Which Wave Did You Ride In On?

Watched the 2009 Confed cup, and have been a fan ever since, never really watched soccer before that, but those USA matches were wild. Instantly hooked.

 

I was a general soccer fan before I realized the US had a team. The first World Cup I remember watching was '82. Still some of my favorite memories watching are from then. I was rooting for West Germany when they lost to Italy in the final back then, although the game of that tournament was West Germany vs. France in the semis, but respect to Dino Zoff. Can't remember exactly when I found out the US had a team, but I do remember seeing the US team play some Russian club team in an exhibition in St. Louis in the 80s. I also remember a young Hugo Perez playing a youth tournament for the US around that time and being amazed that the best player on that field was American. Maradona in 86 was amazing to see. Then finally the US actually getting a team to the big show in Italy 1990, and you could start to see a few more US team games on TV. Started following the team basically as media has allowed ever since. You could never see games for years with standard TVs. But whenever they played them I watched.

 

I have a similar story. My first WC was 1978 (Argentina and Netherlands in the final). I was playing high school and club soccer at the time and wanted to to be a professional player. Fours years later, I had a chance to play college ball, but with the NASL not looking to be viable for much longer, I decided not to play.

After that, I was focused on college (engineering major) and getting my career started and stopped paying attention to soccer. In the late 80s, I started playing in pickup and a local adult league, but still didn't pay much attention to professional soccer (not much, if any on TV).

So, 1990 WC is being televised and I watch the tournament with the US. One of my high school teammates (Chris Sullivan) is playing. LOL. I'm hooked and have been a USMNT fan ever since. I attended one or two games leading up to the 1994 WC and attended all of the WC games at Stanford and final in Pasadena (went to the US vs Brazil game at Stanford on 4 July - face and back painted in an American flag). I have a binder full of trading cards from the tournament.

A lot of great memories over the years 1995 Copa America, 2002 WC, and Confederations Cup 2009. I still remember running between my upstairs and downstairs in my house watching two games at the same time as US was losing to Poland and Korea was playing Portugal at sometime early in the morning. South Korea and Portugal (tied or lost?). So, SK and US advanced. Memories.

 

The Landon Donovan wave......

 

I remember watching the Bulgaria v. Italy game in the '86 WC when I was 7 after I had been playing for a couple years. That game was fine, but I fell in love with that Brazil team with Socrates, Careca, Josimar, et. al. I was devastated when France beat them in the quarters and carried a grudge against the French until watching Zidane won me back a bit in the late '90s.

But I was confused as to why the US never seemed to have games during the '86 WC, and that's when my parents sat me down for the talk--Americans just aren't very good at soccer and don't really care about it. After that, I became obsessed with the US bid to host in '94 and qualify for '90.

 

I was in class in college with Tony Meola. So, 1989, I would say.

 

1994 was when I first started watching, but I’d say the road to WC 1998 was when I can say I started to really get into it.

 

94 World Cup was my intro and I got really into it, but I completely skipped 98. Got into it again with the 02 World Cup, dabbled in following the club game as well off and on for a few years. Actually, though, the 2005 NHL lockout is what made me a "full-time" soccer fan.

 

Study abroad during the 2002 cycle got me. I am a longtime sports guy and I had watched a little UCL in college tv rooms but had no real interest before being immersed in the obsessive soccer culture in Costa Rica.

Seeing the city shut down when La Sele played was the intro and when they literally danced in the streets after beating Mexico at the Azteca, that got me fully hooked on the energy of international soccer.

I still remember my host father, a former pro, watching the U20s and telling me, Donovan and Beasley would be playing at the World Cup.

 

I'm a '94 as well. I too missed '98 due to graduating college/moving in with a succubus and starting a new job, but was back in '02, watching all the US games live at 1 or 4 in the morning. Been here ever since.

 

I watched the 1986 World Cup Final (cheering for Argentina). I got into US Soccer in the Italia '90 qualifiers.

 

'94 World Cup. Skipped '98 as I was in college, and I skipped 90% of things that didn't involve me being in college then.

Got back into '02 and have stayed in since. Very much regret never going until my choices were Russia and Qatar, neither of which worked for various reasons. Will do USA of course, but want to travel to one at some point.

 

Watched 1966 WC. Listened 1962.

 

'94 I was rooting for Colombia but also for the USA against every other team casually.
Starting about the 1998 Gold Cup I really got on the bandwagon. Keller looking like Superman against Brasil was phenomenal.

2002 World Cup was so much fun too of course.

 

I caught some WC matches on TV in '94 but I didn't really pay close attention or develop any real interest at that point in time.

I got hooked in '96 when MLS started and I began following the Revolution. From there I started tuning in to every televised USMNT match. Unfortunately that means the 1998 WC was my first major tournament rooting for the USMNT. And my other team was arguably the worst in MLS.

Joe-Max Moore was initially my favorite USMNT player due to the Revs connection, but I also quickly became a fan of Eric Wynalda and Kasey Keller.

