Latest news with #TonyMeola
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Pulisic calls criticism 'way out of line,' offered to play in friendlies while skipping Gold Cup
American star Christian Pulisic says while he decided to skip the CONCACAF Gold Cup, U.S. coaches turned down his offer to play in friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland because they wanted one roster for all games. 'You can talk about my performances, whatever you want, but to question my commitment especially toward the national team, in my opinion that's way out of line,' Pulisic said during an interview with former U.S. players Tony Meola, Jimmy Conrad and Charlie Davis on a CBS Sports Golazo podcast released Thursday.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2026 World Cup Q&A with Tony Meola: USMNT must make semifinals to be considered 'great'
2026 World Cup Q&A with Tony Meola: USMNT must make semifinals to be considered 'great' Show Caption Hide Caption Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT ahead of World Cup Soccer standout Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT and how Mauricio Pochettino is getting the squad ready ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Sports Seriously Tony Meola can still see all the American flags that made their way onto the field at the Rose Bowl more than 30 years ago. He can still feel Thomas Dooley jumping on his back in celebration, the thrill of the 2-1 USA win over Colombia in the 1994 World Cup — the first American win in the World Cup since 1950 — as shocking to them as it was the rest of the soccer world at the time. 'I hope the players have the feeling that we had when that final whistle blew against Colombia," Meola told USA TODAY Sports earlier this week. "I hope there's a moment like that for this group in 2026." Wednesday, June 11 marks exactly one year until the FIFA World Cup officially returns to the United States for the first time since that memorable 1994 experience. Canada and Mexico also will serve as co-hosts next year, with the first games of the tournament scheduled to take place in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 11, 2026. The United States and Canada will play their first games of the group stage on June 12, 2026, with matches slated for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and BMO Field in Toronto. GOLD CUP: USMNT goalkeeper to miss Gold Cup with knee injury A lot of has changed within the American soccer infrastructure over the past 31 years, beginning with the introduction of Major League Soccer in the aftermath of the sport's surging popularity coming off the first American-hosted World Cup. But so too have the expectations, and Meola — the starting goalkeeper for the 1990 and 1994 United States World Cup teams and a member of the 2002 team — is among those who have circled 2026 as a critical juncture for the United States national team. The SiriusXM FC host spoke to USA TODAY Sports about what's at stake for American soccer in this World Cup, his memories from the 1994 World Cup and how this group of players should be judged. Here is a selection of his answers from a recent interview: USA TODAY: How does the soccer culture in the United States heading into the 2026 World Cup compare to 1994? Tony Meola: 'That team in '94 had sort of two missions. We had to get ready to play soccer every day and then you had to promote the game all day. The players now don't have that. We have outlets now. We have video on everybody's phone. We have Major League Soccer to look at. We have all these things that we never had back then and we all knew that was part of the responsibility. We were doing it prior to getting ready for the World Cup and it just seemed like it got magnified when the World Cup was about to start. We're certainly ahead of where we were. I guess the hope would be we use this World Cup the same way we used the '94 World Cup as a springboard because I still think there's growth here in the country." USA TODAY: What's your current assessment of the U.S. men's national team a year out from the 2026 World Cup? Tony Meola: "Well, it is going to be a showcase, and I hope they're ready for that. And the guys that played in '94 can tell you how it changes your life forever. ... I came out of 2022 feeling really good about the progress that we had made and where we were because I think we were the second-youngest team in the World Cup. We played really well. I don't think we were better than the Netherlands in any moment in that (Round of 16) game, and probably wouldn't have been. But I said, 'ok, well four years from now, if we continue to improve in this fashion, we're going to be pretty good' and we've kind of pumped the breaks a little bit on that. But I'm steadfast on this team will be good enough at the World Cup.' USA TODAY: What is a realistic goal for success for the U.S. men's national team at the 2026 World Cup? Tony Meola: 'If we were in a quarterfinal in 2002, we need to surpass that. That's the next step for me. I don't know if I'll measure success (that way). It's the World Cup. Your team could play great and, like, we got a bad call in that game against Germany (in 2002), that could happen here in the tournament. That doesn't mean you played poorly. It just means something didn't go your way. But me, personally, the next great national team will be the team that gets to a semifinal of the World Cup. That's just my personal opinion. Other people will judge it other ways. But that's how I'll judge it.' USA TODAY: Do you have a favorite moment from the 1994 World Cup? Tony Meola: 'I hope the players have the feeling that we had when that final whistle blew against Colombia. If you go back and look at those pictures of the Rose Bowl and you look at the flags being thrown on the field to the players, I hope there's a moment like that for this group in 2026 because I can still feel the ground underneath my feet right now when I talk about it and mention it. I can feel Thomas Dooley jumping on my shoulders. I still can feel that moment and it doesn't matter if you played at the biggest club in Europe or the smallest team in the world. Those moments you'll never forget.' The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
NBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC News
The U.S. men's national team has a major opportunity hosting the next World Cup. Is it ready?
