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United States v Colombia (1994 FIFA World Cup)

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki




1994 FIFA World Cup Group A
The Rose Bowl Stadium hosted the match
Event1994 FIFA World Cup
United States Colombia
United States Colombia
2 1
Date22 June 1994
VenueRose Bowl, Pasadena
RefereeFabio Baldas (Italy)
Attendance93,869

The 1994 FIFA World Cup match between the United States v Colombia was an important soccer/association football encounter in the tournament between the United States and Colombia. It was hosted in Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The match was notable for one infamous incident that would go on to culminate one of the most tragic moments in world's football, where Colombian defender Andrés Escobar netted into his own team and gave the Americans a lead. The United States eventually won the game 2–1, and that meant Colombia was no longer able to progress from the group stage. Initially, the own goal had very little impact on the world's football involvement, however it came to headline only few days, which was the death of Andrés Escobar owned by the incident.[1] Meanwhile, in the United States, the victory meant the USMNT had officially established itself as a competitive nation in world's soccer.[2]

Background[edit]

The United States was announced as hosts of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in 1988. To improve the standard of soccer in the country, the United States Soccer Federation announced the establishment of Major League Soccer.[3] Nonetheless, there had been fierce criticism on FIFA by awarding for a country where soccer had never been a major sport. The United States had just only qualified for three World Cups when the country was announced as host, the 1930, 1934 and 1950 editions. Two years later, the United States added the 1990 FIFA World Cup as their fourth participation, where they were eliminated from the group stage.[4]

Unlike the United States, Colombia had a stronger passion for football, but like the U.S., Colombia had a very sporadic appearance in major tournaments. The last time Colombia had qualified for the World Cup was the 1962 edition, which was the country's debut, when the U.S. was announced as host of 1994 edition.[5] Colombia was initially awarded as host of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but withdrew.[6] The country, like the U.S., only returned to the world's stage in 1990. In this World Cup, Colombia had assembled what would be the "Dream Team" of Colombian history, where it composed René Higuita, Andrés Escobar, Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincón and Arnoldo Iguarán; both contributed on Colombia's historic run to the round of sixteen.[7] The Colombian success was later reflected in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, including their famous 5–0 thrashing of Argentina in Buenos Aires.[8] Colombia headed to the 1994 World Cup with a very high confident, and Pelé even named Colombia as the major candidate for the 1994 World Cup trophy.[9]

Notwithstanding the success of Colombian football team, Colombia had been suffering from rampant problem at home. The threats posed by drug cartels and its involvement in the national football team had several times affected the performance of Colombia in international level.[10] However, only by the beginning of the FIFA World Cup in the United States, that the effect of Colombian drug cartels in the country's football was seen.

Pre-match[edit]

Pos Team
[ ]
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Romania 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 3 Advance to knockout stage
2   Switzerland 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
3  United States (H) 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4  Colombia 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0
Source: FIFA
(H) Host.

Colombia and the United States were drawn into the group A, together with two European sides Romania and Switzerland. While the U.S. was not the favorite, Colombia was. Yet, the two national teams produced a significantly different performance. The United States, on its first World Cup match at home, managed to hold the Swiss 1–1, with Eric Wynalda turned hero with a brilliant free kick.[11]

On the other hand, Colombia, led by 1990 World Cup manager Francisco Maturana, opened their account against Romania. Yet, in spite of being ranked as clear favorite, Colombia suffered a shock 1–3 loss to Romania, with Adolfo Valencia scored for Colombia's only goal.[12] This had led to retaliation and waves of anger by the Colombian cartels at home, many had directly threatened to kill relatives of Colombian players. Luis Fernando Herrera, who played in the match, received news that his brother was murdered by cartel. Not just that, the cartels even demanded the Colombian manager to drop out Gabriel Jaime Gómez Jaramillo, blaming Gabriel for the fault that put Colombia to suffer from this defeat, or they would kill entire of his family.[13] Maturana had no choice but to comply with the demands.

Under these problematic pressures, Colombia came in the match against the United States with a lot of internal issues, despite being ranked 4th in the world at the time. Earlier, Romania suffered a denting 1–4 loss to Switzerland, meant that win had become a must for the Colombian side.

