26 USMNT Moments, Past to Present: Against All Odds
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s qualifies for the 2002 FIFA World Cup weeks after the tragic events of September 11, 2001
This is 26 USMNT Moments: Past to Present, a U.S. Soccer content series that covers 26 defining moments in U.S. Men's National Team history. From inspired victories to stunning goals, and the stars and hidden heroes who made them possible, each chapter reminds us that our dreams on the pitch are worth chasing. Together, they’ve built toward the biggest moment yet: the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
October 7, 2001. The setting was movie-worthy.
The U.S. had launched airstrikes against Afghanistan as retaliation for the Sept. 11 attacks.
The U.S. Men’s National Team was the first to represent the country following the horrific day.
It was no ordinary game. It was no ordinary place.
The U.S., losers of three consecutive matches, at least needed to defeat Jamaica to ensure its World Cup hopes stayed alive for 2002. If two other results also went its way – something that seemed unlikely before kickoff – the USA could actually qualify.
The site: Foxborough, Mass., a march away from the battles that started the Revolutionary War.
In a time before social media, as the team arrived at the stadium, the U.S. players were not aware that the country had started its retaliations.
Manager Bruce Arena told several outlets that wrote retrospections of the day that he debated whether to tell the players.
“Every day is different with teams,” Arena told the New York Times in 2021. “Every game is different. Through experience, you get a feel for what needs to be done on a given day. I don’t think there’s a formula for it. It’s the moment, and what you feel is needed.”
Arena decided to tell the players.
"You should be able to go out and give your all for 90 minutes in a stupid, little soccer game,” Arena recalled to ESPN the Magazine.
There was a bit more to it than that, Jeff Agoos told the New York Times.
The U.S. had finished in 32nd place out of 32 teams at France ’98, and the players were motivated to prove that that tournament was a fluke.
“It had more to do with what you believe in as Americans: the patriotism that you feel for this country,” Agoos said. “It was about identity, about culture, about who you are and what you represent. That’s what we all really needed to hear.”
The players walked onto the field at Foxboro Stadium and saw waves of American flags among the 40,483 in the stadium.
The U.S. struck in the fourth minute. Chris Armas won a free kick. Claudio Reyna delivered it to the near post. Joe-Max Moore, with a diving header, nodded it past Jamaica’s Aaron Lawrence for a 1-0 lead.
Jamaica’s James Lawrence tied the match in the 14th minute.
Arena learned at halftime that that the two other results needed – Mexico not beating Costa Rica, and Honduras not beating Trinidad and Tobago – were happening.
Arena once again decided to level with his players.
"You can qualify today if you win,” Claudio Reyna told ESPN the Magazine. “But I don't think any of us really believed him. We'd focused so hard on beating Jamaica this week, and the only thought even in the back of our minds was that we'd put ourselves in a position to qualify with a win over Trinidad and Tobago in our final game."
The game remained tied. The 90th minute was closing fast.
Everything changed in the 84th minute. Landon Donovan was brought down by Tyrone Marshall in the 18-yard box.
Moore stepped up and converted the penalty kick to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead. The team saw out the match and the final whistle blew.
Overjoyed, the players and staff gathered in front of Sams Army at one end of the stadium, awaiting word on the other two results.
Trinidad and Tobago 1, Honduras 0.
Costa Rica 0, Mexico 0.
Clutching a radio on-field, USMNT press officer Michael Kammarman delivered the news to the players and staff. Less than a month after one of the worst days in American history, celebrations ensured as the United States was returning to the World Cup.
Doug Roberson is the owner and reporter for Soccer with Doug, a website focused on professional soccer in Atlanta. Doug has covered the sport in the city for the past 17 years. He also has the Soccer with Doug podcast.
Follow SoccerwithDoug on social media on X, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube.