Americans Stun Germans

On This Day in 1999, the US Records Its First Win Over Germany with Three German-Based Players Netting Goals

The United States Men's National Team hit rock bottom at the 1998 World Cup in France. After qualifying for their third straight World Cup, the Americans finished dead last in the 32-team field, losing all three group stage matches, including a 2-0 defeat to Germany in their opening match. The disappointing performance led to Steve Sampson's resignation as head coach, closing a chapter that had started with such promise but ended in disaster.

Enter Bruce Arena. The Brooklyn-born coach had built an impressive resume, winning five national championships at the University of Virginia and leading D.C. United to the first two Major League Soccer titles, capturing the CONCACAF Champions and Interamerican Cups. Expectations were tempered when he took over the national team in October 1998. His first two matches—against Australia and Bolivia—ended in scoreless draws, extending the team's winless streak to six matches dating back to a 2-0 victory over Kuwait in May.

The February 7 friendly against Germany at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville would be different. Despite losing defenders Eddie Pope and Jeff Agoos to injury (replaced by Matt McKeon and Rich Kotschau), Arena had assembled a squad featuring several players who knew their opponents intimately – Jovan Kirovski (Fortuna Cologne), Tony Sanneh (Hertha Berlin), and Claudio Reyna (VfL Wolfsburg) all played their club football in Germany.

That familiarity showed early. In the 16th minute, Kirovski, who played in Germany's second division, opened the scoring with a perfectly placed 22-yard shot that found the far corner beyond goalkeeper Oliver Kahn's reach. The goal opened the floodgates. Eight minutes later, Sanneh, who had just joined first-division Hertha Berlin after three seasons with D.C. United, broke free and outmaneuvered German midfielder Jens Jeremies before slipping the ball past an onrushing Kahn. The Americans weren't done yet – just two minutes later, a fluid combination of passes from Chris Armas to Eddie Lewis found Reyna alone six yards from goal, and the captain made no mistake, making it 3-0.

"It was a clear 3-0 victory," Reyna said afterward. "It wasn't three lucky goals. It was three well-deserved goals. And we honestly could have had more. We let them know in the first minute that we were here to play and that we weren't going to give them the respect we did in the World Cup."

The victory marked the United States' first win over Germany in four attempts, and the three-goal margin represented the Germans' worst first-half deficit since facing Brazil in Washington in 1993. Arena's tactical approach proved masterful – he had noticed Germany's last nine goals had come from crossing situations, so he tasked Sanneh and Lewis with shutting down the flanks. "It's very rare that U.S. players own the flanks in games of this type," Arena noted, "especially against the likes of the German team."

After the final whistle, Arena gathered his players in the locker room and shouted, "Today, the best team won!" It was more than just their first victory over Germany – it was a statement of intent from a program looking to rebuild after the World Cup disaster. While Arena remained measured in his public comments, calling it "a good result" while emphasizing he was "not going to make a big deal out of it," the significance wasn't lost on anyone.

However, Arena was quick to temper expectations. With World Cup 2002 qualifying set to begin in late 2000, he knew this friendly victory—however impressive—was just one step in a longer journey. "It was a good win," Arena said, "but people must not forget that this was only a friendly international match in February of 1999." The rebuilding project was underway, but the actual tests still lay ahead.