The Summer Football Changed Forever
Relive USA 94
Matthew Evans’ *USA 94: The World Cup that Changed the Game* captures the pivotal moment when football, often called soccer in America, shifted its global axis. Evans traces how a handful of passionate volunteers mortgaged their futures to persuade FIFA to entrust the United States—a nation of sceptics—with the 1994 World Cup. As chronicled by Evans, the stakes were monumental: a country more enamoured with American football and baseball was to host the world’s most prestigious football tournament, with the world’s press circling, expecting failure. Yet, Evans expertly recounts how the tournament confounded critics. Stadiums overflowed, TV audiences peaked, and fans from Dallas to New York saw a glorious festival of international football—a testimony to Evans’ flair for conveying nostalgia and the unpredictable drama of the beautiful game.
Evans’s account zeroes in on the thrilling and sometimes chaotic events that defined the tournament. From missed penalties that haunted legends to the famous car chase that distracted a watching nation, *USA 94* offers a front-row seat to history. The author’s meticulous research and passion for football history shine through, expertly blending match analysis with cultural context. Evans underscores how the 1994 World Cup became a proving ground for new heroes, unforgettable kits, and record-breaking crowds, placing the United States at the heart of football’s global evolution.
By examining the internal politics and sheer spectacle, Evans highlights how the summer of 1994 set the stage for football's blossoming popularity across America. He reveals the revolutionary impact broadcast coverage and marketing brilliance had in transforming “soccer” into a household word, opening doors for Major League Soccer and the growth of the women’s game. Evans vividly portrays the way USA 94 helped bridge continents and eras—linking Pele’s legacy to the rise of future stars, and Italia 90’s tentative promise to an unrestrained modern game.
*USA 94: The World Cup that Changed the Game* by Matthew Evans stands as essential reading for supporters, players, and anyone fascinated by football’s history. Evans’s positive contributions as a football historian are unmistakable; his unique lens uncovers how football’s seismic shift began on American soil. The legacy of USA 94 lives on—in grassroots youth academies, elite women’s squads, and the crowded terraces of stadiums worldwide—thanks in no small part to Evans’s engaging, insightful storytelling.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Published: May 18, 2026
Price: £12.99
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-13: 9781836802846
Dimensions: 198 x 129 (mm)
