Having a few hours to kill before work... (working on a holiday: bad!) I looked up the all-time US results to see who we've never beaten and who, conversly, has never beaten us. There are, of course, a lot of countries we've never played (including Wales)... Take it for what it's worth... Still looking for that first win against: Italy Northern Ireland Spain Ukraine Holland Iran Yugoslavia Switzerland Denmark Australia Japan France Egypt North Korea Bolivia Morocco Czech Republic/Slovakia* *as Czechoslovakia Countries we positively own: Estonia Paraguay Luxembourg Barbados Trinidad & Tobago Netherlands Antilles Thailand Jamaica Venezuela South Africa Finland Malta Liechtenstein Ivory Coast Panama Kuwait Cayman Islands Moldova Armenia New Zealand BTW, there are (at least) three countries who we've played to draws: Turkey, Greece, and Tunisia
The most painful losses in chronological order (yes, slightly off topic): Feb. 91 -- 0-1 loss to Bermuda. We'd just been to the WC in Italy, been awarded the '94 WC, played to some decent results, and then lost to Bermuda. July 93 -- 0-4 loss to Mexico. After surging in the Gold Cup, suggesting that we might do something in the '94 games, Mexico pimp slaps us in a nationally televised game, suggesting '94 might be a long hot summer for US fans. July 4, 94 --- 0-1 loss to Brazil. Brazil cheats to win. Dec., 96 -- 1-2 loss to Costa Rica. After being pelted with batteries, tear gas, and bags of urine, we go home with no points. April '98 -- 3-0 win over Austria. Enough said. June 98 -- 0-2 loss to Germany. We played like cowards. The low point of US soccer. June 02 -- 0-1 loss to Germany. It was ours.
I'd add in the three losses in January 1997 (Demark, Mex. and Peru). Samson fields a B team at a time he should have been building unity and spirit, embarrasing the team and sending a clear signal that he wasn't up for the job.
Cheated my a$$!. Leornado has already said several times that poke on Ramos was a reflex movement as it was not meant to put him out of action, and has apologized to Ramos after that (they even become friends later). Besides, what was the advantage of doing that? Brazil went one man down, and the score was already 0-0 at that time.
He actually said it was his biggest regret in his career. Also considered by some to be among the worst fouls: http://www.observer.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,716581,00.html Whether Brazil cheated or not, I agree that this was a dissapointing loss -- the elbow, whether calculated or not, took out a key player in a very thin team.
A couple of other stingers 1. USA 2 Honduras 3, WC '02 Qualifying- USA looked slow and outclassed at home. 2. Iran 2 USA 1, WC '98- 3. England 2 USA 0, Fall '94- USA coming off a promising WC '94 looks second class against a strong England team that included Alan Shearer and Teddy Shearingham in attack. Validated English views about the USA's place in the world of soccer. 4. Austria 2 USA 1, WC '90- A short-handed and Austrian team beats USA playing a man down for a significant portion of the match
Won the game, lost the war. Exactly. We probably would have lost anyway, but the injury to Ramos put a bitter taste on a sweet moment in US Soccer history.
About Brazil, Europe It seems we have been close with Brazil off and on the last couple of years---we are 1 and 2 against them since 98. All games decided by one goal and one of our losses was in a friendly. Our win was in the Gold Cup of 98 and the loss was in the Confederations Cup of 99. Therefore, I don't fear Brazil but we will always be weary of them for sure--as they are the top of the soccer food chain. WE NEED TO PLAY BRAZIL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE though! If we are ever to get up to the top level, we will need to schedule more and more matches against the Brazilians. Isn't that funny. We don't fear the best team in the game but seem to be jelly-legged when we play some European teams. I don't get that. But, I think that mindset is passing with each season of soccer as we start to whittle away at the elite of Europe. Anyway, the US team will win one of our tourneys this summer--Confeds or Gold Cup. My bet---we split each one with Brazil, unless we knock each other out in them.
Brasil 7 X 0 EUA Amistoso Restritivo 7/4/1999 Brasília/Brasil http://oglobo.globo.com/oglobo/esportes/servicos/selecao.asp That is pretty much recent.
hey you can add croatia on the list of teams you got beaten by 2-1 back in 1991 and that list of teams you own is impressive lmao and after tonight add wales to teams you couldnt beat.......simon davies goallllllllllllllllll
Re: About Brazil, Europe We don't have to deal with constant bitching with Brazil like we do with the Euros
Wasn't this a youth squad? I think this is the infamous game where we sent our youth scrubs to play, and some guy dribbled a corner kick out. I think every Brazilian I ever met called me that night to give me crap.
Re: A couple of other stingers Man, that one hurt. I had no idea when I boasted to my Persian friends about the American team that they would come out and beat us. When that first header went in, I almost died.
LMAO - Yes that 3-0 win to Austria was *Most Painful*. Don't believe me? That was recently confirmed by a member of the US Nat Squad. Anyway Todda for many of us that was the match that made Steve Sampson a believer in the 3-6-1 formation that was soon to bring us doom at France98. and yes certainly the Iran WC Match deserves to be on your list... I was there... it was Painful... very F****** Painful.
IIRC it was an U-23 some other thread recently mentioned it. Only decent player you guys put in was Landon Donovan. As for the Leonardo - Ramos incident, Leonardo is that rare exception among Latin American players in that he comes from an educated background not one of poverty where soccer is the best way out. What he did in that game was very clearly not like him and he made it clear that he reacted in frustration, instinctively and that he regretted it the second it happened. He doesn't deserve being remembered for that. How did Brazil cheat in that game???
I think it's clear that he deeply regretted the incident, and it was out of frustration. It was unfair to say Brazil cheated -- it was just a disappointing way for the US to go out. (My original tag line was something like "A bitter way to go out, and a permanent scar on Leonardo's legacy). In that game we were playing an ugly, but effective holding game, hoping to go to penalty kicks. The foul changed the game and I believe broke the US team spirit. For that, I put it in the painful loss category. Regarding the Iran loss, I too was there -- my greatest memory of that game was how fantastic the Iranian fans were -- gracious in victory, I still occassionlly wear an Iranian jersey a fan gave after the game. Somehow, it was actually one of the most enjoyable losses for me. (Contrast this with the Yugoslavian fans, who were basically scum. Only the "Que Sera Sera" song gave that game a glimmer of joy.).
(to continue the threadjacking) Any list of worst U.S. losses must include the one that knocked us out of the qualifying for the 1986 WC (since ratfacejt's original list didn't include any time qualification).
It looks like the 0-1 loss to Costa Rica eliminated us. But who remembers that game? We didn't have expectations to advance, so I wouldn't put it on the all time painful loss category. I'd vote for the loss to Germany in Korea. As the original post said, "it was ours" and in that game we were cheated and we were the better team that day. When the game ended I was happy we had played so well. But I've stewed about it for the last year, and now I'm just pissed (and not in the good british sort of way).
We only needed a tie, at home, to advance for the first time in years. After that loss, we didn't lose again at home until Honduras in DC. (Then again, I certainly don't remember that game. Too young, and soccer wasn't really showing up on TV yet.)