Tony Meola knows the pressure of competing in front of his home fans. Back in 1994, when the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup, Meola, the national team's starting goalkeeper, and his teammates had not one but two jobs: beat the competition and help grow the game. 'It was relentless,' he told NBC News. 'Twenty-four hours a day for a year leading into the World Cup. Promotion of the game, events. We never stopped.' His team did its part off the field — the event shattered attendance records even though soccer wasn't the most popular sport at the time — and it made it out of the group stage before it lost 1-0 to eventual champion Brazil. Though it wasn't the result it wanted, that squad is credited for helping generate major interest and participation in the sport stateside. Meola had dreams of one day seeing the U.S. men's national team become perennial contenders. But more than 30 years later, with the country (along with Canada and Mexico) hosting the 2026 World Cup next June, he says there's still as much up in the air as there was two decades ago. 'I don't feel like we're ready right now,' Meola, now an analyst for CBS Sports Golazo Network, said of the current U.S. team. 'I want to see progression over the next year and go into [the World Cup] with as few question marks as possible, not going in there sort of fearing what's going to happen.' Meola is far from the only former USMNT player to share some skepticism one year out. His co-hosts on the soccer podcast 'Call It What You Want,' Charlie Davies and Jimmy Conrad, also expressed concern. So did Fox Sports, MLS and Apple commentator Maurice Edu. Taylor Twellman, the lead soccer analyst for Apple TV, put it more bluntly. When he was asked how the United States stacks up right now with the top countries in the world, he told NBC News: 'They're not in the conversation with any of them. ... They don't see themselves as a contender.' When North America was awarded the rights to the 2026 World Cup in June 2018, Carlos Cordeiro, then the president of U.S. Soccer, called it a 'rare and important moment to demonstrate that we are all truly united through sport.' It also guaranteed more eyeballs on the host countries. According to FIFA, the average global live audience for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was 175 million viewers. The final between Argentina and France drew 1.5 billion viewers, dramatically more than the most recent Super Bowl (127.7 million). And with the 2026 World Cup final taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, this was the perfect time to showcase just how far the U.S. men's team has come. Especially with the 'Golden Generation' of players entering their prime. That term — attached to rising stars like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna, Timothy Weah, Antonee Robinson, Matt Turner and Tyler Adams — recognizes what was expected to be the best core in program history. They showed glimpses of brilliance during the 2022 World Cup, a run that ended in the Round of 16, but they were all young. Now, four years older, with experience both internationally and for European clubs, they are expected to help lead a deep World Cup run. But some remain hesitant to say this group can pull it off. To this point, it lacks a true signature win and has come up short in recent competitions. In last summer's Copa América, which the United States hosted, the USMNT failed to get out of the group stage after losses to Uruguay and Panama. The result raised questions about whether this roster was talented enough to get over the hump. 'You can't be a 'Golden Generation' until you do something that hasn't been done before,' Davies told NBC News. Edu said: 'I felt like the 'Golden Generation' tag was coined based on the potential. And now some of these guys are coming into their prime, so that potential has to be realized. Everything, to me, now revolves around what happens next summer.' To help them reach their potential, the program moved on from longtime coach Gregg Berhalter and replaced him with Mauricio Pochettino. His hiring was seen as a huge deal, as Pochettino, who is Argentine, has managed on some of the biggest stages of world soccer: Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. So far, the results have been mixed. He has five wins and four losses in nine games, but the team disappointed in March with two losses in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals. The team has also dropped four games in a row — including a 4-0 loss to Switzerland on Tuesday — though the lineups were far from full strength, with certain stars, like Pulisic, not playing. U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said Pochettino's 'reputation stands for itself.' It's far too early in the process to critique the job he's done. 'We have a great generation of young players that we want to turn potential into performance, and we couldn't have had and asked for a better coach to come in and have the ability to do that,' Crocker said. 'Now, he just needs to have the time with the players and the games and the experiences to hopefully be ready for next summer, which is our objective.' One year away from the biggest tournament in sports, the USMNT's on-field product is still far from sorted. The most important position to be decided may be goalkeeper. Turner, who started in the 2022 World Cup, is once again expected to have that role. But after a year when he played sparingly as a backup for Crystal Palace, some wonder whether his lack of playing time will have him fit for next summer. Reports this week say Turner has agreed to join the French squad Lyon. Nobody knows goalie play better than Meola, who said, 'There are a lot of questions.' 'In general, we've gone into World Cups either knowing who our No. 1 is or two or three guys battling for the position. That's been the rotation since 1990. This particular group, I think we're unsettled in that position,' he said. If Turner gets consistent action at Lyon, he should be that guy again in 2026. Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen and Matt Freese are the likeliest next options. Meola's other position group to watch is center back. Out wide, Robinson and Dest are near locks, but the middle of the field is still anyone's guess. Candidates include Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson or Cameron Carter-Vickers. 