American Fiasco 98 USA Team

It was a great listen, I binged it yesterday.

Bennet has his schtick, but he's actually a really good journalist when he wants to be

 

The guys from the fed come off as delusional lunatics. They don't own any aspect of the cynical attempt to divide the team through payments based on service time alone in '95 before the Copa.

The question for me was what in the hell happened to the unity the players showed in '94-'95, and the selfishness they showed in '98, epitomized by Wegerle's cynical take at the team meeting ("We're all in this just for ourselves and what this can do for our careers").

The sense I got was that three things caused the debacle:

*In trying to leave his imprimatur on the team, Sampson alienated every veteran player involved, and set up fractures in the unity that existed with his tinkering.

*Veterans responded terribly to his efforts to tinker and find the best lineup and roster/possible which worsened the chemistry.

*Then Harkes happened.Destroying what was left of the fragile chemistry that existed.*

The key element in the Harkes factor which I didn't understand but do understand now is that Balboa and then Harkes apparently were captains for years and years, Balboa was removed from his role w/o explanation and then deemphasized which caused problems, then removing Harkes just weeks before the Cup started left the team rudderless.


I can add that the decision to house the team in an isolated chateau exacerbated the problems that existed allowing them to stew in their feelings instead of letting them go.

Blame probably should be apportioned primarily to Sampson, and secondarily to the players for their often selfish and immature handling of the issues and to the Fed for hiring a coach with zero experience or C.V. and no justification whatsoever for holding the job.

Nobody really came off that good.

Trying to remember who was interviewed:

Fed Official(s): Arrogant, self-aggrandizing, disingenuous scumbag. The cynical attempt to divide the interests of the players right before the '95 Copa America seems obvious, and the unwillingness to own that the feds actions were epic scumbaggery by pinning the blame on players wanting more money is hilarious.

Lalas: Comes across as basically entitled and selfish, but also understandably so.

Balboa: Kinda the same, I get why he's bummed, but at the same time, sometimes a coach doesn't think you're good enough. Full Stop. And judging by where your career and play was going in the late nineties, from my memory, I'm not so sure he was wrong. The problem for me was stripping the captaincy and the results from there.

Harkes: Still won't talk about the affair, and as such pretends his canning came from nothing. In most peoples books, there's really nothing worse guy could do, so he comes off pretty badly. We already knew about his talent, I expected some more humility and got zilch.

Wynalda: Kinda what was expected, a mix of anger, frustration, and honesty. Sounds like he did what he could to seal the breach caused by Harkes, and Sampson wouldn't listen for understandable reasons. I kinda get his response in '98 and remember his Jim Rome interview from that summer. He's the same guy, and the story of him being just focused and angry suggests an interesting aspect to his personality. That for all the extroverted behavior, he can be introverted too.

Wegerle: I never liked him, and I like him much less now. What a horrific Team Meeting mini-speech. What purpose did that serve other than one that was self-serving?

Hejduk: He doesn't come across at all to me like the OP thought. He just comes across as a stereotype of a SoCal/San Diego/LA surfer type to me. I've known a bunch of people of that sort, and Hejduk fits that stereotype really well just in the short interview clips: Someone whose fixated on having a good time, avoiding negativity at all costs, relaxing, Bob Marley, Regge and fun. His response to everything makes sense when you look at it from that perspective. Feels bad that he misses out on the team for 6 months as a punishment because he missed a flight. Gets back on team just a short while before the Cup starts, is thrilled, aims to have fun, and does so. Team doesn't win, but he drinks up the moment, has fun with it, and avoids all the negativity. This isn't teachers pet behavior, this is the behavior of someone focused on indulging in positivity and avoiding negativity whenever and wherever possible, so as a result, he doesn't get why all the players made such a once in a lifetime experience a miserable one, when they could have enjoyed it instead.

It's not a stretch to imagine that if the rest of the players had approached everything with Heyduk's attitude, we would have made it out of the group, or at least collected 3 points. I don't think it's the correct approach to life personality, life is yin AND yang, not just yang, and in order to grow, and learn, and evolve, you need to drink up what you can of both. However, it seems like the chateau and playing with Sampson as a whole in those last 18 months or thereabouts before the cup and during the cup was all Yin, so not surprising that someone would want to escape that, and in the moment, Yang was far more needed than Yin.

