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On Sunday, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, or Dallas Stadium, for World Cup purposes, will host the first of nine tournament matches when Netherlands takes on Japan. But to be clear, this will not be the first momentous World Cup appearance for the Dutch in North Texas.
In 1994, the only other time the World Cup was played on U.S. soil, the famously orange-clad club played against the always-powerful Brazil team under the July sun from inside the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. Thirty-two years later, that quarterfinal match is still widely considered one of the defining matches of not only that year’s Cup, but one of the most memorable contests in all of World Cup history.
In 2022, FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt called the ‘94 game “arguably one of the greatest matches of all time.” And to be clear, he should know. Now 49 years-old, Hunt has spent his life attending World Cup matches thanks to his father, Lamar Hunt, who helped bring professional soccer to America in the 1960s.
This specific match was one of six held in Dallas that year, and a number of factors made it not only instantly-recognized as a classic, but has helped it endure as one fans still talk about decades later. Because of the soccer-mad countries involved, the match combined elite talent that facilitated dramatic momentum swings, and a thrilling finish on one of soccer’s biggest stages.
According to reports at the time, Brazil and its army of one-name superstars appeared in control after goals from legendary striker Romário and forward Bebeto gave their team a 2-0 lead. But the Dutch stormed back to tie the match at 2-2. With only a few minutes left in regular time, Branco delivered a stunning, swerving free kick from 30-yards out to steal a 3-2 victory for the country that would go on to win the World Cup that year.
FIFA has included the match in its 2024 series of greatest matches, writing “Branco bullet settles Cotton Bowl classic.” Popular soccer social media account Spirit Football wrote, “The Cotton Bowl was burning hot, and so was the football. It was a clash of titans: the flair of Brazil vs. the technical brilliance of the Netherlands.” You can watch the entire thing on YouTube.
The combination of five second-half goals, star players on both sides and nonstop tension, it’s difficult to imagine a North Texas match topping it in 2026, however, with Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Harry Kane’s England, Luka Modric’s Croatia, and yes, Virgil van Dijk’s Netherlands all taking the AT&T Stadium pitch in the coming weeks, another instant classic is far from out of the question.
