What was the 1990 World Cup like for us?

The ELO Ratings were:

USA (63rd) vs. Czechoslovakia (15th)
USA (63rd) vs. Italy (4th)
USA (67th) vs. Austria (27th)

An example with rankings close to that was in World Cup 2006:

Trinidad and Tobago (64th) vs. Sweden (15th)
Trinidad and Tobago (65th) vs. England (4th)
Trinidad and Tobago (70th) vs. Paraguay (30th)

We lost all 3 games and got outscored 8-2. Trinidad and Tobago got 1 point and got outscored 4-0. We lost 39 ELO points from their 3 games while Trinidad and Tobago lost 15 points including gaining points from their draw with Sweden.

 

The best player wasn't on the team. Hugo Perez suffered an injury and was in better shape by the time the WC team was announced, but he wasn't picked. There were some legacy US players from the NASL who could have been picked, like Ricky Davis but they picked a young team deliberately knowing they'd host in 1994.

There wasn't much media. I recall a few articles in advance of the WC in the newspapers in the Philly area because Peter Vermes grew up is South Jersey but it was really light, kind of what you might see if a local person went to the Olympics in a sport people don't know well. The tournament itself was broadcast on TNT. Only 36 of 52 games were broadcast though and they ran commercials during play.

The performance was uneven. The first match against Czechoslovakia was just bad. The team was smoked, totally outclassed. A 5-1 loss actually flattered the team. Wynalda came on as a sub and was immediately sent off. I think there were two PKs against and at least one goal scored from a open header off a corner. Caliguri's goal was really well taken though. The Italy game was kind of surreal. It started like the Czech game with Italy getting a pretty early goal after being shredded. We gave up another pk that Vialli clanked off a post and then somehow the US hung in a grinded it out. Balboa came into that one and was really tough in the middle. Vermes should have scored. The US had a free kick that Bruce Murray bombed in low around a wall. It surprised Zenga and he bobbled it. Vermes made a run around the wall and it was at his feet. He tried to slide it under Zenga but it hit the keeper in the ass and it laid there for him to pick it up. Vermes was one of the few players who had a pro club in Europe spending time in Hungary and Holland. That could have been a million dollar goal but I also thing Italy would have crushed them if it went to 1-1. That Italy team was about getting the result and I think they played down to the US because they could. The Austria game was better but they still went down 2-0 to a pretty bad team. Austria had some seasoned pros and it was obvious watching them. Tab Ramos stuck out in this game. He moved the ball well and set up Murray's goal which was kind of a scramble. I think this performance got Tab to Spain. Harkes was good too. I think they could have gotten something in the last game, both teams were eliminated, but experience is key.

What this pointed out is that US players needed more experience and a different coach. Bora took a relatively inexperienced Costa Rica into the second round so he made for a good target. They more or less took the players who didn't get deals abroad and turned them into a club team, playing about 30 games a year until the world cup in 1994.

 

What I remember is that I couldn't really watch it.

The term "happy to just be there" kind of applied. Expectations were really low. As the 1994 World Cup had only recently been awarded us, our fundamental goal was to not embarrass ourselves. And the boys did well under the circumstances.

An oral history of USA at Italia '90: the World Cup that changed US soccer
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/10/usa-world-cup-italia-90-oral-history

“Hey,” Baggio said to Trittschuh, changing just inside the door.

“Hey,” Trittschuh replied.

An awkward silence filled the space between them until Trittschuh realized what was happening. Baggio, perhaps the greatest player of his time, was asking a 25-year-old defender from Granite City, Illinois, to trade pants.

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/worldcup/The_US_soccer_team_at_the_1990_World_Cup.html

I still have some of the matches recorded on VHS tapes. It was largely just excited to be there. Nearly every player on the team was signed to a contract and Bob Gansler was the first full time coach (literally read in the article before how the previous coach had been a part time coach who also worked as a waiter). What I recall is we had young players: Wynalda, Hakes, Ramos, Balboa that would lay down the foundation for the 90s and the growth of US soccer. Almost all the pool was decided in advance and signed to the USSF contracts because otherwise they would have been working regular jobs. There was no teeth gnashing about results. The Czechoslovakia game was a nightmare, but the other two were competitive. There was next to little press coverage other than an article in SI, etc. The Shot Heard Round The World though did generate media coverage, if somewhat small. Press coverage in the USA changed in 1994, but really changed after 2002. I wonder how many casual fans were watching Portugal 2002; Not many. It was early, and we had never looked real competitive before. After 2002, that all changed.

