The USA Soccer team had a chance to advance the sport in a big way at the 1998 World Cup. After experiencing some success on home turf four years earlier, there was an opportunity to help bring in new fans and reconnect with old ones who may had stopped paying attention.
They had also watched the US hockey team embarrass themselves at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano a few months prior. No one was expecting USA Soccer to win the 1998 World Cup, but a trip to the knockout stage was a realistic goal.
There was an incentive for the players to put in a good performance as well. The fledgling MLS hadn’t quite captured the hearts and minds of Americans since launching in 1996. With many US team stars plying their trade stateside, a strong showing could get more people turning up to games back home.
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And, of course, there was the whole national pride thing. Group stage encounters against Iran and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, two countries America had history with, meant there was more on the line than three points in the eyes of many people.
None of that mattered. USA Soccer screwed the pooch at the 1998 World Cup losing all three games. They were without a doubt the worst side at the tournament. Steve Sampson had no control of the team and players looked like they would have rather been anywhere else.
What made this so bad is the fact USA Soccer had talent at this time. Several key players from the 1994 side were there alongside some promising young guys who would form the heart of the 2002 team that advanced to the quarterfinals. However, they were less than the sum of their parts in France.
The team was impacted quite a bit by Sampson dropping then captain John Harkes. No one knew why a player who would have likely started for the US was excluded at the time, but everything became clear more than a decade later. Harkes was banging Eric Wynalda’s wife on the side prior to the 1998 World Cup. That still doesn’t explain just why this team was so bad.
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USA Soccer falters at the 1998 World Cup
Three losses. One goal. Zero clue. That best sums up USA Soccer at the 1998 World Cup. Not much was expected from the team’s opener against Germany which the Americans duly lost 2-0. A certain Jürgen Klinsmann scored the second goal.
Next up was a showdown with Iran in a fixture that had implications well beyond the sporting realm. The US were clear favorites against a side that hadn’t been to a World Cup since 1978 and shocked Australia in the AFC–OFC playoff to even qualify.
It was a fairly dour game all things considered with both teams playing not to lose. Iran took a two-goal lead before conceding late in the match. Brian McBride’s sloppy strike was the only score the Americans would tally at France 1998. The result meant they were knocked out with one game to spare.
By this point, USA Soccer was desperate to leave the 1998 World Cup but still had a game remaining against FR Yugoslavia. Instead of showing some pride or causing an upset, the Yanks conceded in the third minute and played out the string from there losing 1-0.
It really doesn’t get much worse than USA Soccer at the 1998 World Cup.