Keller was also probably the only reason I ever watched European soccer back then, and only infrequently when I'd stumble across one of his Leicester or Rayo Vallecano games on (I think?) Fox Sports World or ESPN2. I didn't really start following European soccer closely until the early to mid 2000s when Americans began moving over en masse. I think 04-05 was basically the first year I paid any attention to the Champions League.

Most of the soccer fans I know in real life think of me as a little odd because everything about my interest in the sport from the beginning and to this day ties in so closely with the USMNT, whereas everyone else has their much more recent European or MLS club attachments, and then a casual, sporadic interest in the USMNT.

 

I played in the 80s and 90s in a soccer hotbed. I was in the ODP/national team pool and got to play with/against some familiar names from that era. My interest comes from being a part of building the game in our country.

 

Disjointed memories of a mad and slightly-drunk man:

I watched the 1998 World Cup, but it was the year 1999 that made me a fan. Actually, I can remember the exact games. We played a friendly against Germany (maybe February, if memory serves me correct) and I can remember a screamer from Jovan Kirovski and a goal by Tony Sanneh after dispossessing a German player and scoring on the ensuing breakaway. Not long after we played Chile and goals from Ben Olsen and Brian McBride sealed victory against a chippy Chilean side. I had those games taped to VHS and watched these two games over and over the following months.

Not long after that we played Mexico in the final of the US Cup and despite outplaying them we lost 2-1. A tie would have been good enough to win the four team tournament that saw us earlier beat a NASTY Guatamala, with Joe Max Moore getting a red card against Guatemala and to this day it's unknown as to what he did because the replay showed diddly-squat. Anywho, Mexico had a blast off the crossbar late in the game, while Chris Armas flubbed a chance 1 on 1 with Jorge Campos, or perhaps it was Perez in goal. Tony Meola's face met Palencia's knee in the first half and he had to be subbed for Zach Thornton after blood was pouring from his lip. Frankie Heydude had our only goal to tie it 1-1 and I thought we would go on to win.

A few months later we played a friendly against Argentina at RFK Stadium, an intense match that saw us win 1-0 . It was a game that very much didn't feel like a friendly. Kasey Keller saved a penalty and made a number of great saves, while Joe Max Moore scored off a left-footed blast after a back heel by Earnie Stewart. Javier Zanetti ran wild on us, but somehow we won. The call from the commentator after Joe Max Moore's very late goal was something like, "USA, on the verge of doing it again to another soccer power!" Like I said, one of the most intense friendlies I've ever seen, and another game I taped to VHS and watched many times that year.

The years 1999-2002 were such a special time for me with the national team. We beat Germany multiple times, Argentina, and Mexico at Columbus Crew Stadium with Josh Wolff in our first dos a cero there. We then barely made the World Cup, before having the most memorable tournament since I've been a fan. I felt a connection to the players and team during those years that was quite strong. I miss Joe Max Moore, Brian McBride, Tony Sanneh, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, Chris Armas, Earnie Stewart, Jeff Agoos (I said it, come at me), and that high-pitched voice of the crazy mofo that was Clint Mathis.

 

The 1994 World Cup.

 

Exactly the same story. Never used to watch soccer, caught the USA vs. Brazil final at the end of that tourney, and I've missed (watching) 2 MNT matches since. Been to half a dozen Earthquakes games, and the game vs Costa Rica at Avaya as well.

 

My first soccer memory was at three watching Pele on his last year or two in Brazil.

I first got hooked on the USMNT at the 1993 Copa America.

 

I know that 1994 World Cup was my first big tourney, but I was watching some just prior to that. I remember knowing a lot of the players prior to the '94 cup games, so I must have been following them slightly before. I don't remember any of the Italia '90 games, so it must have been after that.

Since the '94 games I've been a soccer fan, first and foremost a USMNT fan and I follow any Euro team that has a (good) American player on it, mostly favoring teams like Fulham and BVB for obvious reasons. My second national team has always been the Dutch and favorite club team is Barca given its heavy Dutch pedigree over the years.

 

I find it interesting so many started with the '94 Cup, then sorta lost interest until 2002. The story was kinda the same for me: I remember thinking soccer was going to be huge after '94, but I know a lot of people who lost interest in those intervening years (ironically the start of MLS), both as fans and participants.

Interestingly, this is the period associated with our "fallow years" developmentally, as well (1994-1998).

 

I did pop back in for the first year of MLS. Then quickly got distracted by a bunch of other interests. I think a big problem was just a lack of soccer availability on TV. While channel flipping I'd sometimes find a taped Euro match, but I wasn't aware of the teams or players so I didn't linger. 2002 actually made me familiar with the players for the first time since collecting the World Cup 94 trading cards. But even by 2005 I was still learning the lay of the soccer land. I remember how pumped I was when I heard Donovan was signing with the Galaxy. I wasn't yet aware that an American choosing MLS over Europe was something that would infuriate fans.