The 1980s was a tumultuous decade for football (or “soccer”) in the United States. It began with the gradual demise of the North American Soccer League (NASL), after the gradual exodus of highly-paid name players from around the world.
And it ended with the national team qualifying for its first World Cup in four decades.
The NASL, merely a showcase for a “who’s who” of world football, did little to develop home-grown footballers. Few if any ever attained the same standard as their foreign peers, and Canada benefitted far more from it – the late 70s to mid-80s was indeed the Golden Age of the Canadian national team, which qualified for the 1986 World Cup (and remnants of that played on to take on Australia in 1993 as a final hurrah- and the launchpad for Mark Schwarzer!)
Exceptions were there, of course.
Two outstanding American talents emerged, capable of holding their own in the company of their foreign peers.
The first of these was Rick Davis.
Born in Colorado and raised in California, the attacking midfielder who began his career with New York Cosmos, where he played with some of football’s biggest names, looked like the only American player who even belonged on the same field as those stars.
He also became a pivotal player for the national team, which at the time was not even a regional power at a time when Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Canada, Costa Rica and (in the 70s) even Haiti were ahead of them.
When the NASL collapsed, home-grown players drifted into the Indoor league or the second-tier ASL (now USL).
Hugo Perez has a different story.
Born in El Salvador, Perez emigrated to the USA with his family, and he played in the final years of the NASL. A hugely gifted playmaker, he is regarded as one of the most naturally gifted creative players ever produced by the United States.
He was America’s equivalent of Oscar Crino, or, if you insist, Nick Carle.
Both Davis and Perez played in the ill-fated 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign, where the USA had their fate in their own hands in their final home stage group game – at home to Costa Rica.
Except that the game was staged at a venue where Costa Ricans outnumbered Americans, and Costa Rica went on to win and progress to the next round.
The USA was awarded the 1994 World Cup, with a condition that it set up a national league, which came to be known as the MLS.
In the 1990 World Cup qualifiers, both Davis and Perez played their part.
Davis played in the early stages of qualifying, but injury and change of coach meant he played no further part. Perez, however, played his part in securing key results, but did not play in the historic game in Trinidad and Tobago where Paul Caligiuri scored the winner against the heavily fancied home side containing Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy (who redeemed themselves sixteen years later).
Unfortunately, the very conservative and defensive-minded Bob Gansler, said to prefer physicality over skill, did not reward the efforts of veterans like Davis and Perez for those barren years.
Both players were hampered by injury and neither were named in the World Cup squad that went to Italy – and Davis retired.
For Perez, it was rotten luck.
He would have had the opportunity to showcase his skills and earn a move to a major league. Instead, he drifted to Sweden, Saudi Arabia and his native El Salvador.
He did get to play in the 1994 World Cup, coming on against Brazil in a game made infamous by Leonardo’s disgusting attack on Tab Ramos – another talented American ball player.
Rick Davis now works as a commentator, whereas Hugo Perez has been involved in coaching at some level.
Both men should be thanked for their efforts in arguably keeping the game alive in some barren, trying times for the round ball game in the United States. Their memories should be kept alive as an inspiration.
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