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 8, 1990: The 1990 World Cup Final

Manager Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus and Andreas Brehme

July 8, 1990: What has often been called the best World Cup ever staged reaches its Final. But that Final turns out to be -- for everybody but fans of the winning team -- a tremendous letdown.

Most of the major stadiums in Italy either received major renovations, or were torn down and completely replaced, in preparation for this World Cup. Two years later, Camden Yards opened in Baltimore, changing stadium and arena architecture forever. Instantly, Italian soccer had 12 major stadiums that went from great to obsolete almost overnight. Today, those stadiums range from merely outdated to in serious need of repair. One of them, a Semifinal host, didn't even last 20 years.

The U.S. team, in the World Cup for the 1st time in 40 years, did not make the Final. They didn't even come close to reaching the knockout stage. In their 1st game, on June 10, they lost, 5-1 to Czechoslovakia, at the Stadio Comunale in Florence. The only U.S. goal was scored by Paul Caliguiri, then playing his club soccer in Germany's lower divisions. (Czech captain Ivan Hašek was not related to later hockey goaltending legend Dominik.)

It could have been much worse. It was already 3-0 to the Czechs when Eric Wynalda, now one of the worst soccer pundits on Earth, was rightly sent off in the 52nd minute. Tony Meola, creator of the Kearny Mullet, was lucky not to be lit up for 10. The U.S. team was like a dog that chased cars, until one day he caught one... and then the car started, and backed up.

After that, the last thing the U.S. team needed in their 2nd World Cup match was to play the host country at their national stadium. Nevertheless, Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on June 14 it was. Italy fielded some serious legends: Franco Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Donadoni, Gianluca Vialli and Salvatore Schillaci. (Roberto Baggio was an unused substitute.) And we were going to face them, with our best players being the Kearny Army -- Tony Meola, John Harkes and Tab Ramos? Plus Rutgers University's Peter Vermes of Delran?

Left to right: Tab Ramos, John Harkes, Tony Meola

Giuseppe Giannini scored in the 11th minute, and the worst fears of U.S. fans seemed to be realized. But the U.S. defense held on long enough to give their attack a chance to tie it up. But it just wasn't going to happen. Now, even with a win in their last Group Stage game against Austria, it was unlikely the U.S. would advance to the knockout stage.

On June 19, the campaign ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. Back in Florence, we lost 2-1 to Austria. Bruce Murray, a D.C.-area native who later played in England for London club Millwall and retired as the U.S. team's all-time leading scorer, scored in the 85th minute to make a game of it. But that was it, despite Austria being down to 10 men for 2/3 of the match. (Both their goals came after Peter Artner was sent off with a straight red card.)

The U.S. would qualify for the 1994 World Cup -- as hosts. At least we made more out of that opportunity than with the one we actually earned for 1990.

*

Cameroon was a story, led by Roger Milla. Like baseball pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige and boxing champion Archie Moore, Milla seemed more myth than man, partly because he'd been operating for so long on a level that white people hadn't seen, and partly because there was great speculation as to how old he was. Officially, the forward had just turned 38, but some people thought he was older than that.

He had led Léopards Douala to his country's top league's title in 1972, '73 and '74. He had led Tonnerre Yaoundé, in his country's capital city, to the 1975 African Cup Winners' Cup. He went to France's top league, and won the Coupe de France with AS Monaco in 1980 and Corsican team SC Bastia in 1981. And he had led Cameroon to the African Cup of Nations in 1984 and '88.

In the Group Stage, he captained Cameroon to an opening victory over defending Champions Argentina at the San Siro in Milan, and a win over Romania in Bari, guaranteeing advancement, before a bad but meaningless loss to the Soviet Union in Bari.

Roger Milla

The Republic of Ireland was a story: While Northern Ireland had made the World Cup twice before, this was the 1st time the Republic had made it. And their 1st game was to be against arch-rivals England, on June 11, at Stadio Sant'Elia in Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. Gary Lineker of Tottenham Hotspur scored for England in the 9th minute, but Kevin Sheedy of Everton equalized in the 73rd, and the Boys In Green escaped with a 1-1 draw.

Kevin Sheedy

They went to Palermo, on the island of Sicily, and got a 0-0 draw with Egypt. Their last Group Stage game was against the Netherlands, the winners of Euro 88. They needed at least a draw to advance. They followed the same script as against England: They gave up an early goal, to Ruud Gullit in the 11th, and got a late equalizer, from Arsenal's Niall Quinn in the 71st. It ended 1-1, and they moved on.

Then came the knockout stage. Cameroon were put up against Colombia, at Stadio San Paolo in Naples. It was 0-0 after regulation. On to extra time, and Milla scored in the 106th and the 108th minute. They let in a goal in the 115th, but hung on for a 2-1 win.

