THE United States host the World Cup in 2026 – but soccer’s rise to popularity may not have happened if it wasn’t for the team of 1990.
America barely considered it a sport with football, basketball and baseball seen as the games for the nation.
GettyUSA made their first World Cup in 40 years at the 1990 tournament[/caption]
AFPThe US lost all three games but qualification put them on the map[/caption]
But the US Soccer Federation were determined to grow the soccer and they made a bid to host the 1994 World Cup.
Werner Fricker led the proposal that defeated Brazil and Morocco as they were surprisingly awarded the chance to be the venue of sport’s most-viewed tournament.
Fifa also forced the creation of the MLS as a result.
However, with soccer not popular in America, the federation knew they faced scepticism over whether it was going to be a success.
With added motivation and a point to prove, Fricker tried to get the public a US team that was good enough to compete with the best in the world and were worth cheering on.
He appointed Bob Gansler as the team’s manager, who picked plenty of young players recently finishing college.
Their aim was to qualify for the 1990 World Cup – the perfect springboard before becoming the home nation in four years time.
Peter Vermes was a striker for the US and recalls the hostile reception they would receive from their own fans.
He said: “We used to get out of the bus and they’d throw bags of urine on us.
“My first national team game was in Guatemala in 1988 and I remember defending a corner kick and hearing ‘ding ding’ on the crossbar and post.
“The crowd was throwing size D batteries at us.
“You would go take a corner kick and guys in the crowd would be spitting on you.
“It was crazy. It was a totally different time.”
The USMNT had to qualify for the tournament and faced further hostility when facing both El Salvador and Guatemala en route to the finals.
Commandos carrying weapons looked after the players at all times as they ventured into war-torn countries where the United States were not popular.
The team needed to beat Trinidad and Tobago in a deciding game to qualify for the 1990 competition.
US players arrived in the Caribbean to an intimidating atmosphere – thousands were on the streets to greet their visitors and slow down their journey to the hotel where they were kept up all night by noise outside.
Gansler’s men won the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Paul Cagliguri with the strike being dubbed the “shot heard round the world” as people finally started to take the USMNT seriously.
At the 1990 World Cup, the trailblazers crashed out in the group stages as they lost all three matches.
However, it put the team on the map ahead of hosting the following tournament four years later.
In 1994, they made it out the group before eventually losing to Brazil in the Round of 16 in Stanford, California.
After the back-to-back World Cups, the USMNT gained more fans and more funding was pumped into soccer.
And they have never looked back since, qualifying for every major tournament except the World Cup in 2018.
With hype soon building as soccer’s biggest stars touch down in Canada, America and Mexico in less than two years, spare a thought for the boys of the early 90s who made it all possible.
GettyThe US hosted the World Cup in 1994[/caption]
Paul Caligiuri scored the goal to send the US to the 1990 tournamentGetty
ReutersPeter Vermes now managed Sporting Kansas City[/caption]