The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on.

From now through kickoff on June 11, soccer fans across the country will focus on the 23rd edition of the planet’s most popular sporting event.

Except on May 8. On that day, all eyes will be on the 1994 U.S. men’s national team. Most of the players from that squad will gather in San Jose, for a World Cup Legacy Gala. Their coach Bora Milutinovic will be there too, along with former U.S. Soccer president Alan Rothenberg.

There are two reasons for the backward look. One is to raise funds for America Scores Bay Area. That’s the local chapter of America Scores, an after-school program in over a dozen cities that combines soccer, poetry and service-learning.

The other reason is to honor a groundbreaking group of players, coaches and administrators. Without 1994’s soccer story, there would be none in 2026. 

The ’94 team was both a pioneer and an anomaly. The United States had been awarded the World Cup six years previously — on July 4, 1988 — but there was no established domestic league. A few players competed overseas, but most had no professional opportunities. 

So for nearly two years the bulk of the national team trained in Mission Viejo, California. They lived, ate and worked together, forming bonds as teammates and friends. Grouped with Romania, Switzerland and Colombia — the latter picked by Pele to win the entire tournament — few observers expected much from the Americans.

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