Historic Goalless Draw With Italy

On This Day in 1984, Americans Hold World Cup Champions Italy to a Draw

In what coach Alkis Panagoulias called "the game of the decade for the Americans," the United States national soccer team achieved what many considered impossible: holding the reigning World Cup champions Italy to a scoreless draw in a rain-soaked match at Giants Stadium that instantly earned a place in American soccer lore.

The match represented a formidable challenge for the Americans. Italy arrived as the defending World Cup champions, the soccer aristocrats who had conquered the world in Spain just two years earlier. Their roster boasted world-class talents like Marco Tardelli and Claudio Gentile, nicknamed "Qaddafi" for his resemblance to the Libyan strongman and his notoriously physical style of play. More notably, on May 19, FIFA awarded Italy the right to the 1990 World Cup, so the Italians had all the momentum off the field.

For the Americans, merely sharing the field with such opposition seemed daunting. The historical record was brutal: in five previous meetings dating back to 1934, the United States had lost all matches to Italy by a combined score of 35-1. The most recent defeats included a 10-0 drubbing at Rome's Olympic Stadium in 1975 and an 8-0 loss at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Compounding the challenge, Panagoulias had barely 48 hours to assemble his squad. The perpetual struggle between the North American Soccer League (NASL), Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), and the U.S. Soccer Federation left the national team in its usual disarray.

"I missed the (Cosmo's) game against Barcelona because of my injuries," said Jeff Durgan, captain of the American side and defender for the New York Cosmos, before the match. "But there is no way injuries will keep me out of the Italy game." His determination echoed Panagoulias's preaching: playing for one's country represented the highest honor in the sport.

Notable absences hurt the American chances. Rick Davis of the St. Louis Steamers, expected to anchor the midfield, was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Charlie Fajkus wasn't released by Chicago Sting coach Willy Roy, a decision that particularly frustrated Panagoulias. "Willy Roy was the last person I expected to make things difficult for the players," the Greek-American coach lamented, "because he has been a player for the national team of the United States. He knows what it means to the players to play for their country."

A crowd of 31,210 braved heavy rain and cold temperatures at Giants Stadium on May 30, the majority waving Italian flags emblazoned with "campione del mondo" (champions of the world). The American players were even greeted with jeers during pre-match introductions, a stark reminder that they were effectively playing a road game on home soil. Both teams struggled for control on the slippery artificial turf—a surface unfamiliar to the European visitors. Italy dominated possession and outshot the Americans 18-9, but the United States defended with remarkable discipline and organization, especially considering their minimal preparation time.

The match's most dramatic moments came at both ends. In the 30th minute, Pietro Fanna, later named Italy's player of the match, headed what appeared to be a certain goal, only for Durgan to clear it off the line in a spectacular defensive play. "I'm sad we didn't put the ball in the net," Durgan would later say. "It would have been better with a victory, but this is a big result for us."

The Americans nearly authored a stunning upset in the 73rd minute when Andy Parkinson's header beat goalkeeper Giovanni Galli but struck the left post. "It was going for the corner of the goal," Parkinson recalled, "but the goalkeeper made a good save. I thought it was in."

Angelo DiBernardo, the Americans' midfield playmaker, also came close in the 77th minute with a booming free kick that sailed just over the Italian goal. Despite Italy's continuous pressure in the final minutes, the American defense held firm to secure the historic draw. As the final whistle blew, the magnitude of the achievement began to sink in. Many players and observers considered it the most significant result in American soccer since the shocking 1-0 victory over England in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

"I'm very encouraged by this result," Panagoulias beamed afterward. "I thought we played tactically the right way on defense and in midfield. Several of our players were magnificent."

Italian coach Enzo Bearzot, while disappointed with his team's inability to score, praised the American development. "Certainly, the U.S. hasn't been one of the well-known national teams in the world," Bearzot said, "but Alkis Panagoulias will change that. Maybe not today, but he will change it. U.S. soccer is growing."

For DiBernardo, who orchestrated much of the American attack, the result validated their place in international soccer. "I heard a few 'U.S.A.-U.S.A.' chants," he said. "I think we showed that we can compete with anybody."

The match represented the first full international for the United States in 1984 but was not the last significant competition for many team members. The Olympics loomed on the horizon, set for Los Angeles later that summer, offered another opportunity to build on this breakthrough result. 

NASL president Howard Samuels recognized the potential watershed moment: "This game and the Olympics, with some of these players in it, is a good shot in the arm for the league at a time we need it. It shows the international part of the sport, which is a world sport. Soccer will never really be a great sport in America until we prove we're ready for international competition."

Panagoulias, who had coached the short-lived Team America franchise in the NASL the previous year, saw the match as a turning point. "The game against Italy, the other international matches we have scheduled, and the Olympics are all the turning point for soccer in this country," he said. "American people easily recognize the Olympics. So it will be very important."

Looking beyond the immediate horizon to the 1986 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for September and October against the Netherlands Antilles, Panagoulias was blunt about what was needed: "Success can come if we get cooperation at the top, at the administrative level. There is too much politics. Period. Nothing else is the problem."

For one rain-soaked night in East Rutherford, however, those persistent problems were temporarily forgotten as American soccer stood tall against the world champions, offering a tantalizing glimpse of its potential on the international stage.