Really interesting if depressing listen. Would be curious to hear a similar one on the US Failure five or ten years from now when players have more distance from it.

Regardless, as mentioned earlier, it definitely seems like Sampson made a classic teacher mistake in starting his career as coach one way, then trying to switch his approach entirely during the second half of his time with the US Men and the Vets, like most students, rebelled, and refused to submit, when that was exacerbated by the demotion of the key players capable of shifting chemistry and attitudes w/the rest, chaos ensued. You can't remove Balboa AND Harkes, leaving the room w/o a leader and not expect a disaster to happen unless you have a third commanding presence that can lead: the US didn't have one beyond, apparently strong silent type Wegerle, and he made the situation even worse, rather than better when called upon.

 

mike burns

 

You forgot Agoos. Felt bad for that guy. At least he got his shot in 2002.
Agree about your take on Frankie.

 

Thanks. I'm sure there's some others. Amidst all this stuff you have the heartbreak of '02 where he basically was single handedly responsible for nearly knocking us out in the group stage. He deserved better, but at the same time, many of us have sporting dreams and fantasies and for more than 99.9% of us, they never come true. Reminds me of an old line from D'Onofrio in his Law and Order show to paraphrase, "Welcome to the anonymity of the human race." Or something of that sort.

There is certainly moments of a clear sense of entitlement some of them had. For guys like Balboa, and Agoos, part of the problem for both was that they just weren't very good. They were that in-between: good enough to make a living at the sport, but not good enough to actually be in any way special as players. Maybe Balboa was better than that, at least as a leader anyway, I can't really remember. I remember Agoos as just being borderline competent at the international level, and good for the MLS in the 1990's and early aughts, but in terms of quality as an International? He was the best we had at the time, but he wasn't actually "good". I understand that it's heart breaking putting in all that work, and then not getting on the field, but again, welcome to the human race. Nearly every guy who ever played sports already lived through that brutal moment of realization, knowing their sporting dreams wouldn't come true. It doesn't make Agoos or Balboa's suffering any more empathetic to me than anyone else's. They got a chance to play in a World Cup, and earn a living playing professional sports. Props to them for achieving their goals, but a little humility wouldn't hurt either.

At the same time, I feel similarly to the Fed reps we hear from, who for god knows what reason, were in huge positions of authority for developing soccer in this country despite having only the most threadbare of understanding w/regards to the sport. The hubris of these guys is just as intolerable to me.

 

Ooh boy, this was a really well done series and a tough listen for so many reasons. First was the visceral response of bringing up some tough memories. Second, it really makes you question whether we have made any progress at all in the past 25 years. Supposedly our player pool has gotten better, but really would we expect our current squad to go to the Copa America and have the same results as 1995? Do our current national team players have much more success in top foreign leagues than Harkes, Dooley, and even Hejduk?! It feels like we are just as far away now as ever. Third, isn't it amazing to hear the same problems plaguing our federation now as then? An incompetent federation unable to make reasonable coaching decisions, team chemistry destroyed by entitled veterans resenting foreign players, etc.

A few other random thoughts.

1. Music was great, and really captured the sense of nostalgia and loss. That followed by Bob Ley's voice at the end got me every time.
2. Eff Lalas. He admitted he went to the world cup knowing he wasn't going to play and *intending* to be destructive. Virtually no contrition by him or any of the other players.
3. Everyone but Hejduk and McBride comes across as terrible. We get it Agoos, you worked hard. So did the guy who made it in your place. You got your chance in 2002 and stunk, so it takes a lot of nerve to whine about injustice. Balboa couldn't handle the pressure of not having a guaranteed spot in the lineup? Grow up and be a professional.
4. I loved the condescension when Bennett says "Oh Steve." Sums up the Sampson experience nicely.

 

That moment has been burned into my brain for twenty years.... I hear his name and I get sick

 

Excellent series, makes me absolutely livid at these spoiled brats that pissed away the 2018 World Cup. Yes Lalas comes off badly in this, but when you really think about that rag tag bunch getting shafted by their own federation actually at least getting to the World Cup, it puts this take in perspective:

 

THIS! All the feels.

