On This Day in 1993, the Midfielder Became the Second American to Score at the Famous Stadium
One of the positive outcomes of the US Men’s National Team qualifying and playing in the 1990 World Cup, outside of breaking 40 years of not qualifying and earning excellent preparation for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, was John Harkes's move to England. The then-23-year-old went into basically uncharted waters, signing with Sheffield Wednesday later in 1990, which led to a trophy and promotion to the first division at the end of his first season. Two years later, he further etched his name in history by scoring at a final at Wembley Stadium.
Harkes succeeded at Italia ‘90, where he played in all three group matches despite the team not winning. The midfielder had his chance to move abroad when he was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday on December 3 for £75,000 as cover following an injury to Roland Nilsson. The Owls were in the middle of a promotion battle back to the old English First Division, securing that automatic promotion with a third-place finish. Wednesday also made a run all the way to the 1991 Football League Cup Final, which included Harkes scoring in a fourth-round replay win over Derby County. That goal, a 35-yard blast past former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, earned him English football's "Goal of the Season" award.
Harkes became the third American to play at Wembley Stadium when he played 87 minutes in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on April 21, 1991, to lift the League Cup. Back in the top flight after just one year out, the Owls rolled to a third-place finish in 1991-92, with Harkes playing 29 First Division matches. The success continued for Wednesday the following season, and heading toward the end of the season, the team had two finals on the horizon — the Football League Cup and FA Cup. First was the League Cup Final against Arsenal on April 18, 1993.
Arsenal were winners of the title in two of the last four seasons of the First Division before the start of the Premier League — though the Gunners were sitting 11th in the table at kick-off. Wednesday was coming off a 5-2 win over Southampton six days earlier. The match starts with an early chance for the Owls as Paul Warhurst hits the post on a volley after a throw-in. A few moments later, Harkes drew a foul on Ray Parlour on the left side of center, about 40 yards out.
Harkes initially set the ball but, after a short chat, moved off the ball for John Sheridan to take the kick. Phil King overlapped the ball, and Sheridan played the ball for a short cross. David O'Leary partially cleared the ball, but only to the top of the box. That is where Harkes repositioned himself, and the American smacked home the opener past David Seaman. The Yank scored at Wembley, and Wednesday led Arsenal in the 8th minute. British sports writers said it was comparable to having a Liverpool-born fullback run for a touchdown in the Rose Bowl. He became the second American to score at Wembley Stadium, joining Mike Masters, who scored in the 1992 FA Trophy Final, and Christian Pulisic, who scored in the 2020 FA Cup Final.
The Wednesday lead was short-lived as Paul Merson equalized 12 minutes later on an impressive shot outside the box. Steve Morrow notched the winner in the 68th minute to seal the victory and the cup for the Gunners. Arsenal completed the double against Wednesday by winning the FA Cup in May, though the Gunners needed a replay to do it. Harkes assisted on David Hirst’s equalizer in the first match. Harkes, who played all 120 minutes in both matches, played his final match for the Owls in the replay. He would play three more seasons in England, transferring to Derby County in the summer of 1993. He would also help spur the US to a victory over England in the US Cup that summer — he was involved in the buildup to Thomas Dooley’s opener.
Harkes had a successful spell during his time in Sheffield, which included a promotion, a trophy, two runner-up medals and a European competition.