing to the first leg of the final-round playoff.
The New Orleans team is hoping to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Russia, and it is the first team to win that tournament since the 2008 Olympics.
