Latest news with #1994WorldCup
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
New USMNT, USWNT kits feature classic looks with a nod to an iconic throwback
It took Peter Moore about 30 minutes at a Xerox machine in 1993 to create the most iconic piece of design in American soccer history. Moore had made his name years earlier at Nike, as the designer of the first Air Jordan sneaker and the iconic 'Jumpman' logo. He'd helped grow the sportswear and shoe brand from a tiny Oregon startup to a global titan before leaving for Adidas in the early 90s. There, he'd continued knocking almost every design out of the park. By the time Moore stood at the copy machine, most of the world's soccer jerseys bore the ascending three stripes of the modern Adidas logo that he'd designed. Advertisement This was not Moore's first soccer project. Among his first tasks at Adidas had been designing the beautiful, baggy men's and women's kits they'd worn in the early 90s, with the blue and red stripes up the shoulder. But this particular assignment – designing the USMNT's kits for the 1994 World Cup, the first ever to be hosted in the United States – felt more important than most. Moore, remembers his close friend and associate Mary McGoldrick, had kept the circle close on this one. Barely anybody at Adidas' U.S. headquarters in Portland had any idea what he was up to, and even fewer at the company's global headquarters in Germany. Moore took a piece of denim – Levi's, he remembered before his death in 2022 – and laid out some paper stars on it. He pressed the copy button on the Xerox machine and slowly, methodically, dragged the swath of fabric across the glass. 'Remember,' said Moore, 'in 1993, computer graphics were not really in existence, at least not in Portland, Oregon. In other words, we got our hands dirty.' Moore took one look at the output of the copy machine and knew right then and there that he'd nailed the design. He'd just created the 'denim kit,' and over 30 years later, those kits remain iconic. They are held aloft by some as the pinnacle of American soccer design and they are derided by others, reduced to a frivolous example of gauche 90s fashion, chucked in a bin alongside the purple and teal designs of the day. Undeniably, though, the kits evoke memories of that tournament, the one where the USMNT finally solidified America's love affair with the global game. On sun-drenched fields in California and under the roof of the Silverdome, the 1994 USMNT exceeded all expectations, emerging out of a very tough group and fighting gallantly against eventual champion Brazil. Advertisement Years later, the kit's popularity has only increased. You see it everywhere at national team matches and it has become wildly bootlegged and emulated, maybe the ultimate mark of relevance. Tuesday, with another World Cup on home soil just over a year away, we got our first look at the USMNT's latest kit – a red and blue pinstriped number dubbed the 'heartbeat kit' that frankly may be its best offering in recent years. It's simple and bold without being boring, feels highly wearable off the pitch and seems an ideal stopgap between the USMNT's current shirts and the 2026 World Cup designs, which they'll presumably release closer to the tournament itself. There's a new complete women's set as well, including the lighter 'brilliant kit.' Both were designed in collaboration with women's players Lynn (Williams) Biyendolo, Naomi Girma and Sophia (Smith) Wilson, and men's players Kellyn Acosta, DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman. The designs, U.S. Soccer says, celebrate the legacy of its teams and the 'passion of U.S. Soccer fans across the country.' The men's kit, which they'll debut on June 7 in a friendly against Turkey, is evocative of the 2007 'Copa' kits that were only worn for a single year. It's a vintage design that remains a favorite these days, and Nike and U.S. Soccer have done well to emulate it, even if perhaps unintentionally. The men's shirts, though, pale in comparison to the new women's kits, which offers a callback to the denim kit. The washed-out stars, the red-and-blue trim around the neck … even the sublimated, vertical stripes are reminiscent of the USMNT's home kit at the '94 World Cup, the 'wavy flag' design that never quite achieved the notoriety of Moore's other design that year. The women's 'brilliant' design, which will be debuted on May 31 in a friendly vs. China, frankly would not make a bad men's World Cup shirt. The women's kits have been largely aligned with the men's kits for years, and the women's team has done just as much, if not more, to solidify the legacies of some of those designs. (The men will be sticking with their current white kits for the time being.) Advertisement One thing feels certain enough: whatever the USMNT ends up wearing in 2026 needs to be daring and bold and brash. U.S. Soccer, and Nike, need to look to iconic designs of the past – the denim kit, or the 'bomb pops' – to determine their course for the tournament. It feels easy enough to argue that this tournament could prove the most pivotal moment in the history of American men's soccer – maybe even bigger than the '94 tournament – and the U.S. needs to be equipped with something memorable. There are risks, of course. Had the USMNT crashed out in the group stage in '94, for example, it feels almost certain that the denim kit would've become a punchline, the latest example of how decision-makers in American soccer had 'gotten it wrong.' Take the oversized Nike kits, the ones the USMNT wore in 1998. They're not bad-looking on the surface, but the design itself is imbued with the team's failure in France, a painful memory. The opposite, of course, also holds true. Fans adore the bomb pops not only because they broke the trend of 'clean' design, but because of Clint Dempsey or John Brooks celebrating goals in it at the 2014 World Cup. USWNT fans love the 2019 kits – which, on the surface are a little bland – not because of the design itself but because of the World Cup the women won in it, something that can be said for their 1999 kits as well. As for the denim kit? Fans love it because of Wynalda, Lalas, Harkes and the lot on those sun-drenched fields. Nike can only get so close to the denim kit before it runs into copyright and intellectual property issues with Adidas, a chief competitor. And it's worth noting that as design cycles go, much of the design work for the men's kit is likely already done, leaving precious little room for adjustment. But we can always hope they get it right. The task at hand for the USMNT and Nike is two-fold: create an iconic design, and live up to it. If they do, Nike likely won't be able to print enough jerseys to meet demand. If they come up with something forgettable – and if the team itself puts on a forgettable performance – the shirts will only prove as evidence of a painful, embarrassing memory. (Top photos: Courtesy of U.S Soccer)
