1:26 PM ET
Arch BellU.S. shot writer
Two-hundred and seven: That's the fig of players who person conscionable 1 solitary headdress with the U.S. men's nationalist team. Only erstwhile did they play successful a elder squad game. Some of the 207 you person heard of, similar erstwhile USMNT manager Bruce Arena (1973 vs. Israel), and immoderate you haven't, similar Jimmy Ford (1916 vs. Sweden).
Amazingly, 2 of these one-cappers got their quality successful a World Cup: Walter Dick, successful a 7-1 nonaccomplishment to hosts Italy successful 1934, portion Adam Wolanin played successful the 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Spain astatine Brazil 1950.
There are oddities, too. Otto Decker scored a brace successful a 6-3 nonaccomplishment to England successful 1953 and ne'er saw the tract again for the Americans. Meanwhile, Gordon Burness primitively played for Canada and scored successful a 6-1 nonaccomplishment to the U.S. successful 1926, earlier switching to the U.S. and playing his lone crippled against -- hold for it -- Canada!
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The stories of these 207 men successful the one-cap nine scope acold and wide, and ESPN had the accidental to sojourn with respective of them. They each offered antithetic perspectives connected the experience, but they each agreed connected 1 thing: playing astatine the highest level for their state was the grant of a lifetime. Their lives person each taken twists and turns since wearing the U.S. shirt, but adjacent though it lone happened once, these moments successful the past books is everlastingly theirs.
Eddie Robinson, defender: Jan. 19, 2008 vs. Sweden
A four-time MLS Cup victor with San Jose and Houston, Eddie Robinson brought a hard borderline to those title teams, but his propensity to flirt with the reddish paper ever seemed to harm his nationalist squad hopes. "What I heard from some Bruce and Bob [Bradley] was basically, 'I can't spot you to not get sent off.' I understood that. That was conscionable however I was wired," said Robinson.
Robinson got called to camps successful 2002 and 2006, but his USMNT quality did not travel until 2008 successful a 2-0 January affable triumph against Sweden. A feline who hardly ever scored successful MLS managed to get a extremity successful his lone nationalist squad appearance, conscionable 1 of 10 "single cappers" to execute that feat.
Yet erstwhile Robinson reflects connected his sole cap, a feeling of remorse washes implicit him. "I astir offended myself. I had ne'er focused truthful hard. I was representing my country, man. It makes maine affectional to this day. I said to myself, 'I tin beryllium amended for my nine team, truthful wherefore don't I absorption truthful hard for my nine team?'"
Tim Harris, goalkeeper: June 16, 1985 vs. England
Before helium became President of Business Operations for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, Tim Harris was a goalkeeper astatine UCLA and past for the LA Lazers successful the Major Indoor Soccer League. In the summertime of 1985, an unexpected call-up came.
"They said, 'You're going travel successful and backmost up Arnie Mausser.' I was lukewarm to the idea, but they said, 'Look, you get to marque a small spot of money,' truthful I said, 'OK, I'll bash that,'" recalled Harris.
The U.S. had conscionable 1 signifier earlier the crippled against England and Harris wasn't expecting to spot the field... until a halftime disagreement betwixt Mauser and manager Alkis Panagoulias changed everything. "Halftime is ending and I'm benignant of strolling backmost implicit to the seat and idiosyncratic says, 'You cognize that you're playing.' And I said, 'What are you talking about?' They said, 'No, you're in,' " said Harris.
Already down 2-0, Harris conceded different 3 for a 5-0 last score.
"I was the explanation of, astatine best, average," said Harris. "But contempt however poorly it turned out, you're inactive playing for your state and you tin ne'er discount the value of that."
While present afloat ingrained into NBA beingness astatine the enforcement level, Harris remains an avid shot fan, specified that the attendance of European shot stars to Staples Center sometimes produces the representation of a lifetime. "Right earlier Jose Mourinho took the Man United job, helium came done for a game. He, Kobe Bryant and I sat successful a trainer's country aft the game. He was asking Kobe questions astir preparation, Kobe was asking him questions.
"For me, it was conscionable chill to conscionable beryllium and perceive to those 2 guys."
Curt Onalfo, defender: June 14, 1988 vs. Costa Rica
Onalfo is simply a precise acquainted sanction successful U.S. shot circles, arsenic a erstwhile MLS manager and existent method manager of the New England Revolution. But arsenic a player, Onalfo was hyped arsenic a adjacent large thing. In the summertime of 1988, the 18-year-old Onalfo got a telephone to play for an American B-team against Costa Rica successful San Antonio, Texas, wherever helium helped the U.S. prime up a 1-0 victory.
"I conscionable retrieve being highly tense astir it and needing to get settled in. It took maine astir 5 minutes and past I was good," said Onalfo.
Onalfo went connected to diagnostic for the U.S. astatine the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship and besides the 1992 Olympics, nevertheless a twelvemonth aboriginal helium was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, derailing hopes to play successful the 1994 World Cup. "I was a campaigner to vie for the '94 team, but past I had cancer. It was 1 and done. After chemo, I conscionable wasn't the same. I ne'er had exceptional gait and erstwhile I went done chemo, I mislaid a step," said Onalfo.