'There's just too many question marks in the middle of the field at the moment,' Meola said. 'If I'm going to focus on one, that would be it.' Edu and Davies said they want to see how the next 12 months play out at center forward. The USMNT won a hard-fought battle with England to get Monaco's Folarin Balogun (who has dual citizenship), but after him there are many names to consider in Ricardo Pepi, Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright, Damion Downs and Josh Sargent. 'Even if there's question marks in other positions, if we feel good about the No. 9 position, I think that gives us a hell of a chance,' Edu said. Conrad is similarly focused on the middle of the field, this time at center midfield. Pochettino could go with McKennie, Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessman, Diego Luna or Malik Tillman. He had one prediction that might shock fans. 'Gio Reyna ... I'll throw him in there, but at this moment I don't expect him to make the team. That's my big shock,' Conrad said. 'I'll put my flag in the ground and say he's got a lot of work to do to get into this team for 2026, which would probably be a surprise to many, but I just think there's other players that are playing well and could fit the system a little bit better at this current moment.' Even though questions abound in the middle, Conrad said he feels great outside. 'I would put our outside backs internationally against anybody,' he said. 'Our strength, in terms of our starters, is Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest and then into Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah. I feel confident going up against any nation with our outside players.' This summer, the USMNT has CONCACAF Gold Cup matches followed by friendlies in September, October and November. Players will then compete for their clubs, either in Major League Soccer or abroad, and then return for more friendlies before the World Cup. The final roster, capped at 26 players, will be set 10 days before the tournament. Nobody is more important in that decision than Crocker, the technical director. Previously with English club Southampton and the England national team, he's focused on getting the best product possible on the field by next June. He said questions around particular positions don't really matter because nobody is truly locked in at this point. 'I don't think that exists 12 months out from a World Cup,' he said. 'You're trying to build depth in the squad but also continue to monitor players' performances. We need to know who the best three players are at every position. In the build-up to a major tournament, there will always be a player that hits form; there might be a player that gets an injury. So you've got to be ready.' Twellman, a forward on the national team from 2002 to 2008, said his concerns aren't based solely on the talent level in specific position groups. It comes down to results, and the team simply hasn't gotten enough of them for him to be confident heading into a World Cup. 'There's just a sense of apathy around the United States men's program,' he said. 'And I don't think that's a hot take.' Crocker said he has heard some of the negative discourse around the program but 'can't control the outside noise.' 'Our job, both as staff and as players, is to almost sort of look within ourselves, to continue to work as hard as we possibly can, continue to try and improve in training every day to put the performances in that we need to every day,' he said. 'We would love everybody to be great supporters and start to talk positively about the team, but we'd also know that we have a responsibility through our performances to control that narrative, as well.'
USA Today
23-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USMNT great Tony Meola recovering after suffering heart attack
USMNT great Tony Meola recovering after suffering heart attack Former United States Men's National Team and MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola is recovering after suffering a heart attack on Thursday. The incident happened one day prior to Meola's 56th birthday. Meola underwent an unspecified procedure following the heart attack. He told Front Row Soccer that he ran four miles last Saturday and had the heart attack five days later. "If I get one of you to go to the doctor and get a checkup, this was all worth it for me," Meola said, according to Front Row Soccer. "I'm going to be fine in a week, but I should have been smarter." Meola was the USMNT's starting goalie in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and was a backup in 2002. He made 101 appearances for the national team and had 35 shutouts. Meola was a four-time All-Star in 11 MLS seasons with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (1996-98), Kansas City Wizards (1999-2004) and New York Red Bulls (2005-06). Meola was the regular season MVP and MLS Cup MVP in 2000 when Kansas City won the title. He had 16 regular-season shutouts and added five more in the postseason. Overall, he had 62 clean sheets in 250 MLS starts. In 23 playoff matches, he had eight shutouts.
New York Times
22-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola suffers heart attack on 56th birthday
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola suffered a heart attack on Friday. The 56-year-old suffered the attack on his birthday but has confirmed to The Athletic that doctors say he will be OK. During Meola's 18-year professional career, he made almost 300 professional appearances at club level. Meola spent a brief period in England at the beginning of his career, playing for Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford. Advertisement He kept 63 clean sheets in 250 Major League Soccer games for Sporting Kansas City and New York Red Bulls. Meola made his senior debut for his country in 1988. He made 101 appearances for the USMNT, keeping 35 clean sheets, and represented the team at the 1990, 1994 and 2002 World Cups. Meola won four trophies during his career, including two Gold Cups in 1991 and 2002. Since his retirement in 2007, Meola has also made television appearances with beIN Sports and Fox. He has also appeared on CBS Golazo and Sirius radio. GO DEEPER Canada lands a forward on the rise – one with significant Promise (Russell Cheyne/Allsport/Getty Images)
