Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Recall World Cup Memories
6/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 11, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On the eve of the U.S Men's National Team's 2010 World Cup opener against England, several Hoosiers who know what it feels like to take the pitch at the world's greatest sporting event take a minute to reflect on their experiences.
Five Indiana soccer players have played in the World Cup, beginning with Armando Betancourt in 1982. Betancourt is the only IU player to not represent the USA as he played for his native Honduras. That year marked the first time Honduras had qualified for the World Cup and it finished 0-2-1 in a group with Yugoslavia, Spain and Northern Ireland. This year marks Los Catrachos' first World Cup appearance since 1982.
As a Hoosier, Betancourt was a three-time All-American (1979-81) and was named Soccer America's Player of the Decade for the 1980s. The 1981 Hermann Trophy winner, Betancourt ranks third on the school's all-time points scored list with 64 goals and 165 points, despite playing just three seasons before turning professional.
John Stollmeyer was the first Hoosier to represent the United States after being named to the 1990 squad. The USA's appearance at Italia `90 was its first World Cup qualification since 1950. Playing in Group A, the Americans lost to Czechoslovakia (5-1), Italy (1-0) and Austria (2-1).
Stollmeyer recently spoke with IUHoosiers.com about his experience.
What were your thoughts when you found out you had made the World Cup team? When I was selected to represent the national team in Italy, there was not a lot of celebration around it as there is today. I had been a core part of the team for several years and although nothing was guaranteed, I was more concerned about earning a starting position. I think the fringe players had more worries than myself.
What is your fondest memory of your time participating in the World Cup? My fondest memory of the World Cup had more to do with off the field. The team had a morning excursion to the town of Pisa, to see the leaning tower of Pisa. As it turned out, our families were also touring Pisa and I was able to sit at a little cafe with 12 members of my family and just take in the whole experience. The fondest soccer memory was coming off the field in Rome and having the Italian fans applaud us as we held our own against Italy.
What were you thinking the first time you stepped on the field either in a World Cup match or in preparation for a match? When I think back to those games, what I recall more than anything was how hard the games were. Extremely physical.
For those who may not understand what a monumental accomplishment this is, what did playing in a World Cup mean to you? For me, playing in the World Cup gave me the clear understanding that if you work hard enough for something, then all the things you give up, all the things that seemed so important at the time, were worth missing. I have always said that there were many players I grew up with that were better, more skilled than myself. But if you had a strong enough desire to compete and win, you could make it to the highest levels. In the end, I knew I could play the game.
Who do you have advancing to the final in 2010 and why? This is an interesting question. There seem to be an awful lot of injuries as of late that will change the make up of some of the top teams. I think the U.S. can surprise people as the stages progress. I think there will be a lot of upsets. I will enjoy all the games.
The 1994 USA team, playing on home soil, featured IU goalkeeper Juergen Sommer. Sommer would go on to become the only Hoosier to appear in two World Cups after also making the 1998 squad. In 1994 his USA team went 1-1-1 in Group A, posting a 1-1 tie with Switzerland, a 2-1 win over Columbia and a 1-0 loss to Romania. The Americans advanced to the knockout stage where they fell 1-0 to eventual champion Brazil in the round of 16.
Sommer continued to make noise at the international level, becoming one of the first Americans to play in the English Premier League with the Queens Park Rangers in 1996-97.
In 1998, Sommer was joined by Chad Deering and Brian Maisonneuve on the USA squad. Played in France, the U.S. was in Group F and finished with an 0-0-3 record with losses to Germany (2-0), Iran (2-1) and Yugoslavia (1-0).
Maisonneuve, now in his first season as an assistant coach at Indiana, shared his World Cup experiences with IUHoosiers.com.
The World Cup for me was a dream come true. Ever since I can remember my goal in soccer was to represent our country in a World Cup. I can remember playing in my backyard with my buddies and introducing myself like I was in the World Cup. Before we would play 1v1 we would go to the middle of the yard and introduce ourself like we were in a World Cup. So when Coach Sampson and the rest of the coaching staff told me I was going to France after the Austria game, my emotions erupted. It was so emotional it was hard to get my news across to my wife when I was trying to tell her. To put on that U.S. jersey (anytime but especially in the World Cup) in France was a moment I will never forget- it truly was a dream come true!
In the first game against Germany I can remember taking a moment in warm-ups to look around at the packed stadium and looking across the field at Germany warming up. On the other side of midfield were players like Juergen Kinsman and Lothar Matteus- players that were in posters on my wall when I was a kid. It was a moment that I will never forget. Of course when the whistle blew it was a game as usually and really didn't matter who I was playing against or where I was playing- it was just time to play.
This is going to be such a tremendous World Cup. You have teams like Spain, that from front to back, are really quite amazing. Holland has some many special players that they will cause a lot of noise throughout the tournament. And of course you have Argentina- who dresses the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. I didn't even mention Brazil, who can play three different teams of 11 and still compete for a World Cup. I can't forget the Red, White, and Blue. I may be thinking with my heart but I do believe ANYTHING is possible for this group of Americans.
