World Cup Memories #3
OK, time for one more memory…
Korea-Japan 2002
US v. Portugal. I’m an American, and to the Red, White and Blue put together a performance like this was wonderful. Our fourth straight finals appearance, and the first to really benefit from Major League Soccer. My soccer claim to fame is that I once rode the bench against Brian McBride. He was a senior at St. Louis, and I a lowly freshman at the University of Dayton. I remember hearing about him in our gameplan. Afterwards, I remember thinking, “He’s good; but nothing special.” (Hmmm… he did score a hat trick. Perhaps I wasn’t paying attention.)
Anyway, in 2002 McBride was a star for the Columbus Crew, and his goal was a thing of beauty. I think my friend Marty is still using a photo of it as his desktop wallpaper. Other MLS names lined that roster: Hejduk, Mastroeni, Beasley, Donovan, Pope, Sanneh. Clint Mathis would start the next match against Korea, and score a wonder-goal of his own.
But it wasn’t all luck. This wasn’t the 1-0 owl goal win against Columbia. This wasn’t the 0-0 Gold Cup draw against Brazil. The US was playing real football. No, our domestic league didn’t have the money or names of Europe, and odds are it never will. But it has players. Hell, we were an Oliver Kahn magnum opus away from a semi-final appearance.
2002 was the year US soccer proved itself to me.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: FIFA World Cup
0 opinions for World Cup Memories #3
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: