U.S. Upset Ends 44-Year Wait for World Cup Win

The United States, long a soccer lightweight, scored an improbable upset in its second game in the World Cup on Wednesday, beating highly regarded Colombia, 2-1, in front of a screaming, flag-waving crowd of 93,194 at the Rose Bowl.

It was the first World Cup win for the United States since 1950, when it stunned England 1-0 in Brazil. The win also means the U.S. team will almost certainly advance out of the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1930.

The news of the win was viewed like an exploding rocket in the soccer world, which has come to view the American team as a hard-working but lightweight representative of one of the few nations that demonstrates an indifference to the world’s most popular sport.

Beating Colombia was astonishing enough, but to utterly overwhelm one of the tournament’s favorites will likely give American soccer instant credibility and boost interest in the tournament, which is being held in nine U.S. cities.

The magnitude of the win was not lost on the crowd at the Rose Bowl, nor on the small but enthusiastic knot of supporters who turned out at the Dana Point Resort Wednesday night to welcome the victorious U.S. team as it returned to its hotel.

“We’re involved in an historical event,” said David Good, a 46-year-old Dana Point businessman, who greeted the team with his 9-year-old son, Dylan. “There is a new sport in town.”

Waving American flags, about two dozen well-wishers chanted “Go U.S.A.” and embraced weary team members as they got off their bus.

“This was the most exciting game of my life,” said Theresa Schmetzer, 31, of Seattle, who was at the Rose Bowl to watch the first U.S. victory in 44 years and then drove to Dana Point to cheer the victors.

U.S. team member Alexi Lalas said he was not disappointed by the small turnout at the resort, which contrasted with the throngs who attended the game and celebrated in the streets of Pasadena after the U.S. victory.

“The crowds are getting bigger and bigger all the time,” said Lalas, an aspiring musician who is a popular figure on the Orange County club circuit. “This is a very good day for everyone.”

At the Rose Bowl, Sarah Perrin of Studio City was on her feet cheering during much of the game, even though this was her first professional soccer game.

“There’s nothing like it,” she said, after the United States took the unexpected win.

The Colombian loss also made an impact on fans at the Rose Bowl. After the game, many left the stadium in stunned disbelief. Oscar Alvarez, a Palm Springs mini-market owner and Medellin native, spoke softly as the crowd around him celebrated.

“The Colombians are going home with a great sadness but in football, this is how it is,” said the 34-year-old, clutching his chest. “I feel this in my heart; this is a great loss.”

For Colombian fans, the unthinkable had happened. “We never expected them to do this badly,” said Alvaro Arenas, 55, a doctor from Bogota.

The day for the Colombians was one that began on a bleak note and only got worse. A death threat against one of their players and his family was telephoned to the Fullerton Marriott hotel where the team was staying. The threat, directed against midfielder Gabriel Gomez and his family, caused team coach Francisco Maturana and his aides to pull Gomez from the game.

“It is very hard to say who is making these threats,” Gomez told a Colombian television network. “I have no idea.”

“They told me my family and their families have been threatened if I play,” Gomez said.

A Colombian team spokesman said the threat was directed at Gomez and Maturana. “The caller said that if Maturana played Gomez, both he and Gomez would suffer the consequences, and their families in Colombia would be in grave danger,” said the spokesman, Antonio Correa.

Cal State Fullerton police are investigating the threats, said Sgt. Tom Jones. The campus police were assigned by soccer officials to escort and guard the Colombian team. Jones said other law enforcement agencies may also be involved in checking out the threats.

In Colombia, the streets were full of people with flags waving and car horns were honking as the game started. Afterward, the streets had become eerily quiet as the country, which had been picked by soccer legend Pele to win the tournament, dealt with its grief.

The first U.S. goal came in the 35th minute after a huge Colombian error. American midfielder John Harkes sent a centering pass to onrushing Ernie Stewart. Colombian defender Andres Escobar intercepted the pass and attempted to kick the ball harmlessly out of bounds. Instead, the ball bounced off his right foot into his own net.

Stewart scored the second goal after racing past most of the Colombian defense. The entire Colombian team, noted for its creativity and superior skill, played in disarray.

For once, the U.S. team got a boost from the home crowd, which cheered with gusto.

For the United States, the 44-year wait for a victory in the World Cup was over.

Times staff writer J. Michael Kennedy contributed to this story.

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