Match[edit]

Summary[edit]

Although Colombia came to the match as the clear favorite, internal problems meant the Colombians began their quest with a great number of issues against the confident American hosts. Colombia, with Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincón and Chonto Herrera tried to break through the American midfield, but it didn't work out. On the other hand, the Americans proved to be extremely dangerous sometimes, with the quackery movements by Eric Wynalda to Tab Ramos, Earnie Stewart and brilliant defense by Alexi Lalas and Fernando Clavijo. However, the following 30 minutes saw the score remained goalless. But it didn't take long. From a pass by Thomas Dooley in 35', John Harkes moved the ball pass through the confusing Colombian defenders before sending a pass. Initially for Stewart, Andrés Escobar however deflected the ball at the expense of teammate Óscar Córdoba to his own net, and the result was a shock 1–0 lead for the host nation. After the shock goal, Colombian forwards sought to retrieve back the fighting spirits, but no avail, as goalkeeper Tony Meola did a decent job keeping the scoreline 1–0 for the Americans.

The second half saw Maturana immediately changed two players, Iván Valenciano and Adolfo Valencia entered in replacement for Antony de Ávila and Faustino Asprilla. However, while the Colombians had yet to see any effect of the substitution, the Americans managed to double their tally. Wynalda seized the ball following a pass by Dooley and, despite being surrounded by Carlos Valderrama, sent the ball to Tab Ramos. Ramos then gave a brilliant long range pass to Earnie Stewart and, even though Luis Carlos Perea, Escobar and goalkeeper Córdoba managed to nearly block the movement, Stewart's decision to strike into the Colombian net with a very narrow angle turned to be a genius decision. The United States took a 2–0 lead and even though Colombia slowly regained their possession and dominance, Colombia could only find Meola's net once, thanked for efforts by Valderrama, who sent the ball directly to Rincón. Rincón then gave a shoot, but unable to bypass Meola, however the ball fell into Adolfo Valencia, who netted on the empty net to make it 1–2 near the end of the match. Yet, this was the last thing Colombia could do in the match, as the Americans enjoyed their jubilant victory which sealed the Americans into the knockout stage for the first time ever since 1930 edition.[14][13]

Details[edit]

United States 2–1 Colombia
Escobar Goal 35' (o.g.)
Stewart Goal 52'		 Report Valencia Goal 90'
Attendance: 93,869
Referee: Fabio Baldas (Italy)
United States
Colombia
GK 1 Tony Meola (c)
DF 17 Marcelo Balboa
DF 20 Paul Caligiuri
DF 21 Fernando Clavijo
DF 22 Alexi Lalas Yellow card 48'
MF 5 Thomas Dooley
MF 6 John Harkes
MF 9 Tab Ramos
MF 16 Mike Sorber
FW 11 Eric Wynalda Substituted off 61'
FW 8 Earnie Stewart Substituted off 66'
Substitutions:
FW 10 Roy Wegerle Substituted in 61'
MF 13 Cobi Jones Substituted in 66'
Manager:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bora Milutinović
GK 1 Óscar Córdoba
DF 2 Andrés Escobar
DF 4 Luis Fernando Herrera
DF 5 Hernán Gaviria
FW 7 Antony de Ávila Yellow card 24' Substituted off 45'
MF 10 Carlos Valderrama (c)
MF 14 Leonel Álvarez
DF 15 Luis Carlos Perea
MF 19 Freddy Rincón
DF 20 Wilson Pérez
FW 21 Faustino Asprilla Substituted off 45'
Substitutions:
FW 9 Iván Valenciano Substituted in 45'
FW 11 Adolfo Valencia Substituted in 45'
Manager:
Francisco Maturana

Assistant referees:
Domenico Ramicone (Italy)
El Jilali Rharib (Morocco)
Fourth official:
Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)

Aftermath[edit]

Pos Team
[ ]
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Switzerland (X) 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  United States (H, X) 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4
3  Romania 2 1 0 1 4 5 −1 3 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4  Colombia (Z) 2 0 0 2 2 5 −3 0
Source: FIFA
(H) Host; (X) Can finish in either top two or one of the best third-placed team.; (Z) Cannot qualify as two top teams, but can qualify as one of the best third-placed team..

