Storm Clouds and Second Thoughts

On This Day in 1995, U.S. Lets Two-Goal Lead Slip Against Uruguay in Dallas

The summer of 1994 had been a triumph. The United States had hosted the World Cup, advanced to the second round, and introduced soccer to millions of new American fans. But the months that followed were a reminder that success is fleeting.

The post-tournament friendly schedule had been sobering—a 2-0 loss to England in September, a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in October, a 1-0 setback at Trinidad and Tobago in November, before a 3-0 win over Jamaica provided some relief and a 1-1 draw with Honduras closed out the year. Four games, one win, and mounting questions about where this team was headed.

Those questions had grown louder by March 25, 1995, when the U.S. arrived in Dallas for a friendly against Uruguay at the Cotton Bowl. Coach Bora Milutinovic, whose contract had expired three months earlier, had yet to sign a new deal with U.S. Soccer. Rumors linked him to the Colombian national team, while former Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz was reportedly due in the country in late April to discuss a possible role with the federation.

The roster reflected a program in genuine transition. Tony Meola had retired, for now, to pursue an acting career on Broadway. Fernando Clavijo had hung up his boots to coach indoor soccer in Seattle. Eric Wynalda was sidelined with a broken ankle. Three key veterans from the World Cup run we gone.

What remained was a mix of proven names and promising youth. Alexi Lalas, the first American to play in Italy's Serie A, was back. Cobi Jones, now at Coventry City in England, was in the lineup. So was Earnie Stewart, whose winning goal against Colombia had been one of the defining moments of the American World Cup. Among the younger players was 19-year-old Jovan Kirovski, who had scored in each of the U.S. team's final two matches of 1994 while netting 15 goals in 30 reserve games for Manchester United.

Several key midfielders were unavailable—John Harkes, Tab Ramos, and Thomas Dooley all absent, along with forward Roy Wegerle. Milutinovic was using the occasion to assess his options ahead of a consequential summer featuring the U.S. Cup in June and Copa America in July. Uruguay arrived without their own stars. Daniel Fonseca, Ruben Sosa and the elegant Enzo Francescoli all occupied with club commitments, but remained a legitimate top-25 ranked side known for physical, quick-passing soccer.

"With success comes added pressure," Lalas said. "We can't rest on our laurels. We had some success this summer and now we want to keep going."

From the opening whistle, the Americans played with an energy that briefly silenced the doubters. In the eighth minute, Jeff Agoos launched a long ball forward, Jones ran onto it with pace and centered it across goal, and John Kerr arrived to slam a shot from 25 feet into the net. It was Kerr's second international goal and his first appearance in a U.S. shirt since June 1988, a gap of 147 games that set a national team record for the longest stretch between caps.

The Americans continued to dominate, with Uruguay collecting four yellow cards in the first 70 minutes as Jones pulled the strings in midfield. The second goal came in the 67th minute when Jones delivered a left-footed cross and Stewart met it crisply—two-nil, and the United States looked fully in control.

"Considering how many new guys we had on the field, I thought we played well," Lalas said at halftime, his trademark candor on full display during an ESPN interview in which he compared his unlikely journey to Serie A with buying a questionable pair of shoes at K-Mart.

With 15 minutes remaining, Uruguay began to find their footing. In the 75th minute, Omar Otero flicked a shot that slipped through the legs of goalkeeper Juergen Sommer. American players erupted in protest, insisting Otero had been offside. Stewart was blunt: "That was a joke. The linesman was blind."

Eight minutes later, a loose ball bobbled free in the American area, and Sommer fumbled it directly to Uruguay captain Gustavo Poyet, who slid the rebound into the open side of the net. Two-two, and then the sky itself intervened. Driving rain and 40 mph winds ripped through the Cotton Bowl, blowing advertising boards onto the field and sending the crowd of 12,242 scrambling for cover. Referee Antonio Marrufo halted play with seven minutes remaining and, after a ten-minute delay, abandoned the match entirely—the first time on record a U.S. national team game had been cut short by weather.

"It was really wet and the ball got away from me," Sommer said. "I should have held on."

Uruguay coach Hector Nunes made no secret of his frustration. "When the storm came in we were rolling. If play had continued, I thought we had a good chance to win."

For Milutinovic, whose animated presence on the touchline suggested a man still very much invested in his job, the evening offered genuine encouragement alongside the late disappointment. His team had controlled the game for 70 minutes, blooded valuable young players, and shown real technical quality. Four starters had fewer than five international caps.

"We're in a different situation than other countries," Milutinovic said. "When some of these guys get more experience over the summer, there will be better results."

The goalkeeping question remained open, with Sommer's errors offset by several excellent saves and Brad Friedel, Meola's backup at the World Cup, now at Danish club Brondby, waiting in the wings. With Belgium next on April 22 in Brussels, followed by the U.S. Cup and Copa America, the summer would provide sharper answers. The 1994 World Cup had given American soccer something to build on. As the storm-swept Cotton Bowl had reminded everyone, the work of building it was just beginning.