July 17, 1994: The World Cup Final On American Soil

The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, July 17, 1994.

Attendance: 94,194.

July 17, 1994: For the 1st time -- and, so far, for the only time -- the Final of soccer's World Cup is held on American soil. ABC broadcast it.

There were 9 venues. From East to West:

* Foxboro Stadium, built in 1971, in the Boston suburb of Foxboro, Massachusetts, home of the NFL's New England Patriots. It had been the home of the North American Soccer League's Boston Minutemen and New England Tea Men, and would become the home of Major League Soccer's New England Revolution.

* Giants Stadium, 1976, in the New York suburb of East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets. It had been the home of the NASL's New York Cosmos, and would become the home of MLS' New York/New Jersey MetroStars, who became the New York Red Bulls.

* Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, known as District of Columbia Stadium from 1961 to 1969, in Washington, D.C., home of the NFL's Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders). It had been the home of the NASL's Washington Darts and Washington Diplomats, and would become the home of MLS' D.C. United.

* The Citrus Bowl, 1936, now named Camping World Stadium, in Orlando, Florida, the only venue not then the regular home of a professional or college football team. It was home of college football's annual Florida Citrus Bowl. It would later become the home of MLS' Orlando City Soccer Club.

* The Silverdome, 1975, in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan, home of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It had been the home of the NASL's Detroit Express. Alone among these 9 metropolitan areas, Detroit has never had an MLS team.

* Soldier Field, 1924, in Chicago, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears. It had been the home of the NASL's Chicago Sting, and would become the home of MLS' Chicago Fire.

* The Cotton Bowl, 1930, in Dallas, home of the annual Cotton Bowl game, and the former home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. It had been the home of the NASL's Dallas Tornados, and would become the home of MLS' Dallas Burn, who became F.C. Dallas.

* The Rose Bowl, 1922, in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California, home of the football team at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the annual Rose Bowl game. It had been the home of the NASL's Los Angeles Wolves and Los Angeles Aztecs, and would become the home of MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy.

* And Stanford Stadium, 1921, in the San Francisco suburb of Palo Alto, California, home of the football team at Stanford University.

Thus, the Silverdome, Soldier Field, the Rose Bowl and Stanford Stadium became the only stadiums to host both a Super Bowl and a World Cup match -- and the Rose Bowl would become the only one to host both a Super Bowl and a World Cup Final.

 

This tournament remains the World Cup with the highest per-game attendance: 68,991. And what an array of talent, not dampened in the slightest by England, which still thinks of itself as the country in world "football," failing to qualify for the 1st time since 1978:

* From finalists Brazil: Romário, Ronaldo, Cafu, Bebeto, Dunga, Leonardo, and Claudio Taffarel.

* From finalists Italy: Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Gianfranco Zola, Mauro Tassotti, Roberto Donadoni, Antonio Conte, and Roberto and Dino Baggio (not related).

* From semifinalists Sweden: Henrik Larsson and Tomas Brolin.

* From semifinalists Bulgaria: Hristo Stoichkov.

* From quarterfinalists the Netherlands: Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Danny Blind, Edwin van der Sar, and the twins Frank and Ronald de Boer. (Marco van Basten had already had to retire due to injury.)

* From quarterfinalists Germany: Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Jürgen Kohler, Rudi Völler, Thomas Häßler, Andreas Brehme, Matthias Sammer and Oliver Kahn.

* From quarterfinalists Romania: Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popsecu.

* From quarterfinalists Spain: Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.

* From the Round of 16: From Argentina: Diego Maradona (who ended up getting suspended for drugs), Gabriel Batistuta and Claudio Caniggia. From Ireland: Roy Keane, Paul McGrath, Ray Houghton, John Aldridge, Steve Staunton, Ronnie Whelan, Tony Cascarino and Packie Bonner. From Nigeria: Jay-Jay Okocha.

* From teams that didn't make it to the knockout round: Roger Milla from Cameroon, and Carlos Valderrama and his hair from Colombia.

* And from our own team, which did make it past the Group Stage for the 1st time since 1930: Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda, Cobi Jones, Marcelo Balboa, Paul Caligiuri and Jersey Boys Tony Meola, John Harkes, Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna.

True, we got knocked out by Brazil, on home soil, on the 4th of July no less, at the old Stanford Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Palo Alto, California. And we wore horrid uniforms. But it was still a big boost for American soccer, just what the upcoming founding of Major League Soccer (MLS) needed going into 1996.

Yes, we actually wore these things.

Certainly, we got the pageantry right. Having America play on the 4th of July worked out well, despite the loss. And the New York market got lucky, as 2 of the country's, and particularly the Tri-State Area's, biggest ethnic groups ended up having their ancestral homelands playing each other at the Meadowlands: The Republic of Ireland and Italy.

Ireland vs. Italy, Giants Stadium, June 18, 1994.

Attendance: 75,338. Ireland pulled the upset, winning 1-0.

But, from the American perspective, the 2 worst things that could have happened did happen. Someone got killed. Not in the stadium, or in the streets; it wasn't a fight between hooligans. Not even in the country. After his own goal sent Colombia down to defeat against us, Andrés Escobar of Atlético Nacional went back home to Medellín, and was shot and killed. He was only 27 years old.

The other was that the Final ended scoreless. There were the 2 best teams in the world, Brazil and Italy, and, after a full 90 minutes, plus extra time making it 120 minutes, the final score was 0-0. Nil-nil. Nothing to nothing. Americans like scoring, and any American watching this Final, not knowing all that goes into a soccer game, would have found it boring as hell. It probably set American interest in the sport back several years.

