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San Francisco: It’s the home of the world’s most valuable sports franchise, a cavernous 80,000-seat mega-stadium usually reserved for the Dallas Cowboys and nicknamed “Jerry’s World” after its larger-than-life owner.
But this World Cup, AT&T Stadium, renamed Dallas Stadium for the tournament, is also gaining attention for putting up a giant set of curtains.
The venue is hosting nine matches this tournament, including two round of 32 clashes: Norway versus the Ivory Coast on July 1 (AEST) and Australia against Egypt on July 4.
And when the Socceroos arrive in Texas two days before the match they will get a true southern welcome: extreme heat, with forecasts in the high 30s (although the stadium itself has a retractable roof and is climate controlled), and talk of hydration and half-time break performances by America’s Sweethearts, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
AT&T Stadium, which is actually in Arlington about 30 minutes drive from Dallas, will be familiar to some in the Socceroos squad, Australia having played a friendly against Mexico there under Graham Arnold in 2023 featuring the likes of Connor Metcalfe, Jackson Irvine and goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
“It was a bit of a weird one because I remember for some reason they had a DJ playing during our game,” Metcalfe recalled when asked about the clash ahead of the Egypt match. “I actually don’t know why, but every time Maty Ryan got the ball, they would just start playing a song, which I thought was a bit weird.
“It’s an amazing stadium. The facilities are incredible. It’s pretty awesome.”
Opening in 2009, at what was then a cost of $US1.2 billion ($1.75 billion), which is closer to $US2 billion in today’s money, the regular capacity of AT&T Stadium might not be that of the MCG or even Sydney’s Accor Stadium, but the footprint of the venue is at least a third larger than both.
The whole venue is “Texas-sized” and it’s one of those places that people like to let you know about. They boast how the Statue of Liberty would fit inside the venue, including pedestal and torch, how it houses an impressive art collection and suggest you can see it from space.
The stadium’s striking design includes a large wall of windows along the western end of the field, which have notoriously caused the playing surface to be flooded with bright, glary light depending on the time of the day.
It has been a contentious issue for the Cowboys, with players blaming the sunlight streaming in during the late afternoon for causing them to make big mistakes in key moments in American football matches.
Last Thanksgiving, Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens didn’t see a pass thrown his way, shading his eyes when looking back to the stadium’s sun-drenched west end. After the game, Pickens, who was in his first season with the Cowboys, said, “The sun was beating in my eyes, so I couldn’t see.” Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has labelled the sun glare “ridiculous”.
Cowboys billionaire owner Jerry Jones, who paid $US140 million in 1989 for the team that is now worth $US13 billion, vehemently rejected suggestions they put up curtains. And the stadium is not nicknamed “Jerry’s World” or “Jerrasic Park” for no reason. What he says usually goes.
“Everybody has got the same thing,” Jones has said. “Every team that comes in here has the same issues. I’m saying, the world knows where the sun is. You get to know that almost a year in advance. Someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon?”
And: “Of all the things that we need to improve, [the sun at AT&T Stadium] is way down the list of improvement. That stadium was built to feel like you’re outdoors.”
But for all the influence Jones – an oil tycoon who built the Cowboys mega-franchise while acting as his own general manager and drawing as much media attention as his players – wields, when Sweden versus Japan was scheduled for the late afternoon in Dallas Stadium, FIFA was taking no chances.
Fans could still look out to see the views from the glass panels at the east end, but the west end was covered with black curtains. The stadium has an unusual east-west alignment, as opposed to most US football venues being oriented north-south.
Will the curtains return for the Socceroos clash? Probably not. It is a 1pm kick-off in Dallas, which means the game should be over before the troubling glare arrives. What is expected to be there is the other major franchise from the Cowboys – the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who have their own star power and Netflix series.
The performers were involved in the Argentina versus Austria match at the venue and are scheduled to appear again during the round of 32, including during the highly contentious hydration breaks.
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