Located in the small and hot city of Frisco, in the metropolitan region of Dallas, Texas, the National Soccer Hall of Fame, part of the sports complex that also houses the Dallas FC stadium, aims to present visitors with a little of the history of football in the United States over the last few decades.
The modern space, opened in mid-2018, features rare sports memorabilia, such as a shirt worn by Pelé during his time with the New York Cosmos, as well as medals and trophies won by the US women’s team in important competitions, such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
At the same time, to attract a younger audience, there are also immersive virtual reality technological experiences, where visitors can simulate taking a penalty, join in the celebration of a goal for the American team or take on the role of the goalkeeper under the posts and save a free kick.
On the day that the Sheet visited the space, in the middle of the World Cup, there were a few dozen regulars, perhaps due to the relatively long distance — about 45 minutes by car — from downtown Dallas and the AT&T Stadium, the arena that hosts the FIFA tournament matches in the city.
As soon as they enter the museum, visitors are invited to make a virtual profile on totems installed on the wall, creating a kind of personalized avatar that will follow them throughout the tour and allow some of the artificial intelligence experiences to be recorded and sent by email.
They are then taken to the trophy and medal room. On display, for example, are the women’s World Cup cups from the 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019 editions and the gold medal from the London Games in 2012, all achievements of the United States.
Normally, on the other side of the same room, a general view of the pitch and stands of the Dallas FC stadium is also available, behind large glass walls. During the World Cup period, however, the Swedish national team has been using the space as a training center, and there are large black sheets blocking the view.
On the floor, there are also some glass holes containing historical pieces, such as a shirt worn by American striker Bert Patenaude, the first player in history to score a hat-trick. [três gols em um jogo] in a World Cup match, against Paraguay, in the inaugural edition, in 1930, in Uruguay.
Following the tour, visitors come across a large interactive screen that features players, coaches and managers who make up the United States Football Hall of Fame.
Among the names is Pelé, who played for the New York Cosmos from 1975 to 1977. “The striker boosted a great rise in football in the United States by signing with the New York Cosmos”, says the text that accompanies the King of Football’s presentation.
Also included in the Hall of Fame are former right-back Carlos Alberto Torres, Pelé’s teammate at the Cosmos, and German Franz Beckenbauer, who had a short spell at the New York club in 1983.
Among the women are former goalkeeper Hope Solo and former striker Mia Hamm, two of the most recognizable faces in US football.
Even because of the great success achieved by American women in sport, Brazilian striker Marta, voted the best player in the world six times, does not have any citation in the museum, despite having been in American football for almost ten years. She plays for Orlando Pride.
The only reference to the Brazilian women’s team appears only discreetly in a virtual reality game, in which the visitor takes on the role of goalkeeper Briana Scurry, goalkeeper for the United States in the 1999 World Cup semifinal against Brazil, which the Americans won 2-0.
Prominent names in international football who played in the American league, such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Carlos Valderrama, have their great moves played on one of the big screens.
Responsible for giving new impetus to sport in the country more recently, Lionel Messi has a shirt from his club, Inter Miami, displayed in the space.
Couple Ben and Carly Turnley, who drove about two and a half hours from Oklahoma, said they took advantage of the World Cup’s festive atmosphere to visit the museum before continuing their trip to participate in the Dallas Fan Fest.
“With the World Cup going on and all the excitement about soccer, we thought it would be a good day to visit the museum and learn a little more about the history of soccer,” said Ben, a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma.
Although data analyst Carly was wearing a blue Brazilian team shirt, borrowed from her husband, the couple acknowledged that they did not have any particular affection for the five-time champion team.
They were much more excited about the performance of the American team at the World Cup, already qualified for the next phase after good victories over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0).
“As U.S. fans, we’ve kind of learned to keep our expectations pretty low for the men’s team because we’re good at a lot of other sports and we’re good at women’s soccer, but generally not a powerhouse at men’s soccer. So their performances have been really exciting,” Ben said.
“It’s been cool to see them win both games so far quite convincingly, and I hope they can make a big push. I think reaching the quarterfinals would be a bold goal, but I believe it’s a possibility,” Carly added.
At the end of the tour, there is also a large souvenir shop, where visitors can take home a souvenir from the museum, scarves from some of the teams participating in the World Cup or an official Dallas FC shirt for US$150 (R$772).
On the day of the visit Sheetadmission cost US$15 (R$77) per person for adults, US$12 (R$61) for children and teenagers aged 4 to 12, people over 65 and military personnel (active or veterans).