 

Sampson ruined the team, but Harkes has to own his personal failing.

 

Agoos was good for us until probably 2000 or 2001, I thought he was better than Balboa and Lalas but I saw more of him in his peak years than the other guys. The problem was that he was predictably washed as a 34 year old in 2002.

 

I always felt the 1998 team had talent. Two things killed it.

First was that Samson came up with his scheme, tried it once to good effect - and then decided it would be his secret weapon and stopped using it until the The Cup. So no one knew what the he’ll they were doing.

The second was personnel. He was right to drop Harkes and was a stand up guy not saying why out of respect to Wynalda. Dropping Agoos for Regis right before the Cup was a mistake - despite the fact Regis was better. It was additional instability at the wrong time.

1998 was a missed opportunity.

PS - I have not listened yet, but I will. Interested in seeing how my memory of it lines up with what they say

 

Don't feed the colonialist ego. 98% of the time he and his BBB are taking the piss and having a real sublime go at the simplistic American perspective and players.

 

You mean the perspective and players that failed to go to make a WC? Totally OK with it.

It's not his first team but I think he is truly a fan.

 

I've wondered this myself. I think MLS has been been great for adding depth to our side. I don't think it's a stretch to say in 2014 that our B side could have made the HEX and even challenged for a spot, but if you do a straight up pick the best XI from '98 and now they'd be a fair number of '98 guys. And considering what those guys accomplished in their careers for both club and country it's amazing, especially when you realize they matured in world with NO professional league, no academies, no US in the World Cup, and no American's playing abroad.

Having said all this '98 also shows you what can happen when players get a taste of fame, and expectation. Almost feels like "Major League 2" just without the happy ending.

 

mls has helped concacaf rivals FAR more than its helped us.

 

A great listen. Thanks @Cubanlix63.

 

A little over half way through now. Fun listen and perspective on the 98 debacle, well researched and explored with the people who lived it. Easy to binge several episodes at a time.

One other thought... This had to have been a labor of love rather than a shrewd business decision. Audience for this is, what, 1000 people? Maybe 1500 if we'd actually qualified? Hats off to those who pushed through to make it happen. I for one am really enjoying it.

 

Why I thought it was silly that he explained some of the most basic things as if the listener knew absolutely nothing about soccer.

 

98 World Cup was the day I realized how ********ed up the USSF really was. I actually thought they knew what they were doing before that year.

 

Steve screwed up because he was over his head and afraid. Hank was a bit of a bully and a blow hard. The impact of the two of them on the team was kill the spirit of a team that had real confidence. The players were the ones on the field, but team spirit and cohesiveness gets built. This group of veterans didn't need to be handled the way they were. Steve is still a defensive prick, afraid to own up to being way over his head.

 

That was intentional to try and pick up people who only follow soccer for the world cup. I actually think he did a good job of making it accessible even to someone who knew little or nothing about the sport, while still diving deep enough to make it engaging to someone like myself who followed the whole thing as it was happening. Still remember everyone going stir crazy at the Chateau being a thing even before the first game against Germany.

 

And so much of that sense of entitlement came down to the fact that those US players from that era had so little competition for so long. Of course, we must always be grateful to the Italia 90 and USA 94 generations for getting us those big results and helping put the country on the map on the world stage. But the other side of the coin is that those guys had practically zero competition for a very long time. Who were they up against? Other college players? And our pro league didn't come along until 1996. So it's only natural that guys like Harkes, Balboa, Lalas, et al would start to think they were "uncuttable".

And you're right, a little humility wouldn't have hurt for some of those players. When you hear them come off as completely baffled as to why they didn't play in the tournament you know they're either being a) disingenuous, or b) they simply don't get it. Regis got it though, as evidenced by his response when asked about displacing Agoos at the last minute: "That's how it is. With high level sports we're always in competition with someone."

However, we know the reason why Balboa and Lalas' playing time evaporated in that period, and we can basically sum it up in a single name: Eddie Pope. Once he emerged in qualifying in late '96 the writing was pretty much on the wall for those two. Yet oddly, there's not a single mention of his name in the entire podcast. Makes me wonder if he declined to participate and/or requested to be left out of it.