Steve Sampson

He was the guy, right? The expectations of that.

And you remember the scene with Steve Sampson where I think it's the 90, gosh, the 98 Olympics? No, 98 World Cup.

And they're in D.C. at the send-off game.

Landon's not on the team.

He's a kid.

And in the press conference, Landon's in the audience.

And they're like, Steve Sampson's like, that's the kid who's going to save you a soccer right there.

Can you

And I'd known Precky.

I'd played on the national team when I was a young idiot, like 19, 20 years old under Steve Sampson.

So I'd been around Preck, and I'd seen kind of like him boil a few occasions.

And Ray Hudson walks up, and he's like, Bryony, you got to play him the ball, man.

As there was no World Cup to look forward to, this edition was somewhat less hyped with guests Colombia, Mexico, and Nigeria.

Did the United States now with a different manager, Steve Sampson, have a different status at this point?

Yeah, it's fascinating about 95.

So I remember, so I think what we're talking about in 95 is we're trying to capture that today, the World Cup bump.

At this point, even Alexi Lalas was able to sign a deal to go play in Serie A with Paola.

So you had players, you know, more attention.

You had a new manager, Steve Sampson, so a new generation beginning to come through And I think U.S. Cup, though, was no longer introducing American soccer to the world in the same way.

And we should talk about the opposition, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, were the teams, as you mentioned, invited.

Why? Why not?

Um, because that final day, uh, when I was down at the LA Galaxy, um, and Steve Sampson told me I was starting at the weekend, and I was, I was hyped.

I went to bed, took a nap, and found out, woke up, and I found out from a call from Duncan Elton that I'd been released from the Galaxy.

And, uh, my agent at the time didn't know.

It was, it was a long time.

So this was kinda perfect.

And I just remember during my presentation and going up, and, like, we all had to do it and whatever, I was like, "I really like this." And so as games, you know, like, pre-game and you'd start talking about the opponent, uh, Steve Sampson, like right at the end, we were playing Real Salt Lake, and he's like, "Dunny, you know RSL.

Come on up and do it." And so I went to the board and I was like, "Okay, here's the way they play functionally.

... and, and, uh, has created, and the physicality and all those things, um, which is fun.

But these guys, like, it w- it was interesting to watch- And I think I do this because, you know, being, I think, what was I, 19 when Steve Sampson would call me in.

I'd be like everybody's unwanted little brother just hanging around.

Um, I was so young that it was like, it was like six years different for me to catch up to the next group.