The USA men’s run at a home World Cup had attracted people who usually ignore soccer. Instead of triumph, they saw a humbling by BelgiumIn the closing moments of the USA’s 3-2 win against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup, the ESPN commentator Jack Edwards took a moment to remind viewers who had stayed up all night of the profound result they were witnessing. From his perch in Suwon, South Korea – where he was watching the first match of a campaign that would end in a quarter-final that remains the high‑water mark for the modern US men’s national team – Edwards delivered a soliloquy that cut straight to the heart of the profound role World Cups play not just for the USA men’s team but for soccer as a force in American life.“The players on that 1950 team that beat England … this [result] is about the foundation that they laid,” Edwards said in his booming bravado as the hour crept toward 7am ET.

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