A Massive Win Followed by a Boycott

On This Day in 1980, the Americans Earned a Qualifying Win in Costa Rica Before the President Called for an Olympic Boycott

The United States' path to the 1980 Moscow Olympics began with an unexpected twist of fate. In 1979, after being eliminated by Mexico in a two-game series by a 6-0 aggregate scoreline, the Americans received a second chance when their rivals were disqualified for using professional players from Leon in what was strictly an amateur competition.

The road to qualification had started inauspiciously, with the team facing familiar organizational challenges. When the squad prepared to depart for the first match in Mexico, key players Ty Keough and Angelo DiBernardo were suddenly barred from traveling. "We worked on a new lineup at the airport. The only thing I can promise you is that we will have eleven players on the field," coach Walter Chyzowych recalled (Cirino), forced to improvise by moving forward George Nanchoff into Keough's sweeper position. The subsequent 4-0 defeat in Mexico continued the pattern of American soccer disappointments.

"When they were disqualified, it gave us a new lease, which we were determined to take advantage of," American player Ty Keough recalled. The team seized their opportunity, first dispatching Bermuda with impressive authority - 8-0 over two legs to win the North American Zone in qualifying. With a roster bolstered by ten NASL players and featuring 18-year-old St. Louis University freshman Bill McKeon, the Americans cruised to a 3-0 victory with goals from Njego Pesa, Ricky Davis, and Angelo DiBernardo. The return leg in Fort Lauderdale proved even more decisive - a triumph highlighted by Davis's double and goals from Greg Villa, George Nanchoff, and Louis Nanchoff.

The final round-robin tournament paired the United States with Costa Rica and Suriname, with two Olympic berths at stake. Despite losing Dave Brcic and Larry Hulcer to professional contracts with the Cosmos, the Americans benefited from an unprecedented two weeks of preparation in Florida. The investment paid off with a 2-1 victory over Suriname four days before a historic moment in American soccer - a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in San Jose on March 20.

The victory in Costa Rica was remarkable - it came at the notoriously tricky National Stadium, where the senior U.S. Men's National Team had never won a World Cup qualifier (and still hasn't). Don Ebert converted a crucial penalty kick, but the real drama unfolded after the final whistle. "We and the officials could not leave the field and make it to the locker rooms for an extended period of time because of the projectiles launched at us," Keough recalled. "Eventually, we made a run for it, dodging bottles, bricks, and batteries. Once we made it in, we could hear an unfriendly crowd outside chucking rocks and bricks onto the roof of the locker room."

Perry Van Der Beck, who featured in seven of the eight qualifiers, provided context for the hostile reception: "They see the United States as being a superpower. And they say, 'You know what? There's one thing we're better at, and that's soccer,' and they take pride."

Five days later, the Americans sealed their Olympic qualification with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Costa Rica in Edwardsville, Illinois, where Ebert emotionally returned to his college stomping grounds at SIU-E's Cougar Field. Before a passionate crowd of 2,500 fans waving American flags and St. Louis Steamers banners, Ebert - who had recently given up his senior year to sign with the New York Cosmos - found the net in the 26th minute off a precise header from Angelo DiBernardo. "I was getting kind of worried I wouldn't score at home," Ebert admitted after the match. "I was feeling relief. And jubilation."

The match took a dramatic turn when DiBernardo was shown a red card with 27 minutes remaining for retaliating against Costa Rica's William Avila. "The guy kept hitting me," DiBernardo explained later. "I just reacted, I guess. It was stupid of me." Playing with ten men, the Americans conceded an equalizer to Carlos Nicanor Toppings' 35-yard blast. But the 1-1 result was enough to secure qualification, setting off celebrations across the Edwardsville campus. The crowd, alternating between chants of "U-S-A!" and "St. Louis! St. Louis!" throughout the night, reveled in the achievement of a team featuring eight St. Louis-area players.

However, the team's Olympic dreams would be dashed not on the field but in the White House. A day after the win in Costa Rica, President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The boycott stood firm despite Keough's "slim hope" that the decision might be reversed. The closest the Olympic soccer team came to recognition was receiving Congressional gold-plated bronze medals during a White House ceremony that July - a bittersweet conclusion to what had been one of American soccer's most dramatic qualifying campaigns.

The team had achieved remarkable success—winning in one of CONCACAF's most hostile environments and qualifying for the Olympics—only to have geopolitical forces beyond their control deny them their chance to compete on the world stage. Their story is a testament to the growing capability of American soccer and the complex intersection of sports and politics in the Cold War era.