“They were young, mostly in their early 20s, mostly attached to teams virtually unknown on the world stage, such as the Albany Capitals and the Milwaukee Wave. Two had no professional affiliation at all because they were still college players. They may have represented a country considered one of the world’s superpowers politically and economically, but in the sport of soccer, they were minnows, fighting their way upstream to the biggest stage. Their victory was in arrival — in reviving a program in danger of losing funding and giving future squads a compass for future improvement. They were the U.S. 1990 World Cup team.” (SI)