The match's outcome had created a jubilant party in the United States for the way it overcame a very powerful Colombian side at the time.[2] Meanwhile, in Colombia, the shock defeat had created a wave of anger among Colombian supporters.[14] Although Colombia was yet to be eliminated, the team's chance had become extremely slim, which many cartel groups reportedly lost a lot amount of money due to Colombia's performance in the World Cup.[15] Eventually, the drug cartels suffered devastating annual losses, following Colombia's elimination despite its 2–0 win over Switzerland, partly due to Romania's 1–0 win in the final game against the hosts.[15] The United States progressed to the round of sixteen, where they lost to eventual champions Brazil on 4th of July.[16]

It was later found that the Colombian side had dined with the Cali Cartel members before the tournament, where they had been promised a large sum of money if they had succeeded.[14]

Murder of Andrés Escobar[edit]

Following the devastating elimination, fearing the public anger caused manager Maturana to tell his players to stay in the United States for a while until public anger was eased, yet only Andrés Escobar declined and returned to Medellín.[12] Despite pressure from his teammates and even his family members that he could be targeted, Escobar refused to turn back his decision. Before death, he left a famous remark: "It’s been a most amazing and rare experience. We’ll see each other again soon because life does not end here".[17][18]

His brave decision, however, would turn to be the last decision of his life. On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns.[19] Escobar was shot six times with a .38 calibre pistol.[20] It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time the South American football commentator said it during the broadcast.[21] The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was rushed to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.[19][22][23]

Reaction[edit]

The murder had shocked entire of world's football and Colombia.

It was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal.[24] In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the match between Argentina and Romania that "the Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that", on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.[25] Escobar's funeral was attended by more than 120,000 people, many grieved in shock for the death of a talent.[26][27]

John Harkes, whose role that indirectly led to Escobar's own goal, had expressed his sudden shock for the death of Escobar. It was followed by the mourning of other players and managers, including Rudi Völler, Arrigo Sacchi, Alexi Lalas, Thomas Dooley and then-General Secretary of FIFA Sepp Blatter.[28] Later, John Harkes had told about the experience and how he was haunted by the death of Escobar, something he had never imagined before.[29]

Post-murder of Andrés Escobar[edit]

The death of Andrés Escobar meant that Colombia's promised Golden Generation had finally vanished in dispair. The whole Colombian Golden Generation, built from the impressive 1990 World Cup in Italy, had been tarnished. The image of Colombia was also tarnished with the death of Escobar.[30] Investigation led to the arrest of Humberto Castro Muñoz, a bodyguard of the Gallón brothers.[31] The Gallón brothers suffered heavy losses due to these defeats.[32] Muñoz was sentenced 43 years in prison, but was acquitted after 11 years for good behaviors. There are also allegations that the Gallón brothers bribed the Prosecutor's Office to redirect the investigation towards Muñoz as the triggerman – and the Prosecutor's Office contends that Muñoz was simply following orders from the Gallón brothers – but prosecutors lacked credible evidence to convict them.[33] Pamela Cascardo, the girlfriend of Andrés Escobar, believes that the accusation of the Gallón brothers' bribery of government officials is supported by Muñoz's having killed a national celebrity and serving only 11 years in prison.

Colombia, with most of these players remaining, except for Escobar, managed to reach the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the last World Cup for this generation. Colombia, however, only gained three points after a win and two losses, including a loss to the old foe Romania 0–1, and was eliminated, marked the end of the first Colombian Golden Generation. The devastation was so severe that Colombia had to take a much longer time to recover.

Andrés Escobar remains one of the most loved Colombian players even after death, and every year, his image is often carried to the stadium by many Colombian fans, especially Atlético Nacional fans.[34]

Impact on American soccer[edit]

The victory was considered as the biggest shock in the tournament, given the low standard of soccer in the United States at the time.[35] It had not just helped the U.S. to achieve a historic win against a possible candidate for World Cup trophy, but the win was so significant that the United States obtained four points, which was enough when the World Cup only contained 24 teams at the time.[2] Eventually, the United States finished third, and reached the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed team, where they would eventually lose to later champions Brazil in the Independence Day.[16]