First Win Over Ireland, Sparked by a Couple of Debutants

On This Day in 1992, After Being Humiliated by the Irish a Month Earlier, the Americans Bounced Back in a Big Way

As host of the 1994 World Cup, the United States Men’s National Team automatically qualified for the tournament, thus avoiding the rigorous schedule of World Cup Qualifying. On the other hand, a host will play fewer competitive matches in the lead-up to the tournament. So, the US Soccer Federation filled the schedule with as many friendlies as possible and created the US Cup, which would select quality opponents for America to play in preparation for the main tournament in 1994, both on and off the field.

Things were shifting for the better for the US after the 1990 World Cup. Bora Milutinović replaced Bob Gansler in early 1991, adding professionalism to the program. The trajectory continued upward as the US won the first Gold Cup in July 1991, capped with a penalty shootout win over Honduras in the final. This is where the creation of the US Cup came about, as player development at the time relied on as much international exposure as possible. Most US national team players were contracted with US Soccer without a domestic pro league available. The federation filled the schedule, and the team played in 97 matches between World Cups — the most in a USMNT cycle. Between the Gold Cup from the previous summer and the 1992 US Cup, the US played 15 friendlies, from California to Casablanca.

While the team was developing on the field, the federation was recruiting and searching for players with ties to the United States. First was Earnie Stewart, who, in 1990, the USSF discovered was a US citizen while playing professionally in the Netherlands since 1988. Stewart grew up in California between the ages of two and seven before moving with his parents — his dad was an Air Force airman — to Uden, Netherlands. He made his debut against Portugal in Portugal at the end of the year. He wouldn’t play again for the national team until 1992 when he played in three matches in Brazil, Spain and Morocco, but this US Cup match against Ireland would be his first on US soil.

By mid-1992, two more names overseas had piqued the federation's interest. First was Roy Wegerle. Wegerle, born and raised in South Africa, played college soccer at the University of South Florida before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the first round of the 1984 NASL college draft. After the NASL folded following his first season, he moved to the Tacoma Stars of the MISL for two seasons before getting a tryout at Chelsea in 1986, and his professional career took off. In 1991, Wegerle became a US citizen, eligible through his American wife, Marie. On May 17, 1992, he committed his future to the US at 28 years old, despite his eligibility to play for South Africa, Scotland or England.

The other was Thomas Dooley. He had a much different path to the national team. Dooley was born in West Germany to a German mother and a US Army father. His father abandoned the family when he returned to the States when Dooley was 1 year old, and they had not met since. Dooley stayed in Germany, being teased as a kid for being American with no proper American ties. But he embraced the culture, longing to visit the US his whole life before his new country would adopt him. Dooley rose through German professional football, winning the German Cup in 1990 and the Bundesliga title in 1991 with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The then-31-year-old didn’t speak English but was thrilled to be eligible to play for the US through Germany’s policy to take the father's citizenship too.

Those wins off the field helped alleviate the lack of winning for the US to start 1992. After a goalless draw with Costa Rica in early February, the Americans lost four in a row to El Salvador, Brazil, Spain and Morocco before bouncing back with a 5-0 win over China on April 4 — at the time, the biggest win based on goal difference in US Soccer history. Three-and-a-half weeks later, the US traveled to Ireland, where the Americans were sent home with a 4-1 defeat. It was four matches without a win against the Irish dating back to 1924. The US also lost to Scotland 1-0 two weeks before the start of the US Cup, making it one win in eight before this match with Ireland on May 30.

Dooley started while Stewart and Wegerle were on the bench to begin the match. After a scoreless first half where the US had numerous chances, Wegerle replaced Bruce Murray at halftime. In the 51st minute, Mick McCarthy nodded home the opener on a corner to give Ireland the lead. That lead didn’t last long, as Tab Ramos drew a foul on the left wing shortly after the kickoff. Hugo Perez tossed in the left-footed free-kick, and Dooley rose highest to get a head on it. The ball fell to John Doyle at the back post. His mishit shot fell to Marcelo Balboa with a free shot at the goal to equalize. Dooley was the first one to hug Balboa.

Just after the goal, Stewart replaced Perez. 15 minutes later, Ramos gave the US the lead when Fernando Clavijo played the cross over the top of the box, which fell to Ramos at the top of the box. He hit it first-time off the bounce, and it snuck into the corner for the winner. The trio fit into the squad smoothly, which looked most evident on the third and final goal.

Wegerle, who didn’t even know the names of some of his teammates before kickoff, won the ball in midfield and received it back after a couple of US passes. After absorbing a tackle, he drove toward the box, and three Irish defenders converged. Wegerle played a back-heel through ball to Dooley, who was in on goal. Irish goalkeeper Gerry Peyton met Dooley, and Dooley poked it wide, where John Harkes was there to smash home the third in the 87th minute.

“For the first time, we are together,” US Coach Bora Milutinovic said. “We need to work for the future. I hope the best is yet to come.”

The victory set the team in motion, believing they could compete with some bigger teams (though Ireland, Portugal and Italy missing the 92 Euros being the reason they could play in the US Cup). According to Alan Rothenberg, president of the U.S.S.F., the search for outside help was a success. “Congress makes the rules on citizenship; we don't.” This match showed the importance of dual nationals and having the best team available. Stewart, Dooley and Wegerle all played at the World Cups in 1994 and 1998, being key to that Round-of-16 run in 1994.