Glory Days

This edition of the Full Frame newsletter looks back at the USMNT’s run in 2002.

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

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A version of this piece was originally published in the November 2022 issue of SI.

There’s a reason that U.S. fans can take heart following their team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. After all, the best U.S. men’s performance in recent history came on the heels of another unmitigated Cup disaster.

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

In 1998, the Yanks lost all three of their matches in France. Their subsequent run in 2002 required a little good fortune. 

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

With a chance to win the group on the line, Landon Donovan and the U.S. were pummeled by Poland in the round’s finale. Portugal and South Korea could have both advanced out of the group with a draw in their match, a recipe for collusion. But when Portugal was reduced to nine men, South Korea played for the win, coming out on top 1–0. Extended this lifeline, the U.S. beat Mexico in the round of 16 before losing to Germany in the quarterfinals.

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

For photographer Simon Bruty, the Americans’ run coupled with the overall atmosphere made it one of the most memorable events he’s covered. Says Bruty, who is working his seventh men’s World Cup in Qatar, “Every game was bedlam.”