It was the 1st time any African nation had qualified for the Quarterfinals. Algeria had qualified in 1934, but no African team was admitted again until FIFA began allowing a single qualifier in 1970, which turned out to be Morocco. Zaire was the only team in 1974, making them the 1st team from sub-Saharan Africa to qualify. Tunisia was the 1978 qualifier. They got 2 qualifiers for 1982, '86 and '90; and would get 3 in 1994, expanding to 5 for 1998. South Africa hosting in 2010 meant a 6th qualifier. (UPDATE: In 2022, Morocco became the 1st African team to reach the Semifinals. The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams for 2026 meant 10 African nations qualified.)

As for Ireland, the consensus was, "Okay, lads: You've had your fun, now it's time for some serious football. You're about to be eliminated by a real football nation, Romania." The Boys In Green either didn't get the message, or rejected it: At the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, home to Genoa and Sampdoria, they held Romania scoreless through normal time and extra time, and went to penalties. And while Glasgow Celtic goalkeeper Patrick "Packie" Bonner came through on Romania's last spot-kick, Arsenal's ageless defender David O'Leary made Ireland's last, and they were through to the Quarterfinals.

They gave it all they had against Italy in Rome. But Salvatore Schillaci of Juventus scored in the 38th, and Italy won, 1-0. Cameroon had a little more to give, leading England 2-1 after 65 minutes in Naples. But England were awarded 2 penalties, an equalizer in the 83rd, and in extra time, in the 105th. Lineker converted both, and England won, 3-2.

*

Both Semifinals became legendary, much more so than the Final. On July 3, one Semifinal was held in Naples. Hosts Italy played defending champions Argentina, featuring Diego Maradona, the hero (and villain) of the 1986 World Cup. He had just led the venue's main tenant, SSC Napoli, to their 2nd national title in 4 seasons.

Diego Maradona

Maradona had asked the people of Naples to root for Argentina, against Italy. No chance: During the game, a banner was hung, reading, "Maradona, we love you, but Italy is our home." The game was 1-1 after normal time, it went to penalties, and Argentina won. They would play the winner of the next day's Semifinal.

That game was played on July 4, but there was nothing American about it. It was played in the rain at Stadio Delle Alpi in Turin, home to Juventus FC and Torino FC from 1990 until 2009. It was another showdown between England and (West) Germany.

England were managed by Bobby Robson, who had been a forward on their World Cup teams of 1958 and 1962, and was famed for leading Ipswich Town to the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup. West Germany were managed by Franz Beckenbauer, who captained their 1974 World Cup winners while starring for Bayern Munich.

Andreas Brehme, familiar with the stadium because he played his "club football" for Internazionale Milano, opened the scoring at the hour mark. Gary Lineker of North London team Tottenham Hotspur tied it up in the 80th minute, and the game went to extra time.

Lineker's Tottenham teammate, Paul Gascoigne, had been one of the heroes of the tournament. This Newcastle-area native with the great skills, but also the great self-destructive streak, had thrilled TV audiences, and "Gazzamania" was born. For the first generation of English people not old enough to remember their country's win in 1966, the 1990 edition remains their favorite World Cup.

But in extra time, in the 99th minute, Gazza fouled Thomas Berthold, another German player in the Italian league, playing for A.S. Roma. Gazza could remain in this game, but, due to yellow card accumulation, he would be suspended for the Final if England won this game. The sight of Gazza wiping both tears and rain out of his eyes became an iconic image, and summed up what happened to England in this tournament:

Lineker told Robson to substitute Gazza off, because his head was no longer in the game: Using a classic English expression, Lineker told Robson, "He's lost the plot!" Robson left him Gazza, but he was useless for the game's last 20 minutes. So much passion, so much promise, but, in the end...

Paul Gascoigne

In the end, Bodo Illgner, goalkeeper for F.C. Köln of Cologne, held off the penalty of Stuart Pearce, and Chris Waddle -- a former teammate of Gazza at Newcastle, and of both Gazza and Lineker at Spurs, now with French club Olympique de Marseille -- blasted his shot over the bar, and the Germans advanced to the Final. They'd lost the last 2 Finals, to Italy in 1982 and to Argentina in 1986. Now, they would play Argentina again.

But after 2 great Semifinals, the Final, on July 8 at the Stadio Olimpico, was an anticlimax. TNT, Turner Network Television, broadcast it live in the U.S. The Germans had a few chances in the 1st half, but could not capitalize on them. Argentina played its usual dirty game, and were getting away with it. Twice, the Germans appealed for penalties, on a handball in the box by Oscar Ruggeri in the 13th minute, and a dirty tackle in the box by Simón on Rudi Völler in the 18th. Referee Edgardo Codesal, born in Uruguay but a citizen of Mexico, refused to grant either. Argentina had just one chance in the half, late, but Maradona sent a kick over the crossbar.

In the 58th minute, Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea took Klaus Augenthaler down inside the penalty area. Again, Codesal refused to award a penalty. Finally, in the 65th minute, Pedro Monzón of Independiente became the 1st player ever sent off in a World Cup Final, with Codesal showing him a straight red card for a reckless studs-up challenge on Jürgen Klinsmann. Still, despite Argentina being down to 10 men, West Germany couldn't score.

