How a Rowlett family ended up hosting a future World Cup star

ROWLETT, Texas - Back in 2014, one Rowlett family opened their home to a teenage player during the Dallas Cup. 

Now, more than a decade later, the family is watching him on soccer’s biggest stage, along with the rest of the world.

From Dallas Cup to the 2026 World Cup stage

What we know:

The Dallas Cup is an international youth soccer tournament, where top teenage players come here to compete and often stay with local host families.

For one family, that short visit turned into a World Cup memory. Long before, defender Hjalmar Ekdal was number 14 for Sweden.

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He was a teenage Dallas Cup player staying with the Blue family, here in North Texas.

Introducing a World Cup star to Texas

Local perspective:

For Ryan Blue, who also played soccer at the time, some of the fondest memories involved showing their Swedish visitors a very Texas version of America.

"They were so much fun and just so lively all the time," said Blue. "It was fun to see their reactions. I remember they loved seeing the big Dooley trucks, they had never seen them before. They loved to see those." Stegall: "Barbecue?" Blue: "Yeah, barbecue, they loved the barbecue."

The food was easy, but the dialect not so much. Soccer brought them together, but it wasn't the only game in the family's yard.

"We definitely brought out the pitching machine. They wanted to try it out. I had an old bat and an old helmet, and they threw it on," said Ryan.

Now, more than a decade later, that same athleticism has carried Ekdal to soccer’s biggest stage.

"Yeah, it's, I mean, really cool to see him on TV, for sure. I mean, he looks exactly the same as he did when he was 16," said Blue.

Cheering for Sweden from a Rowlett living room

Dig deeper:

Ryan's dad, Bryan Blue, says that even back then… The other players saw something special.

"When they were staying here, they were like, oh, he's going to be, he's going to be good, he's going to be on the National Team someday," said Bryan.

Although they have lost touch over the years, the Blue family will be cheering on the blue and yellow from their Rowlett home, as their former house guest chases his World Cup dream.

"Couldn't get tickets, but we'll definitely be watching from here," said Ryan.

The Blue family tells FOX 4 that their visitors couldn't believe how large the Dallas-Fort Worth region really was. Something we're hearing from a lot of international visitors.

Once again proving, everything really is bigger in Texas.

When does Sweden play next?

What's next:

Sweden opened group play by beating Tunisia last weekend in Monterrey.

Next, they play the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday, followed by Japan next Thursday at Dallas Stadium.

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