Did you Know?
Meola made his U.S. National Team debut on June 10, 1988, against Ecuador. Meola’s second cap came in a June 4, 1989 victory over Peru in the Marlboro Cup which won the U.S. the cup. The team took the trophy to the Scots-American Club in Kearny, New Jersey. After the party, Meola drove back to the team’s hotel, dropped the trophy at the front desk and drove home. As he remembers it, “A week later Doug Newman called me up and asked where the cup was. I told him I’d left it at for him at the hotel. . . . I’m sure they got it back. Back then there weren’t too many cups in U.S. Soccer.” Later in the summer, the national team went on a tour of Italy, playing several Serie A teams. At the time, David Vanole was the U.S. starter, but he and Meola had traded goalkeeper duties over the previous month as Vanole fought USSF on a contract dispute and attempted to get his burgeoning weight under control. U.S. coach Bob Gansler intended to start Meola against A.S. Roma, but Meola was injured in a freak accident when a ball struck his head during practice. Vanole started in his place, but let in three weak goals in a 4-3 U.S. victory. Gansler benched Vanole, who never again played for the U.S., and turned toward Meola as his starting keeper. Meola went on to play the remaining U.S. qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, including the famous 1-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago which clinched a spot in the finals for the U.S. He then played every minute in goal for the U.S. in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Meola remained the keeper of choice for the U.S. national team from 1990 through the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At that tournament, his play and ponytail made him a recognizable face around the country. After the U.S. loss to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup, Meola informed the U.S. coach Bora Milutinović that he intended to pursue a professional football career as a placekicker. Milutinović never called Meola back to the U.S. team and it was not until January 1999 that Meola again played for the U.S. By that time, Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel were competing for the starting goalkeeper spot on the team and Meola never regained the first team place he had enjoyed in the early 1990s. However, he continued to play for the U.S. and earned his 100th cap in 2006. He was the third-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup behind Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller.
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This shirt was worn by Alexi Lalas during the “Barcelona 92” Olympic Games match between USA vs Ital, which took place in Barcelona, Camp Nou Stadium, on July 24th 1992. Italy defeated USA 2-1. The shirt was swapped after the match by Alexi Lalas with an Italy team’s player who we got it from. Lalas earned 96 caps, scoring nine goals, with the U.S. National Team between 1991 and 1998. His first cap came in a 2–2 tie with Mexico on March 12, 1991, in the 1991 NAFC Championship. He gained his second cap four days later in a 2-0 win over Canada. While he started both games, he did not gain another cap until he came on for Fernando Clavijo in a 2–2 tie with Denmark on January 30, 1993. His next game, a start, came on March 23, 1993, in a 2–2 tie with El Salvador. While he became a fixture on the team through the rest of 1993, he did not cement his position as a starter in the U.S. central defense until the beginning of 1994. He went on to start and play all ninety minutes in the four U.S. games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was named an honorable mention All-Star. On June 11, 1995, Lalas flew directly from a relegation playoff game with his club team, Padova, in order to appear in the second half of a 1995 U.S. Cup victory over Nigeria. His contributions to the national team led to his selection as the 1995 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He also scored in a game against Saudi Arabia, in which the United States had their biggest comeback in their history (from 3–0 to 4–3; Lalas scored the first goal for the United States). While Lalas was on the roster for the U.S. at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he never entered a game.[16] His last cap had come in the final U.S. tuneup for the finals, a May 30, 1998, scoreless tie with Scotland where he was a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart. Lalas was selected as one of three over age players on the U.S. Olympic teams at both the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
USA NATIONAL TEAM
1994-1995
Friendly
USA vs England
Match Worn Shirt
Koplas Frank
Did you Know?
The United States men’s national soccer team, often referred to as the USMNT, represents the United States in international soccer. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The team has appeared in ten FIFA World Cups, including the inaugural edition, where they achieved their best result by reaching the semi-finals, placing third in modern rankings. The United States would go on to participate in the 1934 and 1950 World Cups, winning in a 1–0 upset over England in the latter. After the 1950 World Cup, the U.S. did not qualify for the World Cup again until 1990. The United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, where they advanced to the round of sixteen and lost to Brazil. The team has qualified for all five World Cups held since 1990, becoming one of the tournament’s regular competitors and often advancing to the round of sixteen. The United States reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, where they lost to Germany. Another notable result came during the 2009 Confederations Cup, where they eliminated top-ranked Spain in the semi-finals before losing to Brazil in the final, their only appearance in a FIFA men’s competition final.
USA NATIONAL TEAM
Fifa U-17 World Championship “FINLAND 2003”
Match Worn Shirt
Helton Kyle
Things to Know:
Helton was drafted in the fourth round (51st overall) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by New England Revolution. Helton made his professional debut on July 10, 2007, in the third round of a US Open Cup game against the Rochester Rhinos, entering the game in the 84th minute. He also played extensively in the MLS Reserve Division until the end of 2008. Helton signed with Austin Aztex U23 of the USL Premier Development League for the 2009 season. After making three starts for the U23 team, Helton was promoted up to the Austin Aztex senior team in May 2009, and made his debut for the team on May 17, 2009, in a game against Montreal Impact. In Spring 2011 signed for Norwegian club Mjøndalen IF.
USA NATIONAL TEAM
Fifa World Cup “BRASIL 2014”
Match Worn Shirt
Altidore Jozy
Did you Know?
On August 14, 2013, Altidore scored a hat-trick in the United States’ 4-3 comeback win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, notably scoring from a free kick just outside the box with a curling effort. Altidore’s three goals and an assist stretched his consecutive game scoring streak to 5 games, the most in U.S. national team history. On June 7, 2014, Altidore broke his goal-scoring drought with two goals against Nigeria, the defending Africa Cup of Nations champions. On June 16, 2014, in the United States’ opening 2014 FIFA World Cup match against Ghana, Altidore injured a hamstring and had to be carried from the field.
USA NATIONAL TEAM
Fifa Women’s World Cup “FRANCE 2019”
July 7th 2019
USA vs Netherlands
Match Worn Captain Arm Band
Rapinoe Megan
Did you Know?
During the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final on July 7 in front of a sold-out crowd of 57,900 fans at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Rapinoe scored her 50th international goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. After a second goal by teammate Rose Lavelle, the United States defeated the Netherlands 2–0 to clinch its second consecutive World Cup championship. At age 34, Rapinoe was the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final and was named Player of the Match. She was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals, having played fewer minutes than her teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White, who also recorded six goals. Rapinoe also earned the Golden Ball award as the best player at the tournament.