Five years ago was no party

U.S. women hope for better result than men

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Posted: Sunday July 04, 1999 11:08 AM

Tab Ramos (right) and the U.S. team played eventual World Cup champions Brazil close before losing 1-0 in the 1994 World Cup. Stephen Dunn/Allsport

NEW YORK (AP)-- Same countries. Same day.

The U.S. women take on Brazil Sunday in a World Cup match at Stanford Stadium -- five years after the men's team did the same.

Only it didn't turn into a Fourth of July party at Stanford on July 4, 1994, not for the Americans, whose World Cup ride ended with a 1-0, second-round loss to Brazil.

For many players, it was the pinnacle of their soccer lives. Though they did help launch a new first-division league in the U.S. in 1996 -- Major League Soccer -- the careers of Tab Ramos, Tony Meola and John Harkes have never been the same.

"We have to keep building from here," Paul Caligiuri said after the defeat. "Four years from now, we have to go beyond what we accomplished here today."

Instead, the Americans were embarrassed at the 1998 World Cup in France: A veteran team was crippled by dissension and went 0-3, finishing last in the 32-team field.

But everything seemed to be going right five years ago. Crowds at the pool of the Holiday Inn in Palo Alto, Calif., cheered the Americans as they walked by to board the team bus.

"If we win tomorrow, people will think of us as a team that can play in the World Cup and win the World Cup," Meola said before the game. "People will be wondering how far this team can go."

Instead, coach Bora Milutinovic had all 11 players on defense, and the Americans resembled the terrified college kids trounced by Czechoslovakia four years earlier in the first World Cup match for the U.S. in 40 years.

Brazil outshot the Americans 16-4, and even though the game was scoreless at halftime, there was a feeling it was only a matters of time until the South Americans broke through.

"We put up a good fight," said U.S. forward Roy Wegerle. "In the second 45, they proved too strong and too smart for us."

Brazilian defender Leonardo, who has gone on to a stellar career with AC Milan in Italy, was ejected in the final minute of the first half after elbowing Ramos in the left temple and causing a skull fracture.

Ramos came back from the injury to join the MetroStars in U.S. Major League Soccer, but twice blew out his knee in the following four years, and has never been the same player.

Brazil dominated the entire second half despite its disadvantage and scored in the 70th minute. Romario outran Thomas Dooley in the center of the field, went around Cobi Jones, to the side of Alexi Lalas and sent the ball across to Bebeto at the right side of the penalty area. He beat Meola to the far post.

"He was going a hundred miles an hour," Lalas said. "These guys are dribbling maniacs."

Since then, Harkes lost his job as captain of the U.S. team and was traded from D.C. United to the New England Revolution.

Meola appeared just twice for the national team, failed to make the New York Jets as a kicker, acted Off-Broadway and tore his knee ligament in March, putting him on the sidelines for the entire MLS season. He was, however, among the most consistent performers in the first three years for MLS.

The careers of Lalas, Caligiuri, Balboa and Hugo Perez foundered. Fernando Clavijo retired from international soccer and is currently an assistant to Milutinovic with the MetroStars.

Among the starters, only Thomas Dooley, Mike Sorber, Jones and Ernie Stewart went on to better days.

"We did what we can do. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough today," Meola said. "I think there are probably a lot of people that are really proud of what we did, that hold their heads up high that we now have a national team that can compete with the rest of the world."

The U.S. did turn in a strong performance in Copa America '95 -- which cemented the job for then-interim coach Steve Sampson -- but since then, Meola's statement has proven true mostly in exhibitions. The strides taken by the team in less than a decade have been overshadowed by last year's disappointing showing in the world's biggest tournament.

"There's nothing wrong with saying we failed," Lalas said after the debacle in France. "If we're saying we want to be viewed as a progressive soccer-playing nation, we want to be viewed along with the best teams, we have to be honest -- both when we succeed and when we fail. If we're just going to continue saying, `Rah, rah for the red-white-and-blue, and we played well and we showed things,' we might as well have orange peels at halftime, and it'll be a youth league."

Sampson was replaced by Bruce Arena after the World Cup, and the team has since notched four wins, one loss and two draws, with defeats over world powers Germany and Argentina.

 

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