FIFA World Cup

FC Dallas star gets dream moment — but not result — in Arlington World Cup match

Petar Musa is no stranger to scoring goals in Dallas-Fort Worth, but the FC Dallas star had never scored in the FIFA World Cup before Croatia’s 4-2 loss to England on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium.

Musa scored the highlight goal in the closing minutes of the first half. After a lob pass into the box, Ivan Perisic hit a beautiful header while turning to set up Musa’s shot, which scooted past the outstretched legs of an England defender and the goalkeeper on its way to the back of the net.

Musa, a Zagreb native, had previously called it an honor to play for his home country in the World Cup, and he talked about the moment he found out.

“As a kid, you know, you always dream big,” he said. “This was one of my childhood dreams which comes true. I’m so happy and grateful that all the work pays off and can’t wait to start everything. [When I found out], my kids wake me up, my wife came, and she hugged me, and she said, ‘You’re there.’ It was an incredible moment for me and my family.”

After the match, Musa was more focused on the result than his success.

“The feeling was incredible, historical here at home, but I’m not happy because we lost today again, and yeah, there’s not much to celebrate,” Musa said.

Musa’s goal helped Croatia steal momentum back from England, which had held the lead for much of the first half and dominated the game.

Despite equalizing the game at halftime, it wouldn’t take long for England to regain control with a goal from Jude Bellingham two minutes into the second half to take a 3-2 lead it would never relinquish.

Musa was brought to Dallas in 2024 for a franchise record fee, and his 46 goals already rank him third all-time on the FC Dallas leaderboard, tied with Kenny Cooper. Musa is in the midst of perhaps his best season since joining the team with 12 goals in his first 12 starts, only six behind his career high of 18.

Musa and Croatia will next play Panama at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Toronto.


Game schedule dates, times, locations

NEXT UP: Game dates, times, locations, channel

Rangers
  • June 12 Boston 10, Rangers 1
  • June 13 Boston 6, Rangers 3
  • June 14 Rangers 6, Boston 4
  • June 15 Minnesota 4, Rangers 2
  • June 16 Minnesota 12, Rangers 2
  • June 18 vs. Minnesota, 1:35 p.m., RSN
  • June 19 vs. San Diego, 7:05 p.m., RSN
  • June 20 vs. San Diego, 3:05 p.m., RSN
  • June 21 vs. San Diego, 1:35 p.m., RSN
  • June 22 at Miami, 5:40 p.m., RSN
  • June 23 at Miami, 5:40 p.m., RSN
  • June 24 at Miami, 11:10 a.m., RSN
  • June 25 at Toronto, 6:07 p.m., RSN
  • June 26 at Toronto, 6:07 p.m., CW
  • June 27 at Toronto, 2:07 p.m., RSN
  • June 28 at Toronto, 12:37 p.m., RSN
  • June 29 at Cleveland, 6:10 p.m., ESPN
  • June 30 at Cleveland, 5:40 p.m., RSN
  • July 1 at Cleveland, 12:10 p.m., RSN
Wings
  • June 5 Wings 104, Los Angeles 96
  • June 9 Minnesota 100, Wings 76
  • June 11 Wings 85, Phoenix 70
  • June 13 Portland 84, Wings 83
  • June 15 Wings 96, Las Vegas 66
  • June 17 at Golden State, 9 p.m., KFAA
  • June 20 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m., CBS, Paramount+
  • June 22 at Seattle, 9 p.m., KFAA
  • June 25 at Las Vegas, 9 p.m., KFAA
  • June 28 vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m., CBS, Paramount+
TCU Football
  • 2026 season
  • Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), 11 a.m., ESPN
  • Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
  • Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA
  • Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA
  • Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA
  • Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA
  • Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA
  • Nov. 6 at Arizona, 9:15 p.m., ESPN
  • Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA
  • Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA
  • Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN
Cowboys
  • Sept. 13 at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m., NBC
  • Sept. 20 vs. Washington, 3:25 p.m., Fox
  • Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m., CBS
  • Oct. 4 at Houston, 12 p.m., Fox
  • Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
  • Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC
  • Oct. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC
  • Nov. 1 vs. Arizona, 12 p.m., Fox
  • Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 12 p.m., Fox
  • Nov. 15 vs. San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., Fox
  • Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m., Fox
  • Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., Fox
  • Dec. 7 at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC
  • Dec. 20 at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m., CBS
  • Dec. 27 vs. Jacksonville, 7:20 p.m., NBC
  • Jan. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12 p.m., Fox
  • Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA
World Cup
  • All local matches at AT&T Stadium
  • Group stage
  • June 14 Japan 2, Netherlands 2 (Group F)
  • June 17 England 4, Croatia 2 (Group L)
  • June 22 Argentina vs. Austria (Group J), 12 p.m., Fox
  • June 25 Japan vs. Sweden (Group F), 6 p.m., FS1
  • June 27 Argentina vs. Jordan (Group J), 9 p.m., Fox
  • Knockout round
  • June 30 Round of 32: Group E runner-up vs. Group I runner-up, 12 p.m., Fox
  • July 3 Round of 32: Group D runner-up vs. Group G runner-up, 1 p.m., Fox
  • July 6 Round of 16: Teams TBD, 2 p.m., Fox
  • July 14 Semifinal: Teams TBD, 2 p.m., Fox
FC Dallas
  • May 2 FC Dallas 2, NY Red Bulls 0
  • May 9 FC Dallas 3, Salt Lake 1
  • May 13 Vancouver 3, FC Dallas 2
  • May 16 FC Dallas 3, San Jose 2
  • May 23 FC Dallas 2, Colorado 1
  • World Cup break
  • July 22 at Portland, 9:30 p.m., Apple TV
  • July 25 at San Diego, 8:30 p.m., FS1, Apple TV
Texas Motor Speedway
  • June 20 Team Texas - David Starr's Racing School
  • June 20 Drift n Drag
  • July 11 NASCAR Racing Experience
  • July 11 Hearts in High Gear
  • July 25 Drift n Drag
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Lawrence Dow
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Lawrence Dow is a digital sports reporter from Philadelphia. He graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from USC. He’s passionate about movies and is always looking for a great book. He covers the Texas Rangers and other sports.
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