Paraguay at USA: Columbus 2003 New Zealand at USA: Richmond 2003 Japan (oops, I mean Paraguay) at USA: Seattle 2003 Argentina at USA: Miami 2003 El Salvador at USA: Washington DC 2002 Holland at USA: Foxboro 2002 I can't remember if I was at Ecuador at USA in Columbus or not... I do know that I was at Korea at USA WWC1999 Foxboro 1999.
1994 - USA vs. Switzerland 2001 - USA vs. Jamaica 2002 - All USA Games in Korea 2002 - USA vs. El Salvador 2003 - USA vs. El Salvador 2004 - USA vs. Haiti 2004 - USA vs. Grenada (with 6 more to come this fall)
I have never travelled farther than 200 miles for a soccer game, (until Germany 2006). My only cap was ARROWHEAD 4/25/01 when Wolff poked in goal for a 1-0 WCQ win over Costa Rica.
USA 1 Guatemala 0 WCQ 9/3/00 Probably the most intense game I was at. Real nerves everywhere - and we needed the three points. When McBride scored - jubilation. Sadly no game I've been has been close to that - a couple of drab affairs between Barbados and T & T
That was my first one as well. Since then I've been to Foxboro for the Jamaica qualifier later that year, all 5 WC matches in Korea, and to Columbus for the Paraguay friendly last summer and the Grenada qualifier a couple weeks ago.
October 7, 2001 United States 2, Jamaica 1 Foxboro Stadium The US qualified for the WC with this win. Oh yeah.
Since it looks like we're listing all our caps now... USA 4-2 El Salvador (Foxboro, Nov. 97, WCQ) USA 0-0 Scotland (RFK, May 98, Friendly) USA 1-0 Argentina (RFK, June? 99, Friendly) USA 3-0 Honduras (Hershey, March 2000, Olympic Qualifying, U-23) USA 3-0 Mexico (Meadowlands, July? 2000, Nike Cup) USA 1-0 Guatemala (RFK, Sept. 2000, WCQ) USA 2-0 Trinidad (Foxboro, June 2001, WCQ) USA 2-3 Honduras (RFK, Sept. 2001, WCQ) USA 2-1 Jamaica (Foxboro, Oct. 2001, WCQ) USA 2-0 Uruguay (RFK, May 2002, Friendly) USA 3-4? MLS All-Stars (RFK, Aug. 2002, Friendly) USA 2-1 New Zealand (Richmond, June 2003, Friendly)
Ah yes, I was there too. I clearly remamber hearing the P.A announcer go "and we have scores from other games..." Right then and there, I knew we were in. Of course I'm going nuts jumping up and down - and everyone else is looking at me like "What is this guy on?"
USA 0:1 Brazil, Lyon France, Confederations Cup 2003. Took the train 10 hours down to Lyon the day of the game from my internship in Germany. Got up the next morning and took it 10 hours back to Germany. Well worth the trip, one of the more memorable events of my life. I never thought a loss could be so fantastic. Tim Howard was simply incredible. I will never forget the individual effort he demonstrated in the game. I still have nightmares about Berhalter's defensive blunder. Do you think this requires therapy? Can't wait 'til July 11, see you in Chicago!
There there now, just because you didn't get the fire truck for Christmas that one year doesn't mean you have to live the phrase "doesn't play well with others."
June 14, 2002 - Poland v. USA (Daejeon, Korea) And what an effort I had to make to get to the match. I got the USA TST-6 (Fixed in November). As I was a student at Ohio State (where the quarter finals ended on June 13), I was only going to schedule classes for spring quarter that had finals on the first day of finals week, MONDAY (same day as USA-Korea). Take my finals Monday, fly to the west coast, meet up with my friend from LA. We fly out on Air Canada departing Thursday, June 13 through Vancouver. The Air Canada flight into Seoul was the first to arrive each day from North America (gets in at 3pm). This gave us 5 and half hours until kickoff from the point we got to the gate. We get through immigration, baggage, customs by 330. There's a shuttle for the three hour ride to Daejeon. We get to the city at 630 with the plan to drop off our bags at our hotel then head to the stadium, but our Korean driver can't find the damn place. We get to our motel (after circling the city for 30 minutes) at 715. Drop off our bags, get a cab, get to the stadium. I get in the queue for beer, ask (I forget who, I'm sure someone on this board) the American in front of me, "What's the limit (so I don't have to wait again)?" His reply, "No limit, do you think this isn't Yankee Stadium?" So I get my beer, get to our reserved "standing area" in our US Corner/End at 810pm. I then enjoy my first cap and party afterwards until 2am. Will never forget the details of the day.
