Happy days
Posted on November 13, 2012 1:21 am
The U.S.men’s national team has scored a few famous upsets against major teams over the years, and also a few significant victories that are not as well remembered. Here are four of the latter:
United States 1, Poland 0, New Britain, Conn., Aug. 12, 1973: This was the fourth time the United States had played Poland in 1973, and the pattern seemed well established. Poland had won the first three by a total of 9-0. Further, this was a distinguished Polish team. The Poles were a revelation at the following year’s World Cup, and their team this day featured a galaxy of World Cup stars such as Kazimierz Deyna, Robert Gadocha, Jan Tomaszewski and Henryk Kasperczak. The American victory at Willowbrook Stadium was the first for the United States over a European team since the famous upset of England in 1950. Al Trost got the American goal in the 38th minute. He gained control of the ball in midfield, dribbled to within about 25 yards of the goal and fired a hard shot into the corner of the net that took goalkeeper Tomaszewski by surprise. Equally important to the victory was the work of American goalkeeper Mike Ivanow, who kept Poland at bay throughout the game.
United States 2, Hungary 0, Budapest, Oct. 26, 1979: A two-goal win over a good European team in its capital was something. Hungary was not the superpower that it had been 25 years before, but it wasn’t bad. In the previous year’s World Cup in Argentina, it had finished last in its first-round group, but that was one of the most loaded first-round groups in World Cup history, with Argentina, Italy and France. This game was at the Nep Stadium (above), Hungary’s national stadium, and the United States had been beaten, 3-0, by France two weeks before in Paris. That suggested that it was going to be a long 90 minutes in Budapest for the Americans, but the team and coach Walt Chyzowych had used those two weeks well in preparing for this game. Both American goals came on breakaways, by Louie Nanchoff in the 70th minute and 10 minutes later by Angelo DiBernardo, who took advantage of the way the Hungarians were pressing forward for an equalizer. In between the two goals, Hungary had been awarded a penalty, but the shot went over the bar.
United States 3, Ireland 1, Washington, May 30, 1992: The United States turned in an exciting performance in this game, the opener of a dry-run tournament being conducted by the organizers of the 1994 World Cup. The visitors had been in the World Cup quarterfinals just two years before. The United States was fielding a full-strength team, including the long-awaited U.S. debuts of Thomas Dooley and Roy Wegerle, and the return from European club seasons of John Harkes, Paul Caligiuri and Tab Ramos. Two excellent goals in the final 20 minutes broke open a game that had been tied, 1-1. First, Ramos took a low cross from Fernando Clavijo and sent it into a corner of the net with a bullet of a volley from 20 yards out. With three minutes left, Wegerle back-heeled the ball toward Dooley in the penalty area. As keeper Gerry Payton dove at the ball, Dooley chipped it between defenders toward the far post and Harkes ran onto it to blast it into an open net.
United States 1, Mexico 0, Pasadena, June 4, 1994: Coach Bora Milutinovic took a chance by sending his team up against a strong opponent in front of a hostile crowd of more than 90,000 in its final game before the start of the World Cup. The gamble paid off in a victory that sent the American team’s confidence soaring. In the 52nd minute, Thomas Dooley sent a long ball from well behind the halfway line to Eric Wynalda near the left corner of the Mexican penalty area. Wynalda beat one defender as he dribbled to the end line, turned the corner, nutmegged another defender and drew goalkeeper Jorge Campos toward him at the near post. He then flicked the ball out to Roy Wegerle in the center of the penalty area for an open shot inside the far post.
I was watching some footage of the ’94 team on the Youtube yesterday. Forgot how really, really good those guys were. Not just like “wow, isn’t that great they’re there,” but “these fellas can really play” good.
I’ve always kinda seen that game against Ireland, even if it was in a friendly tournament as some kind of landmark game… as you said it was when we finally gave debuts to Dooley & Wegerle and was really our first victory over a “big team” that I could remember, or I mean it was a victory that sparked a series of other wins against higher calibre teams like Portugal, England, Colombia, Norway, etc. in the next coming years….
In 1992 Ireland was not a big team, nor was it a big upset.Both nations were at about equal footing as up and comers on the world football stage.Ireland had a quick and brief ushering in from all the “granny was Irish ” Englsih fringe players starting about this time.But at this time in history the Republic was not far removed from the regular drubbings from the team across the border in Belfast.
I agree that this was not a big upset, which is why I didn’t call it that. I called it a significant victory. Ireland is not a traditional power, but it still was a pretty good team in that era. It had reached the final eight of both the 1988 European Championships and the 1990 World Cup, and was to reach the final 16 of the 1994 World Cup. Just a month before, it had beaten the United States by 4-1 in Dublin. So, I think that a 3-1 win over it was a very decent result.
The 2-0 win over England in the ’94 US Cup to me was bigger than the 3-1 over Ireland two years previous.
Are you serious Ireland and the US on level terms then? Were you watching soccer at that time? Or at least Itlaia 90? The US had just finised rock bottom @ Italia 90, getting thrashed 5-1 by Czechslovakia and beaten by Italy and Austria. Ireland FYI had reached the quarterfinals getting out and undefeated from a tough group consisting of England, Holland and Egypt. They qualified for WC 94 by finishing ahead of the Euro champs Denmark and if I’m not mistaken had beaten N.Ireland 3-0 in both WC 90 & 94 qualification, thus rendering your last point. Also their squad was packed with players playing in the English top flight, especially clubs like Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa & Leeds – the latter who were two of England’s best teams… we didn’t even have a professional league at the time. Ireland were definitely a notch above us. And I would definitely say it was an upset mate….
Ireland reached the quarters in 1990 without winning a game, scoring all of 2 goals (the same as the US), and playing in an astonishingly ugly Route One style (“NO FOOTBALL PLEASE, WE’RE BRITISH”). Don’t over-romanticize it.
yeah but they CONCEDED only two goals going into the quarters and then the killer third in their 5th and final game vs. Italy… we leaked 8 in 3 games.. besides as far as playing anti-football and not scoring many goals, erm wasn’t that Italia 90 in a nutshell?
@ Art – yeah but I think the point in this article was for victories “less remembered” as he said in the first paragraph…. I think everyone remembers England, Colombia, etc…. the Mexico win, even I didn’t remember
What about USA 2-0 Mexico in the 1991 Gold Cup semi?
Roger… congratulations on the fantastic job educating on the obscure history of your national program.
HOWEVER, over in the Mexico forum we have a long running meme about how the USMNT are the Friendly Match Champions of the World… the fact that all four of your “significant victories” come in meaningless friendlies is too good
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2002 unavailable for comment
A fluke, 4 friendlies, and a moral victory over Neymar’s Brazil… congrats!
Your input is so highly valued and appreciated. Thank you!
Yes, these four are all friendlies. After all, the theme of this post is victories that aren’t well remembered, and if obscure results is what you’re looking for, friendlies is where to find them. We have won a few competitive games, too. By my rough count, 117 of them.
Well then you have 117 matches to choose from. Friendlies are simply put.. nothing, absolutely nothing.
Nothing.. being an antonym of significant.
The scores of friendlies are of very minimal significance today. But this isn’t about today. All four of these games were a while ago.
USA 3 Portugal 2 = Not Insignificant
I was at the US v Ireland game. It was my first international and one of my most memorable soccer experiences.
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