Finally, in the 83rd minute, Roberto Sensini brought Völler down in the box, and Codesal awarded a penalty. Brehme took it, and it was 1-0 to West Germany.

Gustavo Dezotti had already been cautioned in the 5th minute. In the 87th, he received a straight red card when he hauled Jürgen Kohler down with what The New York Times described as a "neck tackle right out of professional wrestling." After dismissing Dezotti, Codesal was surrounded and jostled by the rest of the Argentinian team, with Maradona receiving a yellow card for dissent.

Argentina were down to 9 men, and they were lucky to end the game with that many. West Germany hung on for the 1-0 win, as their opponents now had over half of their intended squad unavailable due to injury or suspension.

Beckenbauer joined Brazil's Mário Zagallo as only the 2nd man to both play on and manage a World Cup winner. He has been followed by France's Didier Deschamps.

UPDATE: An article for ESPN.com, published after the 2026 World Cup, ranking all 23 tournaments, rated this one 16th, citing the amount of dull games seeming to cancel out the large amount of star power.

*

July 8, 1990 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 6-3 at Yankee Stadium. David West outpitched Tim Leary. Mike Blowers hit a home run, but it was a rotten season for the Yankees, who finished last for only the 4th time in their history -- and, through the 2021 season, the last.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 2-1 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Frank Viola was the winning pitcher.

* The Houston Astros beat the Montreal Expos, 5-3 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-3 with 2 walks, a stolen base and an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals, 10-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. George Brett went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-6 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Mike Devereaux doubled home 2 runs in the top of the 11th inning. Cal Ripken went 1-for-5.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the California Angels, 20-7 at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Brewers scored 6 runs in the 4th inning, and 13 in the 5th inning.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Virginia. Gary Pettis hit a ground ball that Boston shortstop Luis Rivera bobbled, allowing Jack Daugherty to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres, 4-1 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Barry Bonds went 2-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs.

* And the San Francisco Giants swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs, 5-3 and 10-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

June 12, 2010: USA vs. England and the "Hand of Clod"

You've heard of "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29"? Well…

June 12, 2010: Soccer's World Cup continues in South Africa. The U.S. team plays England at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The teams had played each other in a few games of low meaning, but hadn't played in a game that truly mattered since 1950, when the U.S. shocked England in the World Cup in Brazil.

This time, the U.S. is better than it was in 1950, but this is England's "Golden Generation": Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson of Liverpool; Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole of Chelsea; Wayne Rooney of Manchester United; Ledley King, Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch of Tottenham Hotspur; and former Liverpool star Emile Heskey and future Liverpool star James Milner, both of Aston Villa.

The U.S. have no chance. An English paper, The Sun, had described Group C as "EASY: England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks." (Hardly the 1st thing that rag got wrong.) On ABC, former Liverpool legend Steve McManaman says England will win 3-1.

Sure enough, Gerrard gives England an early 1-0 lead. But shortly before halftime, goalkeeper Robert Green of West Ham United mishandles a shot by Clint Dempsey, and the ball goes into the net, stunning everyone.

During halftime, Mike Tirico tells the audience that he'd just explained to McManaman who Bill Buckner was, referencing the most famous error in baseball history, in the 1986 World Series. The game ends "USA Beats England, 1-1."

Two different English newspapers, the Daily Mirror and the News of the World, did a takeoff on Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" cheat for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup: They called Green's howler the "Hand of Clod."

If, as the only saying from American football goes, "A tie is like kissing your sister," then, for the Americans, this tie was like kissing your sister's really nice-looking best friend; while, for England, this tie (they would say, "draw") was like kissing your sister's other best friend -- you know, the one with the "great personality."

Elsewhere that day, Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 at Johannesburg, and South Korea beat Greece 2-0 at Port Elizabeth.

The U.S. and England both advanced to the Knockout Stage, and both lost in the Round of 16.

UPDATE: They would play each other again in the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar, with England again favored. That would also be a draw, 0-0.

*

June 12, 2010 was a Saturday. American-style football was out of season. Hockey season had ended 3 days earlier, when the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Finals to win the Stanley Cup. The NBA Finals were between Games 4 and 5, and the Los Angeles Lakers went on to beat the Boston Celtics in 7 games.

And these games, mostly Interleague, were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the Houston Astros, 9-3 at Yankee Stadium. Javier Vázquez was the winning pitcher. Derek Jeter hit 2 home runs, and Jorge Posada also hit a homer.

* The New York Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Florida Marlins, 6-5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Nationals, 7-1 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Kansas City Royals, 11-5 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Carlos Guillén win it with a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs, 2-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-2 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 1-0 at Coors Field in Denver. Jason Hammel pitched 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and Manny Corpas finished the 4-hit shutout.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-2 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Seattle Mariners, 7-1 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco.