I was at said match in San Diego, and I believe the score was 1-0 to Peru. The 4-1 loss came to Denmark in the same tournament. The US was playing some awful soccer at the time, but I think Sampson was experimenting with some new guys. I also saw, as a warmup to that same tournament, the US get spanked by Partizan Belgrade in a closed-door scrimage, I think the score was like 5-2 or something. The most heartbreaking loss for me was the WC loss to Iran, but we didn't necessarily play a horrible game.
couple of others - 1. Poland WC 2002 2. Mexico for Olympic Qualifiers 2003/2004? 3. CR at CR WCQ 2001 (not well played) 4. Result - not the play Germany 2002 WC
Then why are we thinking about them? Absolutely agreed, the list should begin and end there. Things have been better ever since then. The first match that Russ brought up, the WCQ loss to Costa Rica in 1985, that still burns in my memory as well. May 31, 1985, was my 20th birthday, and suffice it to say, I was hardly in a mood for celebrating that night, knowing that our World Cup dream was over. But fortunately, that's the last time we've been able to make that claim.
Peru 4, USA 1 in Lima, Peru. It was Oct. 16, 1996, and this was our line up: Dodd, Martin, Lozzano, Ianni, Ibsen, Lewis, Flores (Leonetti), Brose-1, Benedetti (Corrales), Harbor (Cozier), Eck (Holocher) For these players, it was there only cap: Ianni, Flores, Benedetti, Cozier, Holocher. Others had only a handful. The only guy who became a team regular was Eddie Lewis. Ramiro Corrales had a cap last week, his third overall. As per this excellent website: http://www.soccerhall.org/MNT.registry.intro.htm
That was when the USSF was in a pay dispute with it's players, wasn't it?The line-up is floating somewhere around here - it's good for a laugh edit : damn you guys are quick I'd say Mausser's gaffe against C.Rica in 85 in Torrance was the worst game from a USMNT standpoint. Everything elese has been merely bumps along the road. Although 2-1 vs. Iran was awful. Mexico 4, USA 0 Guadalajara : This one too - I had a lovely little meltdown in some hispanic bar watching the game.
In terms of boring "soccer," the worst game I can recall was the final friendly prior to WC 98, where we played Scotland. Both teams were in the World Cup already and after Kasey Keller stopped an early breakaway, everybody pretty much just stopped trying so nobody would get injured. It ended 0-0 but that score made it sound more interesting than it really was.
I remember it well. He came out near the top of the box to catch a cross or a loose ball. It got away from him somehow, and a Costa Rican standing behind him headed it home. Also, in that game Paul Caliguiri scored an equalizer on a free kick that was disallowed because Hugo Perez was offside. A tie would have taken the U.S. through to the final round of qualifying. Canada eventually went, winning a final group of three with Honduras and Costa Rica.
You want boring soccer, I'll give you boring soccer : U.S - T & T - the final hex game after the US qualified and T&T was eliminated. The game was played at noon in 90 degree heat. From all who watched it (I just couldn't bring myself to do so), it was a boring boring game. 0-0 final obviously
US 1 Iran 2 Probably makes one of the 10 worst moments of my life. One week after my wedding, my wife got a rude introduction into my passion for the Yanks.
I thought we played OK against Iran, just got beaten on the counter. We also had good moments against Poland, but gave up 2 stupid goals early. So it depends on how we're defining this .. bad results? Or bad soccer? I don't think that either of these matches rate for bad soccer, nothing like the recent debacles vs. Haiti or in the second half against Panama. Those games we fielded zombies. Every WUSA game I ever saw was more attractive than what we perpetrated in the last 45 minutes against Panama.
I watched it. It was pretty boring. Plus, the field looked like land-mines had been detonated all over it just before kick-off. IIRC, Jesse Marsch got himself a cap, and Zach Thornton played in goal, where he was called upon to make a save every now and then, but for the most part, could've been sitting in a lawnchair doing crossword puzzles. Which is what I spent much of the match wishing I was doing.
off topic... Did Eddie Lewis ever garner any resentment from the regulars for playing in that scrub match when he himself became a regular once Arena took over? I might have some facts mixed up, but one of the Red Sox players was a scrub in '95 and his likeness is not on the usual caricature T-shirt that usually comes with being the champions since he is unable to join the union to this day. Seems a little overboard..but then again it is the union. on topic....USA 1 IRN 2
Heh. I was there and it was definitely a snoozer. The highlight was that I got to work on my suntan. But to me a "worst" match has to be more than just boring, it has to disappointing in a really heartbreaking way. I'm surprised so many people are picking our loss to Iran at France'98. I thought the opening loss to Germany was much worse. We had months to prepare for that game and when it started we looked unready and intimidated. Reyna gets scared into submission by Jeremies. Burns can't even guard a post on a corner kick. Dooley gets schooled by Klinsmann. All my hopes were shattered in that game so I wasn't expecting much in the later games. I had taken a long lunchbreak from work to see the game and had to go back in a beerladen funk. To be fair, I didn't see the later Iran game live because my own team had a league game at the same time. So I already knew the outcome when I watched it. The other game that was most disillusioning to me was the away qualifier to Costa Rica following our loss to Honduras at RFK in Sept, 2001. I was at RFK for the Honduras game and, while the outcome sucked, I will remember it as one of the more exciting games I've attended. We had such a depleted lineup traveling to Costa Rica a few days after the RFK debacle that it looked like we might as well not even make the trip. O'Brien and Reyna were both out with injuries and Donovan was just starting to get his feet wet with the Nats. Our offensive firepower in that game came from Cobi Jones, Jovan Kirovski and Greg Vanney. To give an idea about our gameplan (bunker and pray for a scoreless draw), Richie Williams started in midfield in addition to Chris Armas. We gave up a PK goal after 40 minutes and it was all over. I respect (and pity) anyone who has been following the team since the 1985 WCQ elimination or earlier. I watched part of '90 WC (and some earlier Cups) but my interest in the Nats only solidified in the run-up to USA'94.
