History of the U.S. Men’s National Team from World Cup 2002 to Present Day

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 28, 2013

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June 21, 2002, Ulsan, South Korea: As the players, coaches and staff of the United States men’s national soccer team leave the pitch following a loss to Germany in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup, a double narrative emerges. After more than two weeks in the Far East, the Americans have won unprecedented respect for a valiant, thrilling and, above all, unexpected run in the world’s most popular and prestigious sporting event. Only four years have passed since a disastrous, last-place finish at the 1998 Cup in France, and this time only the head of Michael Ballack and the arm of Torsten Frings have stopped the Yanks from pulling an unthinkable upset.



Pride, unsurprisingly, dominates the Americans’ post-match comments. The quarterfinal appearance is the team’s best showing at a World Cup since the inaugural event in 1930, and it has demonstrated U.S. soccer’s progress since missing nine consecutive Cups between 1954 and 1986. Initially unheralded, Americans are now labeled “valiant” by the BBC, and the team is rightly relishing its own success. "I think we demonstrated to the world that the United States belonged here," U.S. coach Bruce Arena says (per Sports Illustrated) after watching his team outplay Germany for most of the match. "We expected to be the best team tonight. We weren't surprised at our performance.”

Yet, as goalkeeper Brad Friedel adds (via USSoccer.com), the players realize the team “could’ve gone a little further.” As if realizing both in real time, Landon Donovan, at the time a promising 20-year-old attacking prospect, remains on the pitch afterwards, obviously unwilling the believe the memorably surreal run has ended. "I didn't want to leave," he later says (via SI).

But the run has ended, and with it, so has the U.S. team’s best performance at a modern World Cup, perhaps prematurely. In the coming years, the 2002 Cup run w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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