13 Best Teen & Young Adult Puzzle Games

Bestselling Teen & Young Adult Puzzle Games in 2023

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The 5 Most Important National Team Games in U.S. Soccer History

A completely non-scientific selection of the five most important national team games in U.S. Soccer history.

5. U.S. v. Columbia, 1994 World Cup, June 22, 1994

In 1994 the World Cup was held on American soil for the first time and as the host nation we automatically qualified. There was actually some controversy in this decision, given the U.S.'s poor soccer history, but after qualifying for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, some of the critics were appeased. Still, while this might have been the second straight appearance in soccer's greatest competition, after a forty year gap, the U.S. was not expected to do much. That they opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, on a goal by Erik Wynalda in the dying minutes of the first half, was probably more than most American soccer fans could hope for. When this was followed up with an inspirational victory against Columbia, the first World Cup victory for the American's in the modern era, American soccer fans everywhere, what few there were, rejoiced.

With this win the United States managed to squeak through to the elimination round and while they crashed out in that next game, thanks to a tough 1-0 loss to the mighty Brazilians - the eventual champions in 1994 - this does not tarnish the victory at all. The 1994 World Cup, and this win, proved the first significant soccer achievement in the U.S. not only because we hosted the tournament, but also because the team was made up of players who were born and raised here.

Sadly, while this game would prove to be the high point of American soccer to that point, this would prove to be the low-point for Columbian defender Andres Escobar. It was his own-goal in the 34th minute that gave the U.S. the lead in the match and is likely the reason for his murder in a Columbian bar 10 days later, reportedly at the hands of drug lords who suffered heavy gambling losses after the game.

4. U.S. v. Brazil, 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, February 10, 1998

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is either the most important tournament in the CONCACAF region or the least important, depending upon whether or not the winner is given the right to compete in the FIFA Confederations Cup. In the years when this honor is bestowed upon the winner, the field is usually very competitive, with Mexico and the U.S. especially, fielding first choice teams. When the competition has nothing riding on it but the trophy, lately there has been a real lack of interest by the two regional powers even though one or the other tends to dominate anyway.

In the early years of the tournament the FA took to inviting teams from outside the region ina an effort to make the competition a little more competitive and boost interest. Peru, Ecuador and South Africa have all appeared once, Brazil twice (three times if you count the appearance by their under-23 team) and Columbia appeared a whopping three times. Nevertheless, no team from outside the region has won.

It was in the semifinals of the 1998 tournament that the United States, backstopped by the ageless Kasey Keller, met a nearly full-strength Brazilian squad. Brazil was then in the midst of a seven year run as the top ranked national team side in the world, according to FIFA, and though they carried such World Cup winners as Denilson and FIFA world player of the year, Romario, it was Preki's 65th minute goal that gave the U.S. the 1-0 victory.

Though the U.S. had the historic 1-0 victory over England in the less-than-full-strength 1950 World Cup, this was the first time in the modern era that the United States had actually managed to beat not only one of the world's top teams, but the top team and has served as a touchstone that every other U.S. team aspires to.

3. U.S. v. Mexico. 2002 World Cup Round of 16, June 18, 2002

At the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan the United States was drawn into a group with South Korea, Poland and Portugal. Not a group of death, by any means, but it proved tough and after opening the tournament with a tense 3-2 victory over Portugal and a 1-1 tie with South Korea, the 3-1 loss to Poland meant they needed a little help to get through to the next round.

In the round of 16 it seemed like fate that the United States would be drawn into a game with its regional arch-enemy, El Tri. But if Mexico, led by Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Jared Borgetti, had any hopes of getting passed the Americans they were put on instant notice by an 8th minute Brian McBride goal. Try as Mexico might to fight back, the coup de grace came courtesy of Landon Donovan in the 65th minute and that goal is likely why he is as hated by the Mexican soccer public as he is loved by America.

In 2002 the U.S. made their second modern-times appearance in the knock-out stages of the World Cup and that the first knock-out stage victory came against their arch-rivals made the victory that much sweeter. Unfortunately, the 1-0 loss to Germany in the next round was marred when an apparent handball on the goal line by Torsten Frings denied the U.S. the equalizer was overlooked by the referee to.

2. U.S. v. Spain, 2020 FIFA Confederations Cup, June 24, 2020

The FIFA Confederations Cup is the tournament that FIFA holds the year prior to the World Cup, in the World Cup host country, and because only the winners of the regional FA's, the reigning World Cup winner and the host nation participate - for a total of 8 teams - it serves as a dry run for actually hosting the World Cup.