Roberto Baggio blasted a penalty kick over the crossbar, and Brazil won the penalty phase, 3-2. And Americans not already into soccer shrugged their shoulders, and either went back to watching baseball or began preparing for a new NFL season.

Romário (Number 11) lifts the Jules Rimet Trophy,

next to Dunga (8), the Captain

Foxboro Stadium was torn down in 2002, having been replaced by the next-door Gillette Stadium. Soldier Field was torn down in 2002, and replaced by a new stadium on the same site. Stanford Stadium was torn down in 2004, and replaced by a new stadium on the same site. Giants Stadium was torn down in 2010, having been replaced by the next-door MetLife Stadium. The Silverdome was torn down in 2017, after the Detroit Lions moved into Ford Field in 2002. RFK Stadium is scheduled to be torn down in 2023.

The 2026 World Cup was awarded jointly to all 3 North American nations: The United States, Canada (which has never hosted), and Mexico (which hosted in 1970 and 1986). Most of the host stadiums from 1994 are unlikely to host again in 2026, since they've been replaced.

If Los Angeles gets the Final again, it won't be played at the Rose Bowl, even though it is still in use and still in good shape. It will probably go to the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, because of its retractable roof. If New York gets the Final, it will be at MetLife Stadium, Giants Stadium's replacement.

UPDATE: In 2024, the 2026 World Cup Final was awarded to MetLife Stadium. SoFi Stadium got a Quarterfinal, while the Semifinals went to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.

An article for ESPN.com, published after the 2026 World Cup, ranking all 23 tournaments, rated the 1994 edition 10th, citing "turmoil" and "tension"; but adding, "In terms of pure imagery, it will be difficult to ever top 1994." 

*

July 17, 1994 was a Sunday. It was the off-season for the NFL, the NBA and the NHL. But, in addition to the World Cup Final, there was a full slate of Major League Baseball games played that day. It was, however, well past the age of Sunday doubleheaders:

* The New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners, 14-4 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Jim Leyritz hit 2 home runs, and Danny Tartabull added another, to make a winning pitcher out of Scott Kamieniecki. Tino Martinez hit one of the M's, and would be a big part of them driving the Yankees crazy in the 1995 Playoffs. But the Yankees traded for him, and he became a part of their next Dynasty.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 10-1 at Shea Stadium.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-7 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Montreal Expos, 6-4 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-0 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins, 2-1 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Reggie Sanders singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at the new Comiskey Park in Chicago. (It is now named Rate Field.)

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers, 3-1 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-6 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the California Angels, 10-5 at Anaheim Stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of that name. (It is now named Angel Stadium of Anaheim.)

* And the Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. 

July 2, 1994: Andrés Escobar Is Killed

July 2, 1994: The World Cup continues in America, with the Round of 16. Spain beat Switzerland, 3-0 at RFK Stadium in Washington. And Germany beat Belgium, 3-2 at the old Soldier Field in Chicago.

Unfortunately, the worst thing that could have happened as a result of this World Cup happened: Somebody was killed. Not in the stands, or outside the stadium, in a hooligan fight. Not even on U.S. soil. But because of something that happened inside the stadium. Andrés Escobar was 27 years old.

On ESPN, Steve Levy made the point that we may mock notable sports goats like Ralph Branca and Bill Buckner, but we don't kill them. That was not true with Andrés Escobar.

Born in 1967 in Medellín, he had been a centerback for his hometown team, Atlético Nacional, helping them win the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of Europe's Champions League, in 1989; and Colombia's national league, Primera A, in 1991. He was considered one of the best players in the country.

But Medellín was also the capital of the country's drug trade, home of the Medellín Cartel, run by the unrelated Pablo Escobar, killed in a shootout with the National Police the preceding year. Colombia's drug issues were so bad that, in 1983, having been awarded the 1986 World Cup, the federal government handed it back to FIFA, claiming they could not guarantee the safety of the players and the spectators. It was held in Mexico City instead.

It was suspected that some of the drug lords, in a flash of patriotism, had bet heavily on their national team during the World Cup, and lost big in part due to the own goal committed by Andrés Escobar in the 35th minute of Colombia's 2-1 loss to the U.S. on June 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Colombia finished last in their Group. Afterward, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas. On July 1, he called his friends, and they went to the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up.

At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when 3 men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 caliber pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.

In 2013, Francisco Maturana, Escobar's manager at Atlético Nacional, denied that Escobar's murder had any connection to football or the World Cup, but rather was due to his being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" at a violent time in Colombia's history. Few people believed him.

In 2001, as Colombia was preparing to host the Copa América, South America's national-team tournament, the city of Medellín inveiled a statue of Andrés Escobar.

*

July 2, 1994 was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 12-6 at Yankee Stadium. Dave Fleming outpitched Jimmy Key. Ken Griffey Jr. went 5-for-6 with an RBI. Bernie Williams hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 4-1 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Rico Brogna hit a home run for the Mets, but they only had 3 other hits and a walk.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mo Vaughn, Tom Brunansky and Wes Chamberlain hit home runs for the BoSox. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-2 before being removed for a pinch-hitter.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 2-for-3.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins, 5-0 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Greg Maddux pitched 7 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers finished the 4-hit shutout.

* The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-1 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Alex Fernandez pitched a 4-hit shutout, no walks, 10 strikeouts.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-6 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 6-1 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Montreal Expos beat the San Francisco Giants, 10-9 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.