San Jose, CA –June 15, 2014 — A source of pride to soccer fans are the local club heroes chosen to represent their respective countries in international competition, including regional qualifying tournaments, the Olympics, friendly matches, and the World Cup.
History San José and Google Cultural Institute are partnering again with an online exhibit For Club and Country: San José’s Soccer Heroes, using images of artifacts from the Collection of History San Jose.
Since the earliest years of professional soccer in the Bay Area with the North American Soccer League (NASL), through the triumphs of professional women’s soccer and the success of Major League Soccer (MLS), over 100 men and women have represented their countries as well as our local teams. The following exhibit is a selection of items from The San José Soccer Legacy Collection that recognizes many of the players who represented both our clubs and their countries.
The San Jose Soccer Legacy Collection at History San José is large and growing through the ongoing generosity of the Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation (http://www.ssvcf.org). The collection comprises over 300 photographs and 2000 objects, plus videos, books, and magazines about Bay Area soccer, as well as ephemera such as ticket stubs, posters, and game programs that focus on youth, collegiate, and professional soccer primarily in San José and Santa Clara.
Other sections in the exhibit include The Early Years, Major League Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Quake’s Success, World Cup Hopes, and Give the People What They Want.