The United States then experienced massive boost in soccer, repeatedly qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1994 until they missed out the 2018 edition. During this era, the United States managed to achieve an even bigger feat, reaching the quarter-finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including a famous 3–2 win over Portugal and a 2–0 victory over rival Mexico.[36][37] The performance the USMNT gave in the 2002 FIFA World Cup was considered emotional, given the tragic September 11 attacks a year before.[38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "How Colombian star was gunned down after own goal destroyed World Cup dreams". The Sun. 21 June 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "US win over Colombia in 1994 World Cup announced that "We're here to stay" | MLSsoccer.com".
  3. ↑ "FIFA World Cup host announcement decision" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. p. 2. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Remembering the USA in 1990 World Cup Qualifying". US Soccer Players.
  5. ↑ "Colombia's 1962 World Cup". 24 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Colombia 1986: The World Cup that never was — thedreamteam on Scorum". Scorum.com.
  7. ↑ Cuadros, Mario. "International Soccer: Colombia's Dream Team". Bleacher Report.
  8. ↑ "Argentina 0 Colombia 5 - theBlizzard.co.uk". www.theblizzard.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "Cuando Pelé dio a Colombia campeona del mundo | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  10. ↑ "Colombian Soccer & The Drug Lords". Sports History Weekly.
  11. ↑ "Remembering 1994 World Cup and Eric Wynalda's brilliant free kick that stood as biggest shot in USA soccer history". Star Tribune.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 June 2019, Henry Mance 17. "What really went wrong with Colombia at USA '94?". fourfourtwo.com.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Hope, tragedy and blood: Colombia at World Cup 1994". 25 January 2017.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Colombia's 1994 World Cup". 9 May 2018.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "WORLD CUP USA '94 : ANALYSIS : Something Never Seemed Right : Conspiracy: Colombia's play didn't come anywhere near expectations. What happened?". Los Angeles Times. 3 July 1994.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "USA Greatest World Cup Moments, No. 9: Brazil gives USMNT the blueprint | Armchair Analyst | MLSsoccer.com".
  17. ↑ Glendenning, Barry (25 March 2014). "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No7: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. ↑ Davison, Phil (4 July 1994). "Medellin mourns its murdered sports star". The Independent. London.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "The Case of the Fatal Goal". Time. 11 July 1994. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "Andres Escobar" (in Spanish). LoPaisa.com. Retrieved 28 June 2010.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
  21. ↑ "CNNSI.com World Cup Hall of Fame – Andrés Escobar". CNN. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  22. ↑ "Gunmen Killed Player Who Erred". Orlando Sentinel. 3 July 1994. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No7: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal". The Guardian. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Drezner, Daniel (4 June 2006). "The Soccer Wars". The Washington Post. p. B01.
  25. ↑ Weaver, Paul (1 April 2001). "World Cup can wait – Sven has an election to win". The Guardian. London.
  26. ↑ "The Own Goal that Meant a Death Sentence". Marca (in Spanish). Spain. 6 July 1994. Retrieved 28 June 2010.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
  27. ↑ Mercer, Pamela (4 July 1994). "WORLD CUP '94; Outrage And Tears At Escobar Funeral" – via NYTimes.com.
  28. ↑ "Harkes' Joy Turns to Shock With Escobar's Tragic Death". Tulsa World.
  29. ↑ "The '94 World Cup: USA vs. Colombia | By John Harkes". The Players' Tribune.
  30. ↑ Sobral, Vitor (14 February 2014). "Ivory Coast, Colombia keen to shake up World Cup order | SBS News". Sbs.com.au. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  31. ↑ Ambrus, Steven (4 July 1994). "Mourning Fills Colombia : Shooting: Alleged gunman arrested in slaying of Escobar as nation tries to come to terms with latest violence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  32. ↑ "3 Who Argued With Escobar Face Weapons, Drug Charges". Los Angeles Times. 6 July 1994. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  33. ↑ "Assassination of Soccer Player Andrés Escobar". 2 July 1994.
  34. ↑ "Remembering Andres Escobar, The Colombian Whose Own Goal Ultimately Cost Him His Life". IndiaTimes. 26 September 2019.
  35. ↑ https://ussoccerplayers.com/2013/05/remembering-usa-colombia-in-the-1994-world-cup.html
  36. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jun/05/worldcupfootball2002.sport26
  37. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/mexico_v_usa/default.stm
  38. ↑ https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/reflecting-world-cup-and-emotional-significance-sports


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