No one's mentioned this yet, so what about that gawdawful 0-0 draw with Trinidad & Tobago that was the last match of the Hex prior to the 2002 WC? Sure, we'd qualified and all, but it was a horrible game to watch. I agree with putting the 1998 loss to Iran in the WC as tops, though.
Most boring and meaningless game I ever saw - June 1991, USA 0 Juventus 0. At least it was a good date.
Garbaggio is onto something here...the US played pretty well against Iran -- I think we hit the post or bar, what, four times? The loss to Germany in 1998 was much much worse. With the exception of Hejduk and maybe Pope we just looked hapless. And there's no way you can say an away draw in a WCQ is a horrible loss. First, it's not a loss. Second to do is to totally misunderstand how freaking hard it is to win away in a match that really matters. It just doesn't happen very often. Anywhere. The worst match I remember watching was the 2-0 drubbing at Costa Rica in the Hex last time 'round. It's the only time I've really thought Arena lost the plot. Our lineup and play that day were horrible. The WC match v Germany was also very bad. But it's been something like seven years since we lost by three goals, so there really aren't too many rotten eggs to pick from lately.
Since I've been following the team I'd have to say the loss to Iran. Here's one of the worst I could find in the records: May 27, 1964 New York, NY Attn: 5,062 USA - 0 England - 10 USA Lineup - Unavailable (and surely a host of unknowns) England Lineup - * Played in the 1966 WC final against West Germany (Goals) *Banks *Cohen Thomson, R Bailey Norman Flowers Paine (2) *Hunt (4) Pickering (3) Eastham [*Charlton, R (1)] Thompson, P This was the first time England made a substitution in a full international.
USA Lineup: Schwart Borodiak Racz Rick Garcia Horvath Noha Chyzowych Mate Murphy Wild No idea who any of those guys were, but that was who played in that match for the US.
I can't believe I made it to the end of this list and nobody mentioned: Gold Cup 98 final Mexico 1, USA 0. Nevermind that it was a loss to stinkin Mexico before 100,000, this came five days after our historic 1-0 win over Brazil. It really, really, really sucked. This is number two on my list, behind the World Cup loss to Iran. Of course, the fact that I took a beer/soda/nachos shower after waving my US flag at the game factors into my decision. Gold Cup 93 final Mexico 4, USA 0. Again, another ass-kicking at the hands of el tri. Confederations Cup 1999 semifinal Mexico 1, USA 0, a.e.t. Yes, there is a trend here with Mexico and yes all these losses made the World Cup win that much sweeter, but this game was our best chance to win in Mexico and we botched it again. I think Earnie Stewart hit the post or something pretty late in the game. Craptemoc Blanco scored the winner after Robin Fraser failed to clear a ball out of the goal mouth. World Cup 2002 quarterfinal Germany 1, US 0. Moral victory my ass. We were so close, soooo close from advancing to the semifinals. So what if we gained the respect of the Germans? I'd have taken the win any day of the week. Of course, the sting from this loss wasn't bad because, after all, we did beat Mexico a couple of days before Some other ones off the top of my head: WC 98, Iran 2, US 1: So much for our "sure win of the group stage." WC 98, Germany 2, US 0: Germany were good but DAMN, not that good. We made them look like 1970 Brazil. US Cup 97: All of them. Why did we even bother playing that crappy tournament? Some of the more boring games in recent memory: US 0, Scotland 0, May/June? 98. A precursor of things to come. US 0, Macedonia 0, May 98. And to think I almost drove from SoCal to San Jose to watch this garbage. US 2, Kuwait 0 sometime in 98. Nice goal from Ramos (uh, I think) but otherwise a dreadful match. (By the way, what kind of run-up was this to the World Cup? Any surprise we got our asses handed to us in France?)
Yeah, that '98 GOld Cup Final did kind of suck. Wasn't the thinking as follows: @ Austria = Germany Macedonia = Yugoslavia Kuwait = Iran Oh brother!
I attended that game vs. Costa Rica in 1985. I remember a seeming equalizer being denied (although I don't remember if it was on a free kick), and no one at the game could figure out why. Later, when I saw the tape, it was clear that the reason it was denied was that the ball didn't actually go in! It had hit the top corner of the net just outside the goal, but from practically everywhere in the stadium it looked like it was in. I also remember that a Costa Rican defender cleared one off the line in the final minutes.
Is that "stadium" in Torrance still around? Exactly where did the match take place? Sounds weird to have a WCQ in Torrance of all places!