From the get go, I have to state one thing, by no means is the following article a reflection that a jersey/stadium sponsor announcement is imminent for FC Dallas. While sources have said some definite progress has been made, there is no press conference scheduled for such an announcement.

But that could all change very quickly.

Do you know that FCD President Doug Quinn turned down media requests to discuss jersey and stadium sponsorship, saying that he wanted to table any such discussion until the end of February? With the regular season starting on March 11, maybe that’s a good sign that the powers-that-be in the ivory tower on World Cup Way have something brewing?

Then again maybe not.

Chivas USA recently unveiled their 2012 jersey, complete with sponsor Corona Extra, who is in its second year on the Red-and-White’s shirt, during a flight from Guadalajara, Mexico to Los Angeles. You might think it’s kind of cheesy to unveil a jersey at 30,000 feet, but like it or not, you have to give the Goats’ brass credit for at least thinking outside the box as doing so definitely got them some serious pub, both from the English and Latin media.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that FCD needs when, or if, they unveil a 2012 jersey and/or stadium sponsor. FC Dallas is an organization that has missed several opportunities recently to reach out to the Latin community with the signings of the likes of Fabian Castillo, Blas Perez, Hernan Pertuz and even Carlos Rodriguez, so this would be an excellent chance to atone for their past misdeeds.

And in keeping with the Latin theme, why not pick a brand that would appeal to that segment of the population? I'm not saying they’d come support FCD just because of the company name on the front of their kit, but it couldn’t hurt. It would also show the Latin community that maybe the organization in Frisco isn’t as out of touch with them as they had previously thought.

Whether FCD goes with a Latin sponsor or not, if there is a big sponsor announcement before the season starts, or soon after First Kick, the organization owes it to their players and their fans to do it up right. Maybe if they can come up with something truly unorthodox and outside of the box, then maybe they’ll get the local media interested in this team and possibly even attract some new fans. That is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

This could be an announcement that has great potential across a lot of areas. Not only would the local sports media come out, but the local business media would also be interested in dissecting the details of such a deal. This broad range of interest in such an announcement makes it important that such an unveiling is not only done properly, but in a way where the team and the brand aren’t soon forgotten.