Great story Buckeye! Yeah, those taxis in Daejeon weren't the best. We were lost from the train to the hotel. Then from the hotel to the bar, before the game. Then from the bar after the game (early in the morning), we were taken to the wrong hotel--and didn't realize it! Had quite the conversation with the desk clerk when he wouldn't give us our key! Anyway, imo, there has never been a post game celebration like the one after that match, a 3-1 loss! The WHOLE country went monkey poo. I will NEVER forger that night.
Not a good debut for me: September 1, 2001: US 2-3 Honduras --************ seats (couldn't see part of the field) --Surrounded by odiferous Hondurans --Got lost; arrived late; missed the US early goal --The game itself (no need to recap) Somehow the sucktastic experience only sharpened my appetite for seeing US games and the US havent' crapped themselves in other games I've attended; since then I'm 5-1-1. Not too bad.
Last year , US v. Mexico in Houston. Game ended in 0-0 tie, but what a game. Atmosphere was kick ass with 68.000 fans in the stands, the non-stop action, and those beautiful horns. I was sitting very close to the half-line in the very first row!!! IT doesn't get better than THAT!!! Watching it live made the 90 minutes go by really fast. Yep I was there with my horn wearing my Mexican team jersey and ............errrr, Oh I think I've said too much now.
damn... one of the older ones here, well, in terms of first cap November 5th, 1989... WCQ US-El Salvador in St. Louis, sold out (8500) i was there with my gradeschool rec team from springfield, il... i know ted eck was on the team back in those days (i know he didn't play that day, and i'm not even sure if he was on the roster)... eck is from springfield... he and his brother created the program at my future highschool me and my teammates were going thru a sports illustrated for kids magazine before the game... they had a spread on meola, ramos and wynalda & balboa (??)... so my friends took it down to the field to have the players sign... tons of mullets everywhere... oh man were there mullets game ended 0-0... about the only "highlight" i remember was ramos beating someone on the dribble, only to have the guy swing the back of his arm through tab's face/neck and earn a yellow next WCQ was the "shot heard round the world"
Growing up about 45 minutes from the Soccer Park, I'm trying to remember why I wasn't at that one. I was at the previous qualifier in St. Louis against Costa Rica when a Ramos shot took a deflection at went in during the second half. In about the 85th minute, Costa Rica got a PK. Their taker thought that going el centro would be the way to go, but David Vanole (I think this was right before he really started putting on the pounds, but he was still pretty big) stayed el centro and made the save. My first one was before that one though. It was likely against Trinidad.
USA 3:0 Austria in Vienna (pre WC '98 friendly) We hammered them. There was a decent sized group of american fans there, mostly college students. After the game I was trying to get back to my hostel with an American flag on a pole and a lot of Austrian fans on the street were applauding me and honking horns, and a few wanted me to wave the flag around, but I was too embarassed to do that. So they took it from me and waved it around for a while and then gave it back! Too bad that we bottomed out 2 months later.
Remember the conga lines by the stadium gates?? Everybody was ecstatic that night. I just remember walking to the bus and saying "Gamsa Hamnida" to every Korean I passed.
Live..last Sunday USA 1- POLSKA 1 I sat in Clint Mathis alloted seats next to the Beasleys, Mrs. McBride, and the Bocanegras...and some really irrating old lady that knew absolutly nothing about soccer. Overall it was a great atmosphere for my first Nats game.