Concacaf at Copa América: #5 USA (1995)
Our countdown begins with the Stars and Stripes in Uruguay!
We are just one month away from the start of the 2024 Copa América - I cannot overstate how excited I am for this tournament. For my money, Copa América is the most exciting international soccer tournament outside of the World Cup (sorry to disappoint the Euro-snobs). The countries and names from this tournament ooze history, drama, flair, and the best of the beautiful game: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia…Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldo, and Messi.
Copa América is the oldest continental tournament dating back to 1916 and is contested among South American teams. More recently, the tournament has consisted of the 10 teams from CONMEBOL (South America) and 2 guest nations. This year, similar to the 2016 Centenario edition, 6 teams from Concacaf are included: Mexico, the US, Jamaica, Panama, Canada, and Costa Rica.
While no Concacaf team has ever won Copa América, the region has had some incredible showings and memorable moments. Over the next few weeks, we will take a look back at the 5 most memorable performances of Concacaf teams at this storied competition.
Quick shoutout to Marcelo Tonosi who put together many of the videos you’ll find in this series. Check out his channel for lots more history of the beautiful game!
5. United States 1995
Result: 4th place
Summary:
The Americans returned to the competition hoping to find redemption after their debut in the 1993 edition (finished last in their group). They came in with some momentum after hosting and reaching the knockout stage of the 1994 World Cup.
The team began the tournament with a big 2-1 win over Chile with both goals coming early in the game from forward Eric Wynalda. In the second group game, the USMNT came out flat and fell to Bolivia 0-1 giving up a goal to future MLS legend Marco Etcheverry. This put a lot of pressure on the final group game against Argentina, one of the tournament favorites and winner of the previous two Copa Américas.
Typical of those US teams from the 90s, they didn’t fear their opponent and they played on the front foot. Current Chicago Fire boss, Frank Klopas, opened the scoring and the US took a 2-0 lead into the break after Cobi Jones played a perfect ball to the near post that Alexi Lalas put into the back of the net. To win the group, the USMNT needed to win by three goals and they were able to get that goal off a hustle play from Joe-Max Moore that led to Wynalda scoring on an open net.
After topping their group, they met archrivals Mexico in the quarterfinals. It was a tight game with both teams having their chances but failing to convert. The game went into penalties and goalkeeper Brad Friedel was the hero as he saved 2 penalties sending the US into the semifinals!
The only thing standing between the US and a spot in the finals was Brazil…the defending World Cup champs and the team that knocked the US out of the ‘94 World Cup. The USMNT only lost 1-0 in 1994 and they went toe-to-toe with one of the world’s best teams yet again. Early in the game, the deadlock was broken with Aldair crushing a header past Friedel. The team played hard but couldn’t find their goal and fell 1-0.
Their opponent for the 3rd place game was Colombia (who were looking for revenge after the US knocked them out of the group stage at the ‘94 World Cup). Whether it was revenge or pride, Colombia waxed them 4-1 in that game to send the US out in 4th place. While it ended on a sour note, the tournament was a great success for the USMNT and it helped them solidify their place on the world stage!
Best Moment: 3-0 win over Argentina
After hosting the 1994 World Cup, there was a lot of excitement around US Soccer and the 1995 Copa América was the perfect stage to continue this rise. Despite a decent showing at the World Cup, the US team was still relatively unknown and not respected outside of Concacaf. This game against Argentina was a chance to earn respect.
As described in the summary, the US team ran the ball down the throat of the Argentine defense for most of the game and refused to take their foot off the gas. USMNT legend, and one of my all-time favorite players, Cobi Jones was all over the field that day and was dubbed Escobillón by Argentine commentators during the tournament (a nod to his hairstyle and the uncannily similar pronunciation to his name).
This was, and still is, one of the great victories in American soccer history. It’s hard to believe that this happened almost 30 years ago…I’m not sure the USMNT has ever had that kind of confidence against an Argentine side since and they likely won’t in the event they meet in the 2024 edition.
Best Player: Eric Wynalda (3 goals)
Wynalda was already a household name for the Stars & Stripes heading into this tournament. He was part of the 1990 World Cup squad (where he famously received a red card against Czechoslovakia). He was a crucial part of the attack in the 1994 World Cup and many tournaments in between those. He also became the first American to play at the highest level in Germany back in 1992.
While this tournament and the year that followed were probably the end of Wynalda’s peak, he remains one of the great players from the US teams of the 1990s and he held the USMNT scoring record with 34 goals until Landon Donovan passed him in 2008.
Stay tuned for the next installment of our 5 most memorable Concacaf performances at Copa América!