 

One more NY Times article from 1990 about the selection and the process. As was mentioned earlier, Hugo Perez was the big question mark. He was definitely the most skillful player we had, but he broke his leg in February before the World Cup. given he had also had other injuries over the previous year, there were legitimate concerns on how much he would be able to contribute. He had some important roles in qualifying. That said, it is odd he never played in the 1988 Olympics either. I think that was because he opted to train at Ajax and look to a professional contract. I also found this tidbit about why Perez did not play in the 1988 Olympics:

"The Americans could easily have scored a couple of goals if they had a powerful striker. However, their best scoring threat in recent Olympic and World Cup qualifying games, Hugo Perez, is in Lausanne, Switzerland, playing for a professional team.

Although he apparently had permission to play for the United States here, Perez did not join the club in time for training, and was not contacted in recent days.

There had also been a report that Perez would not play because he wanted to wear the shoes of a rival equipment company instead of the one supplying the Olympic team. However, that was labeled ''a side issue'' by Thom Meredith, an official with the U.S. team. The United States must find somebody else to convert the good passes if it hopes to advance to the quarterfinals."

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/14/sports/perez-unlikely-to-make-cut.html

 

Interestingly, the deal the USSF had with adidas was very contentious with the players. Adidas dictated a deal that put national team players in adidas head to toe. The Nike deal removed the footwear restriction in 1995.

 

Keller was there too (although not starting) and was 20 at the time of the tournament. The 1990 team was truly like an amateur team. It is hard to explain the gap between other squads and the USA at that juncture. But, it opened doors. Keller made it to Millwall after the World Cup. Meola played for Brighton then transferred to Watford, but then lost his work permit and had to return to the US.

 

The games were on the brand new TNT network, which almost no one had and which did a terrible job.

 

With NASL folding and deciding not to play college soccer in the mid-80s, I had kind of lost track of soccer (nothing on TV to watch back then). I was focused on my professional career, just started dating my eventual wife, and playing two man beach/grass volleyball.

There was no media and no build-up to the WC. I run on the first game and find myself watching Chris Sullivan who I played with in high school and who I played against in club soccer for many years. I was shocked. Chris was a physical specimen, but he wasn't a professional soccer player in my mind.

The team really was a glorified college all-star team. I really remember just the first game as it was so brutal. We are so far over our heads it was amazing. I do remember the other two were better, but by means did I think that this team and the US was ready to move forward.

 

I was 5 then, and I've had TNT for as long as I can remember. I don't know if I watched soccer before World Cup 1994. I remember when ESPN2 started in October 1993 I didn't get it for years.

Can we list all the channels that have shown a World Cup game?

 

NBC had 86 with some games on ESPN. NBC showed a game on a Saturday or Sunday. I didn't have ESPN in my cable package then. Super irritating.

 

The USA were just happy to be there. The best players on that team were Tab Ramos, John Harkes, Bruce Murray and Paul Caligiuri, and the latter 2 are the ones that scored goals at the WC. This is Paul's goal against the Czechs:


And this is Bruce's goal against Austria:


The US team really didn't have any idea how to play, and it showed in the results.

 

Yes, I can't recall which channel it was on, but I thought it was NBC. That was the first World Cup I recall watching, and the Manuel Negrete goal and the two Maradona goals were etched in my mind then.

 

FWIW Perez said this a couple years ago about not being selected

@PowerPopProf @EricWynalda it was not a technical reason

— Hugo Perez (@HugoPerezDT) October 30, 2015

Don't think he ever came out and said exactly why but just found it interesting.

 

Tiny Kearny, NJ gave us Meola, Harkes, and Ramos.

 

I always assumed the 1990 World Cup for the American team was similar to the time when I lost my virginity; it was a group of men who were just happy to be involved and doing the best they could under the circumstances.

 

We all have stories...

 

Here's what it was like for us from a musical standpoint:

 

I couldn't even get to the minute mark watching that dreck. Yeesh.

 

What I remember is commercial breaks during the run if play. Will never forget that....

 

Yes, and Ernie Johnson saying things like, "Here's a replay of the great goal you missed during the commercial break!"