Big D’s Soccer Legacy Dallas’ love of organized and professional soccer began long before the World Cup came to town. BY KELLY DEARMORE T his might come as a shock to some, but soccer’s Dallas roots run deep, well beyond any talk of the 1994 or 2026 World Cup. The city’s first recorded match took place at Southern Methodist Univer- sity in 1916, after all. But the true explosion of or- ganized, professional soccer in North Texas is closely tied to the pioneering vision of the late Dallas business icon Lamar Hunt, widely recognized as one of the greatest sports vision- aries in American history. It was a 1966 World Cup match in England that inspired Hunt to bring professional soccer to the U.S. Hunt’s efforts helped establish the sport at both the pro- fessional and grassroots levels in North Texas. Dallas hosted six matches of the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the Cotton Bowl, helping to jump-start a nationwide surge in the sport’s popu- larity and cementing the region’s status as a soccer hotbed. Today, Dallas has the second-largest youth soccer commu- nity in the United States, thanks to decades of growth driven by pro clubs and major amateur tournaments. The Dallas Tornado In 1967, Hunt helped form the United Soccer Association by temporarily importing European teams, with Scottish side Dundee United taking the place of the soon-to-be Dallas Tornado for the inaugural season. Under head coach Bob Kap, the Tor- nado fielded its own proper squad following a walloping 49- game world tour across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Although the new Dallas squad initially struggled, it soon found its footing and won the 1971 NASL Championship. They also won the NASL’s experimental indoor “Hoc-Soc” tournament that same year. After their playing days ended, many European players, such as Bobby Moffat and Kenny Cooper Sr., remained in Dallas, where they started youth clubs and conducted coaching clinics, planting the seeds for North Texas youth soccer. The Dallas Sidekicks Following the outdoor team’s tenure in town, pro soccer came to Reunion Arena in 1984 with the Dallas Sidekicks, an original member of the Major Indoor Soccer League. As the Rangers, Mavericks and Cowboys toiled in mediocrity in the mid-’80s, the Sidekicks became a popular team in Dallas under head coach Gordon Jago and Brazilian star forward Tatu, who became locally famous for throwing his shirt into the stands after scoring a goal. Adopting the “Never say die” slogan, the Sidekicks defeated the Tacoma Stars in a seven-game championship series in 1987. Winning the final two games in overtime, the team claimed the city’s first major sports title since 1977. Over its initial 19-season run, the Sidekicks proved to be incredibly successful, making the playoffs 16 times and winning four titles across various leagues before suspending operations in 2004. A second iteration of the Dallas Sidekicks played in an indoor league in Allen from 2012 to 2024. The Dallas Cup and the U.S. Open Cup When it comes to organized, large-scale tournaments in North Texas, the U.S. Open Cup and the Dallas Cup are kings. The U.S. Open Cup, the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports his- tory, dating back to 1914, was renamed the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999. The region also hosts the Dallas Cup, widely regarded as the most prestigious youth soccer tournament in the country. Founded in 1980, this invitation-only tournament welcomes elite international and domestic youth teams to the area, reportedly generating an estimated $40 million in local economic impact each year. Dallas Cup alumni include global stars such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Landon Donovan . The 1994 World Cup The Cotton Bowl was one of nine U.S. stadiums to host matches in the first-ever U.S.-based World Cup. The globe’s top soccer powers played in front of Dallas fans, with Argentina, Ger- many, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain all appearing at Fair Park. Of the four group stage matches and the two knockout stage battles, many were close, while the quarterfinal between Brazil and the Netherlands — won by Brazil 3-2 — is still considered to be an all-time classic World Cup match. An average of 55,000 fans attended the six Dallas matches, proving that a different sort of football could bring the crowds to the Cotton Bowl. FC Dallas The modern era of pro soccer in Dallas began when the Dallas Burn became charter members of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. The Hunt family was among the original investors of the league and still owns and operates the Dallas club. In 2005, the franchise was rebranded as FC Dallas, although the team moved to Frisco to begin playing at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas has had several stellar seasons, including an appearance in the 2010 MLS Cup and 2016, when the team had the best record in the league, but Frisco has yet to welcome an MLS Cup trophy. And today, Toyota Stadium now houses the National Soccer Hall of Fame, yet another sign that soccer is bigger than many might think in North Texas. GETTY IMAGES THE LAMAR HUNT STATUE GREETS FANS AT FC DALLAS MATCHES. DALLAS OBSERVER • QUEST FOR THE CUP 11