Despite crab cutting abbreviated his nationalist squad career, Onalfo fondly remembers his lone quality and present tries to impart contented to his players immoderate clip they person their archetypal call-up.
"I deliberation the champion proposal I've recovered is to archer them: play to win, not to impress. If you play to win, you chopped done the essence and you play to your champion ability."
Mac Cozier, forward: Oct. 16, 1996 vs. Peru
October 1996 was an absorbing clip for U.S. Soccer. A period earlier World Cup qualifying for France 1998, the halfway radical of men's nationalist squad players were connected strike. A affable against Peru successful Lima was connected the docket, truthful a radical of USMNT players who ordinarily would not person been called got invited to camp. Columbus Crew rookie Mac Cozier was 1 of them, but helium was a spot confused erstwhile helium showed up astatine camp.
"I was like, 'Where's Eric Wynalda? Where's Tab Ramos?' We truly didn't perceive each that was going connected astatine the time," said Cozier, who is present a mathematics teacher astatine a precocious schoolhouse successful Jacksonville, Florida.
Upon arriving successful Peru, Cozier was exposed to a wholly caller shot atmosphere. "When you're successful college, you conscionable spell connected the autobus and cipher knows who you are, but present successful this atmosphere, you're with the police, they person their lights connected and successful the stadium everybody is yelling astatine you," said Cozier.
Cozier replaced Jean Harbor successful the archetypal fractional and rapidly made an impact, having a manus successful Dario Brose's equalizer for a 1-1 halftime score. Reality acceptable successful duringthe 2nd half, though, and Peru came distant with a 4-1 win.
"It opened immoderate doors for maine that different I would not person had. I got to spell play successful Chile for a twelvemonth and acquisition that culture. That's erstwhile I started learning much astir what it means to play shot and playing for the nationalist squad opened that doorway for me," said Cozier.
David Cayemitte, winger: Dec. 2, 1984 vs. Ecuador
The U.S. nationalist squad has a agelong past of players with Haitian roots connected the team, similar 1950 World Cup leader Joe Gaetjens and two-time World Cup subordinate Jozy Altidore. Haiti-born David Cayemitte's clip with the USMNT came sandwiched determination successful the middle, featuring successful a 2-2 gully with Ecuador astatine Miami's Orange Bowl.
"It feels large to beryllium a portion of that history. It's large to spot the nationalist team's acceptance that wherever you travel from, you person a chance. After my children being born, the nationalist squad is my 3rd blessed memory," said Cayemitte.
Growing up connected Long Island, Cayemitte became 1 of the apical precocious schoolhouse players successful the country and played astatine Adelphi University successful Garden City, New York. It was determination that the nationalist squad accidental arose. "The nationalist squad was going astir and 1 of the trainings took spot astatine Hofstra University. I'm not definite however it happened, but my coach, Bob Montgomery, knocked connected my doorway and helium said, 'You person to spell effort out.' I said, 'For what?' He said, 'For the nationalist team.' I thought helium was kidding," said Cayemitte.
Weeks aboriginal successful Miami, slotted successful astatine right-back, Cayemitte came disconnected the seat and enactment a halt to the Ecuador attack.
"I went successful and focused connected anticipating immoderate of the through-balls. I knew I had the velocity to drawback their near winger. I wouldn't scope for the ball, truthful helium had to support cutting backmost into the center. I went successful and did my job," said a beaming Cayemitte.
Miscommunication connected the timing of 2 signifier sessions rapidly ended Cayemitte's clip with the nationalist team. It's hard not for him to look backmost connected those mistakes and deliberation what could person been.
"It was my ain doing, but looking astatine the players who were determination astatine the time, I cognize I could person been the right-back oregon the supporting right-back for that '86 team... Is it a regret? Yes. But bash I blasted anybody? No. It was my responsibility. That said, it was a fantastic moment."
Romain Gall, defender: Nov. 20, 2018 vs. Italy
While the imagination of a USMNT instrumentality is agelong gone for the aforementioned players, anticipation remains live for Romain Gall. To date, the close winger's lone nationalist squad crippled came successful a 1-0 affable nonaccomplishment to Italy during the Dave Sarachan era, which was a transitional play aft the U.S. failed to suffice for the 2018 World Cup.
"Getting my archetypal headdress against Italy, conscionable being connected the field, you person unlimited vigor due to the fact that you're successful specified a affirmative space. The full campy is thing that I'll decidedly retrieve for the remainder of my life. It was an honoring moment," said Gall.
Gall received a consequent call-up for the January 2019 camp, but Malmo's Europa League Round of 32 necktie with Chelsea prevented him from attending. Gall had an archetypal speech with past caller manager Gregg Berhalter, but since has not heard anything. With his declaration up astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth astatine Malmo, Gall is leaning toward staying successful Europe, with 1 of the superior motivations being a U.S. nationalist squad return.
"I'm a competitor, I'm a dreamer, truthful getting backmost to the nationalist squad is ever successful the backmost of my caput and I'm hoping for that time to travel again whenever that is," said Gall.
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