By Mike Woitalla
While they were preparing for this summer’s World Cup we asked the USA’s Brazil-bound players to recall their earliest memories of the world’sgreatest sporting event. It was no surprise the 1994 World Cup hosted by the USA inspired many American stars of this generation.
“I was part of the opening ceremonies of the 1994 WorldCup,” says Graham Zusi, who was 7 at the time. “I don’t remember it that clearly. I think I ran around the field with hundreds of other kids throwing around a blow-upsoccer ball.”
Maryland product Kyle Beckerman, like Zusi, headed to his first World Cup was lucky enough to be in the stadium to see one of the greatest World Cup goalsever — Saudi Arabia’s Saeed Al-Owairan dribbling from his own half to strike against Belgium.
“I wasreally lucky to have games in my backyard. Games played at RFK in Washington, D.C.,” says Beckerman, who was 12 in 1994. “I was lucky enough see a really cool goal. And obviously Iremember cheering on the USA beating Colombia and going to the second round. Them having a go was really neat to see.”
Texan Omar Gonzalez was only 5 when World Cup1994 came to Dallas, where his mom volunteered during the tournament.
“I got to go to some games,” he says. “I don’t remember much, but my mom tells me I used tomimic Bebeto’s [baby-rocking] celebration when I was a kid.”
At the 1994 World Cup, the USA reachedthe second round for the first time since 1930 thanks to a 2-1 win over Colombia in the Rose Bowl. Then 7 years old, Matt Besler remembers Colombia:
“I don’tremember much, but Carlos Valderrama’s hair stands out to me and obviously the U.S. played Colombia. I remember his image on TV — and his crazy afro. I remember the final on TVand the penalty kick shootout between Brazil and Italy. That was the first shootout I witnessed and I learned what a shootout was all about — and it was exciting.”
At 12 years old,Brad Davis says the entire atmosphere of the USA hosting a World Cup increased his soccer passion.
“Watching those games in your home country as a young kid it makesyou definitely want to dream about playing in one, that’s for sure,” says the Missouri product.
Michael Bradley, whose father Bob at the timewas Princeton head coach, even went to practice sessions in 1994, when he was 7.
“I was lucky because Italy trained at a school not far from where I lived and I got to see some ofmy favorite players up close,” Michael Bradley says. “I liked Italy, the entire team. I liked Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi. I also liked HristoStoichkov’s left foot. … I went to the games at Giants Stadium and got to see him score with a left-footed rocket against Mexico.”
The World Cup in 1998 madeon impression on DaMarcus Beasley, when he was 16.
“I know it was in the United States in 1994,” he says, “But it was the 1998 World Cup that I reallywatched closely. The U.S. didn’t do well but it was great seeing those guys compete. I remember Jurgen Klinsmann scoring against the U.S.”
Klinsmann, ofcourse, is taking Beasley to Brazil, making him the only holdover from the 2002 World Cup where as a 20-year-old Beasley helped the USA reach the quarterfinals.
FabianJohnson, who was born and raised in Germany, also recalls the 1998 World Cup in France, when he was 10: “Zinedine Zidane’s headers in the final against Brazil iswhat I remember best.”
At 20, DeAndre Yedlin is the second youngest member of the 2014 World Cup squad.
“I watched the 2002 World Cup but I thinkI was too young to really know what’s going on,’” says the Washington state product. “The first World Cup I really remember was 2006 — and Zidane’s head butt … Iremember growing up just hoping to get to a point where I had a chance to play in a World Cup.”
The team’s oldest player is 35-year-old goalkeeper Tim Howard,who recalls the USA’s return to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years when it reached Italy ’90.
“The opening game against Czechoslovakia,” Howard says.“We lost 5-1. But it was brilliant that we were on the world stage. I was passionate about the sport so to see my heroes on TV was great.”
Says Michael Bradley, “Soccerin this country has gotten to the point that we remember these games, we were grew up with these games, so now when it’s your chance to step on the field and represent the United States youdon’t take it lightly.”
(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, is co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of
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Nice touch to check in with the players.
They all seem stressed and so reserved and just uptight during the espn march to Brazil. All but Mix who was not on a national team until u18. Are players act like robots and play like robots.