Associated Press
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Former US Soccer Federation secretary general Hank Steinbrecher dies at age 77
CHICAGO (AP) — Hank Steinbrecher, who helped revive the U.S. Soccer Federation during a decade in charge as its women's team became the world's dominant power, died Tuesday at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 77. The USSF said Steinbrecher had degenerative heart disease. Steinbrecher was hired as secretary general and executive director in November 1990, four months after the U.S. finished 23rd among 24 nations in its first World Cup appearance in 40 years. Short on money, the USSF had left its office in New York's Empire State Building in the 1980s and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is located. Following the 1990 World Cup, Alan Rothenberg replaced Werner Fricker as USSF president in a campaign instigated by FIFA. Rothenberg then hired Steinbrecher, who had been director of sports marketing at The Quaker Oats Co. in charge of Gatorade, to replace Keith Walker. Steinbrecher led the move of the office to a pair of refurbished mansions in Chicago and the USSF tripled its staff to more than 100 by the time he resigned in March 2000. The U.S. won the first Women's World Cup in 1991, the Olympic gold medal in 1996 and another World Cup in 1999, when the U.S. hosted the tournament. The Americans hosted the men's 1994 World Cup, advancing to the second round before finishing last at the 1998 tournament. Born in New York City, Steinbrecher was a member of the 1970 NAIA soccer championship team at Davis & Elkins College and got a Master's degree in education from West Virginia. He coached soccer at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina, from 1973-78 — the school named its soccer/lacrosse complex after him in 2020 — then at Appalachian State and Boston University. He served as the Harvard venue director for the 1984 Olympic soccer tournament. He is survived by wife Ruth Anne and sons Chad and Corey. ___
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former FIFA Boss Sepp Blatter and French Soccer Icon Michel Platini Cleared of Corruption Charges in Swiss Court
A Swiss appeals court has acquitted former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and French football icon Michel Platini of corruption charges. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in Muttenz, near Basel, upheld the duo's 2022 acquittal, marking the end of a long-running legal battle over a controversial payment made in 2011. The case centered around a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.26 million) that Blatter authorized for Platini in 2011. Swiss federal prosecutors alleged that the payment, made while Platini was president of UEFA, was fraudulent and without legal basis. However, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support the prosecution's claims. More from Variety Imagine Making Documentary About U.S. Men's Soccer Team Historic Run at 1994 World Cup (EXCLUSIVE) Netflix Scores FIFA Women's World Cup Exclusive U.S. Rights for 2027 and 2031 FIFA Teams With Mythical Games for 'FIFA Rivals' Mobile Game The ruling reaffirmed that Blatter and Platini had a gentlemen's agreement regarding the payment, which covered consultancy work Platini performed for FIFA between 1998 and 2002. 'It cannot be assumed that the defendants acted with the intention of enriching themselves in the sense of the charged offenses,' the court stated. The FIFA scandal erupted in 2015, exposing widespread corruption within the organization. While the controversy forced Blatter to resign and derailed Platini's hopes of becoming FIFA president, both men maintained their innocence throughout the legal proceedings. Speaking after the verdict, Blatter, 89, expressed his relief. 'It is a great relief for me because it's been going on for ten years,' he told the assembled press, as reported by Reuters. 'And now it's over, and I can breathe.' Platini, 69, echoed similar sentiments. 'The persecution of FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over. It is now totally over. And for me, today, my honor has returned, and I am very happy.' The Swiss Attorney General's Office stated that it would review the court's written judgment before deciding whether to appeal to the Swiss Federal Court, the country's highest legal authority. Prosecutors had initially sought a 20-month suspended jail sentence for both men. Meanwhile, Platini's legal team has signaled its intention to take legal action against those responsible for the criminal proceedings. 'The Office of the Attorney General has not managed to find a single piece of incriminating evidence for over 10 years,' Platini's lawyer, Dominic Nellen, said in a statement. 'These proceedings were not justified and should never have been conducted.' Blatter and Platini were originally suspended from football in 2015 due to ethics breaches, with their bans later reduced. With the legal case behind them, the former footballing powerhouses are now considering their next steps, though Platini has ruled out a return to the sport, stating that he is now too old for such ambitions. Despite their acquittal, the scandal has left an indelible mark on both men's legacies. Blatter, who joined FIFA in 1975 and assumed the presidency in 1998, presided over one of the most contentious periods in the organization's history. Platini, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner and captain of France's victorious 1984 European Championship squad, saw his administrative career come to a sudden halt amid the accusations. Best of Variety The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
