1. Who is the only man to be named to four consecutive World Cup rosters for the U.S.?
A. Kasey Keller
B. Claudio Reyna
C. Cobi Jones
B. Claudio Reyna
Prior to 2006, a handful of men had played in three World Cups. Earnie Stewart, Claudio Reyna, and Cobi Jones played in the World Cups of 1994, 1998, and 2002. Tony Meola was on the rosters of 1990, 1994, and 2002. Kasey Keller made the team in 1990, 1998, and 2002. When the roster was finalized for 2006, it included Reyna and Keller, giving Keller his fourth spot and giving Reyna his fourth consecutive spot.
2. Who is the only U.S. male to score in more than one World Cup?
A. Brian McBride
B. Eric Wynalda
C. Landon Donovan
Brian McBride
Even though the U.S. played in back-to-back World Cups in 1930 and 1934 and has made every tournament since 1990, only one person has scored in multiple versions. The goal scorers of 1990, were Paul Caligiuri and Bruce Murray. The goal scorers of 1994 were Eric Wynalda and Earnie Stewart. Only Brian McBride scored in France in 1998. McBride then scored in Asia in 2002 against Portugal and Mexico. Landon Donovan also scored in 2002 (twice), as did Clint Mathis and John O’Brien. Clint Dempsey scored for the U.S. in 2006.
3. Which club team was listed most often on the roster of the U.S. Men’s National Team of the 1990 World Cup?
A. New York Cosmos
B. Long Island Rough Riders
C. United States Soccer Federation
C. United States Soccer Federation
Without a strong domestic league in the U.S., the national team coaching staff worried about keeping their men in shape. Letting them play in foreign leagues, though, would hinder the players’ availability for warm-up games prior to the World Cup. The solution was that the United States Soccer Federation became the club team for several players, signing them to full-time contracts. Many of the players were loaned to other teams for small periods, and some were still in college.
4. Of the U.S. players that went to the 1950 World Cup, how many were from St. Louis?
A. six
B. three
C. one
A. six
Many years after the World Cup, various books and newspapers published in England suggested that the United States’ 1950 team was a collection of immigrants, not a team of U.S. citizens. In reality, only three were non-citizens while most were second- or third-generation citizens. Six members of the team had been born in St. Louis and five of them were from one St. Louis team, Simpkins Ford. Of the 11 who played against England, five of them were living in St. Louis. In fact, three of them—Frank Borghi, Gino Pariani, and Frank Wallace—lived within 200 yards of each other.
5. What country sent a team to the U.S. for the final U.S. warm-up game before setting off for the 1950 World Cup, where it beat England?
A. England
B. Canada
C. Brazil
A. England
It was a team of all-stars on tour from England. England’s national team was warming up with games in Europe, beating Scotland, Portugal, and Belgium. England’s reserve team also toured Europe. This third-string group of professionals played in Canada and in the U.S., beating the U.S. Men’s National Team 1-0 in New York. The English all-stars included Stanley Matthews, who would later be called up to join England’s national team, sending him directly from New York to Brazil. Matthews had played for England since 1934 and would play for England versus Spain in the World Cup. In fact his international career would not end until 1957, and he was knighted for his service to the nation. However, Mathews was left out of the line-up in the World Cup game against the U.S., something that England’s coach was criticized for.
6. Who’s this? He was born in New York City and played five games for Puerto Rico. After a battle with FIFA, he was given permission to play with the U.S. Men’s National Team on November 5, 1998. The next day he earned his first U.S. cap. He made the U.S. Olympic team in 2000 but was taken off the roster when he suffered a knee injury prior to the tournament. After earning 45 caps he made the roster for the 2002 World Cup. However, he tore his ACL a month before the tournament and was replaced.
A. Claudio Reyna
B. Carlos Llamosa
C. Chris Armas
C. Chris Armas
He also was U.S. Soccer’s Chevrolet Male Athlete of the Year for 2000. Before falling victim to the ACL tear that kept him out of the 2002 World Cup, Armas played in 14 of the 16 qualifiers.
7. How long had David Regis been a U.S. citizen prior to playing in his first game for the U.S. Men’s National Team?
A. 29 days
B. 6 months
C. 1 year
A. 29 days
David Regis was born in Martinique, a French territory in the Caribbean, and went on to play in Europe. Just months prior to the 1998 World Cup, he was being scouted by the France National Team. When U.S. Coach Steve Sampson got word that Regis was married to an American woman, Sampson approached him about becoming a U.S. citizen in time to play in that year’s World Cup, which just happened to be set in France. He became a citizen on May 17, 1998, and played for the U.S. 29 days later. He played in one more warm-up game and then started all three games during the World Cup. If his contributions to the U.S. team seem unworthy of being selected for the 1998 World Cup, he made up for it afterward. On the road to the 2002 World Cup, Regis played in 12 of 16 qualifiers, the second most of any American for that round.
8. What player with the U.S. Men’s National Team was named captain for life but failed to make the roster for the 1998 World Cup?
A. John Harkes
B. Eric Wynalda
C. Claudio Reyna
A. John Harkes
In early 1996,Coach Steve Sampson told John Harkes that Harkes would be the captain of the men’s national team. Although Sampson claims that he never gave out the title ad vita, he seems to have never corrected media reports that he had given that full honor. So came a comical spin on the situation when Sampson removed from the team his captain for life just two years after naming him that and just two months prior to the 1998 World Cup. Making light of the episode, Harkes penned an autobiography and titled it Captain for Life—And Other Temporary Assignments, in which he repeatedly lambasted Sampson. In 2010 Eric Wynalda let the cat out of the bag and Steve Sampson confirmed why Harkes had been left off the 1998 squad. We do not have enough liability insurance to give the details but here’s a link, http://www.fakesigi.com/2010/02/steve-sampson-john-harkes-eric-wynalda.html. Keep in mind that Sampson took tons of heat for removing Harkes but never pointed a finger at Harkes. In the end, 14 years after naming Harkes Captain for Life, Sampson came out looking much classier.
9. How many positions did Landon Donovan start at during the 2002 World Cup?
A. One
B. Two
C. Four
C. Four
In the opener versus Portugal, Donavan played forward. In the next game, versus South Korea, he stepped back to be the right midfielder. Then he played left midfielder against Poland. Against Mexico he played center midfielder, his fourth position, before going back to forward to face Germany.
10. Of the 22 players from the U.S. Men’s National Team that played in the 1994 World Cup, how many later joined MLS?
A. 22
B. 20
C. 18
B. 20
Of the 22, all but two later joined Major League Soccer. Fernando Clavijo, retired from playing immediately after the 1994 World Cup and spent some time coaching in MLS. Hugo Perez, retired after playing professionally in El Salvador.
11. For the 1990 World Cup, the roster of the U.S. team listed three players from the same city. Which city?
A. St. Louis, Mossouri
B. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
C. Kearny, New Jersey
C. Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny, New Jersey, was a working-class, immigrant city with a huge tradition in soccer. While so much of New Jersey and the rest of the country were being coached by people reading about soccer out of manuals, the Kearny boys were following fathers who had played and continued to play. The Kearny boys included Tony Meola, Tab Ramos, and John Harkes.