USA 94

USA 94

If you can blank out the laughable memory of Diana Ross' entrance song, as she ran across a mocked-up pitch and blazed a penalty wide from 1 yard, then USA 94 was a worldwide hit. Unfortunately, most people in the Home nations don't remember this tournament very well as neither England ("Do I not like that"), Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland had qualified.

So it became fashionable to drink endless amounts of Guinness and support the Republic of Ireland. Most of the team played in the recently-formed Premiership, and their manager was a legend of England's only World Cup triumph, so it wasn't a great stretch. That the tournament was hosted in a country which didn't really understand football ("yo dude, check out this awesome soccer match..") was a risk, but the crowds turned up in force. With milkshakes and big foam hands.

1994 was a long, hot summer worldwide and with the US hosting games in Los Angeles, Dallas and Orlando it was not going to get any cooler for the players. This may explain why so many big nations were ejected well before their time. Jack Charlton's Ireland were the first to get in on the act, beating Italy 1-0 through a Ray Houghton goal. Cue delirium in the streets of Dublin. And Northwest London.

Due to the recently-introduced "no backpass" rule, we were treated to a wealth of attacking football from all nations, including some surprise packages. Again the African nations featured strongly, following on from Cameroon's quarter final appearance in Italia 90, Nigeria also qualified out of the group stages (beating Bulgaria on the way) before falling to Italy.

Argentina started strongly with two wins out of two, but then disaster struck. Diego Maradona failed a drug test and was thrown out of the competition, leaving his team-mates to be humbled by Romania's great Gheorge Hagi in one of the best games of the tournament.

An aging German team were dispatched at the hands (or feet) of a Bulgarian team spearheaded by the legendary Hristo Stoichkov. Holland were overcome by the brilliant Brazilian's in a five goal thriller in Dallas. The US was captivated. Can I get a fries with that?

The Italians eventually woke up and made it to the final, almost unnoticed. Roberto Baggio had again been their leading light, scoring 5 goals in three games. But unfortunately for Baggio, it was he who missed the crucial penalty against Brazil in the final. To be fair, Brazil had dominated the game (and the tournament) and deserved to become World Champions, but it was still harsh on one of the most talented players on show.

The lasting legacy of this tournament can be seen in the Premiership today. Prior to USA 94, a foreign player in the English league was a novelty, unless he was Norwegian ( 7 out of the 11 Norwegian's who started the game against Mexico were based in England, with Gunnar Halle on the bench).

But in the months following the Final, names such as Jurgen Klinsmann, Daniel Amokachi, Dan Petrescu, Phillippe Albert and eventually Dennis Bergkamp began to appear on British teamsheets. The flair and attacking football which they have brought with them is one of the reasons that the English Premiership is the most watched league in the World. And it all started in the USA. Soccer, eh? You gotta love it......