Spain rode into the 2020 tournament as the undisputed number one team in the world. They were the reigning European Champions, which saw them dismantle their opponents with ease, and by the time they met the U.S.in the semi-finals they had equaled the record 35 match unbeaten streak currently held by Brazil. With the U.S. on the horizon, they were certain to claim the record as their own, and were right to be confident.

Coming into the match the U.S. were not so confident. Prior to the tournament the U.S. were on a sloppy run of form that had seen them conceding early goals in nearly every contest and struggling for results. In their latest round of World Cup qualifiers they'd managed to draw away to El Salvador due to some last minute heroics from the seemingly-ageless Frankie Helduk. Then they'd been embarrassed away to Costa Rica 3-1, with the single American goal coming well after the match was decided. Though they'd managed a 2-1 home victory against Honduras it was only after managing to fight back after giving up yet another early goal.

The sloppy run of form continued even into the Confederations Cup. In the opening match of the tournament with Italy the U.S. went down a man after a half-hour and though they managed to take a 1-0 lead into the half being a man down eventually wore them out and they were run out 3-1. In the next match they staked Brazil to a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes, the second coming on a neat counter precipitated by a DeMarcus Beasley miscue in the opposing area, and though they fought valiantly to register a goal when they went down a man by the hour mark the uphill battle became nearly insurmountable. Though the substitution of Benny Feilhaber in the 60th minute provided some spark, it was too-little, too-late as the American's were outgunned 3-0.

Entering the third and final group match with Egypt, to get through to the knock-out rounds would have required not only a trouncing of Egypt but also Brazil to do the same to Italy. The U.S. upheld their end of the bargain, handily defeating Egypt 3-0 and through some twist of luck, Brazil dismantled Italy by the same score. In the end it was a little luck and that early 1-0 lead in the opening game against Italy which allowed the U.S. to back into the next round on superior goal differential.

Even so, when the U.S. took the field against Spain it seemed that all of their lack of inspiration was finally behind them and they behaved and played like a cohesive and professional unit. In the 27th minute forward Jozy Altidore outmuscled Joan Capdevilla in front of the goal to turn and score the opening goal but this was not enough to truly light a fire under the Spaniards. It wasn't until Clint Dempsey scored in the 74th minute that the Spaniards showed any fire but by then Tim Howard was operating on another wavelength altogether and preserved the victory.

Though the U.S. had beaten a top-ranked team in the world before, it was at the Confederations Cup that it was done on a truly international stage and showed that when the U.S. puts it all together they are quite capable of not only playing with, but beating, anybody on any given day. This was all the more apparent in the final against Brazil, where they ran out to a 2-0 half-time lead. Though they were on the wrong end of a 3-2 result at the end it cannot be said that the U.S. lost, but that Brazil had won. Even in the loss, there was reason to celebrate.

1. U.S. v. Trinidad and Tobago, World Cup Qualifying, November 19, 1989

Before the 1990 World Cup the United States had only played in two previous tournaments.

The first was at the first World Cup competition in 1930, when there was no actual qualification process and agreeing to participate was enough to get you in. Due to the fact that hardly any European teams attended the event - it was held in South America, which meant a savagely long trip for European teams in 1930 - the United States and its large immigrant population actually achieved a third place finish.

The second appearance was at the 1950 tournament in Brazil. At the time 32 nations sought to play in the 16 team tournament, with the United States qualifying from a group that included Mexico and Cuba. However, the tournament was thrown into some disarray when nations that previously committed to play backed out and others that didn't qualify were invited and in the end a 13 team tournament was held. The eventual winner of the tournament was Uruguay but the true story that is remembered is that a U.S. team of amateurs upset the famed and entirely professional English team, that included future World Cup-winning manager Alf Ramsey, 1-0.

Following this the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup for more than 40 more years, until 1990. The qualification for the 1990 tournament is historic in many ways because not only did it solidify the choice for awarding the United States the 1994 World Cup, but is the singular event that every significant soccer achievement in America for the past 20 years - from the triumphs of the 1994 and 2002 World Cups and 2020 Confederations Cup and Major League Soccer - can claim as its birth moment.

Though qualifying was marred by the absence of the Mexican national team, who were banned from the 1990 World Cup after using overage players in qualifying for the 1988 Olympics, this did not mean a cake walk for any team, including the United States. Playing in Trinidad and Tobago in the final qualifying game, the home team need no more than a tie to advance to their first World Cup. The United States, though, had other plans, and after Paul Caligiuri struck the winner in the 38th minute - easily the most important goal in the history of U.S. soccer - the Americans were in.