Budweiser Rise As One to Feature Steve Sampson as Excitement Builds for 2014 FIFA World Cup
Let the celebration of the 2014 FIFA World Cup begin – Budweiser and FOX Sports present Rise As One, a six-part series on the power of the beautiful game to bring hope to the world. Former U.S. MNT and LA Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson goes behind the scenes of U.S. vs Iran during the 1998 World Cup. Interviewed by Diane Scavuzzo, Sampson talks about the lowest moment in his soccer career, what advice he would give the U.S. Men’s National team if he were still Head Coach and how soccer has changed in the USA.
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As part of the buildup of excitement as the days count down to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Budweiser, the official beer sponsor of the competition, has created Rise As One – an engaging six-part documentary series looking at the power of soccer to inspire hope around the world. The first episode told the story of how the Japan Women’s National Team overcame intense personal pain and tragedy following the 2011 tsunami and Fukishima nuclear disaster to inspire the country at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Check local listings for time – In some areas, Rise as One will air on April 6th at 10:30 AM on Fox Soccer Plus. If you missed it, you can catch it now on Yidio.com
In the second episode of Rise As One, former U.S. Men’s National Team and LA Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson is featured. The program, airing on Tuesday, April 1, tells the story of when the American and Iran teams went head-to-head at the 1998 World Cup and, amid volatile politics and intense scrutiny, broke soft diplomacy on the world stage.
SoccerToday editor Diane Scavuzzo had the opportunity to speak with Sampson about soccer in America and the 1998 USA-Iran match, and shares her experience:
Soccer in America gets a bump in popularity when the World Cup is played, especially if our country does well. Former U.S. MNT coach Steve Sampson has seen the rise in awareness of the world’s game in this country and the ensuing excitement about the World Cup.
“Soccer in our country gets an injection of excitement every four years. It is not just about our country’s team but the game of soccer,” he said in an interview.
“When I was young, soccer was not even on the radar,” Sampson told me. “I grew up on the ‘70s and ‘80s when the NASL was playing, and they did not focus on American players. America is respected around the world and soccer in this country has been gaining momentum. Every since the MLS was launched in 1996 with only ten teams, soccer has grown in popularity. Soon the MLS will have 21 teams competing.”
The slow and steady growth of the MLS is most impressive. Attendance at MLS games has been increasing every year.
The big question is, how well does former head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team Sampson think the USA will do in this year’s World Cup? After agreeing that we are in the group of death, Sampson said, “On paper no one expects us to do well, but this team tends to rise to the occasion and do special things. We have proven we can compete with anyone.”
If he were still the head coach, what would he tell his players before the first game against Ghana? “The team needs to know they are playing to set the tone for the rest of the World Cup. There must be no shortage of effort and a great attention paid to detail. Dempsey, Howard and others must step up and lead. Leadership on the field will be key.”
Reminiscing about past games, Sampson shared his memories of the highly controversial 1998 Iran vs. USA World Cup match. This was a time when soccer and politics were unhappily wed. The USA team included Joe-Max Moore, Eddie Pope, Tab Ramos, Cobi Jones, Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride, Frankie Heijduk and Kasey Keller.
Sampson recalled how Jalal Talebi, the Iranian National Coach, manipulated players at half time by confiscating passports and telling his players they would not be allowed back into the country if they lost. Sampson said he did not involve politics, only learning about Talebi’s moves after the match but he wished he had. The USA lost the match 2-1, although they had dominated until half time.
If he had known during the game, Sampson said, “I would have injected some politics. As a coach you have to use every tool to win. This loss was the lowest moment of my career.”
Soccer should be less about bias and disrespect. Soccer means more than the results, and that is the focus of Rise As One – the ability of the game to bridge cultures and bring people together.
American youth should be proud to play the game they love. One of the greatest experiences as a youth soccer player is to go anywhere in the world and have the commonality – the shared passion for the game of soccer. To go overseas and discover how people compete and discover how popular soccer is all over the world is terrific.
Budweiser has been very supportive of soccer in America. The Rise As One series gives people the rare chance to really go behind the scenes into special moments of the game.
Rise As One is presented through a partnership with FOX Sports Originals and Emmy winners Scott Boggins and Gabriel Spitzer. Check local listings for broadcast times and visit RiseAsOne.com for more information.
