Stimulating sports: Death of a dream part 2: The rise and fall of Colombia and World Cup '94

With the cheers from their famous qualifying victory over Argentina undoubtedly still ringing in their ears, the star-studded Colombian squad arrived in the United States for the 1994 World Cup. And what a squad it was, undoubtedly the best generation of players the country has ever turned out.

In goal was the rock-solid Oscar Cordoba. Cordoba, who pulled off a string of brave saves in the Argentina victory, earned 73 caps for the national team, surpassing Rene Higuita to become his nation's most capped keeper. Operating largely as a "sweeper-keeper," Cordoba frequently used his passing skills to quickly start Colombia's lightning attacks upfield. The defense was steady, featuring the ill-fated Andres Escobar, veteran Luis "Chonto" Herrera and Luis "Coroncoro" Perea, who earned 78 caps for his country.

Those guys provided the steak, but what this bunch is mostly remembered for was the sizzle. The ringleader, of course, was one of the greatest players of his generation, midfielder Carlos Valderrama.
Known as "El Pibe (The Kid)" and recognized throughout the world by his frizzy blonde-orangey Afro, Valderrama's 22-year career saw him star in his home country and in France for Montpellier before he became one of the early heroes of the fledgling Major League Soccer in the United States. He made 111 national team appearances, deftly pulling the strings and organizing Colombia's attack with his stylish passing and lightning-fast footballing brain.

Providing the physicality to balance Valderrama's creativity was Leonel Alvarez. Alvarez starred for the national team between 1985 and 1995 and earned 101 caps, second only to Valderrama on Colombia's all-time list. Joining these two in a stellar midfield was Freddy Rincon, who signed with Parma on the heels of his performance in the Argentina demolition and later went on to (undistinguished) spells at Napoli and Real Madrid.

Up front, "Los Cafeteros" were bolstered by some lethal finishing. Long-limbed and nimble, Faustino Asprilla was known as "El Pulpo (The Octopus)" for his Plastic Man-like style on the field. A scorer of 20 goals in 57 national team appearances, Asprilla provided the coup de grace against Argentina, deftly chipping goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea to score Colombia's fourth. He later went on to become a cult hero at Newcastle United, after joining the team at the tail end of the "Entertainers" era. Also on hand was Adolfo "El Tren" Valencia, a hard-charging powerhouse of a striker who was famously earned the (racist) wrath of borderline-insane Atletico Madrid president Jesus Gil ("that black guy needs to have his throat cut").

The coach of this vast array of talent was Francisco "Pacho" Maturana. Maturana, who played professionally while attending the University of Antioquia (where he later earned a degree in dentistry), began his career at Once Caldas.

Soon he was coaching Colombia's youth team and was the head man when "Los Cafeteros" finished third in the 1987 Copa America. He then guided the team to the 1990 World Cup, ending a 28-year dry spell on the biggest stage. In 1993, the influential Spanish newspaper El Pais ranked him as the world's third-best manager.

Colombia opened its American campaign on June 18, playing Romania in front of over 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Early on, Maturana's men showed the skill that had prompted Pele to make his now infamous prediction that Colombia would win the World Cup. For 15 minutes, they demonstrated the sublime skill that had made them the pre-tournament darlings. But in the 16th, Florin Raducioiu took on three defenders before beating Cordoba to score Romania's first. The goal came completely against the run of play and the Colombians picked right back, passing brilliantly and creating chances yet failing to capitalize.

Instead, it was Romania taking its chances. Gheorghe Hagi caught Cordoba out of position and scored to make it 2-0 on 34 minutes. Colombia kept pressing though and finally broke through just before halftime when Valencia headed in a corner from Wilson Perez. More frustration was to follow after the break, as goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea made some neat saves to keep his team in front. Instead of an equalizer, Colombia conceded a third when Raducioiu scored in the 89th. And that was that. Colombia had dazzled but had also been beaten. Next up, a date four days later with the host country and a must-win if the Colombians were going to advance out of Group A.

As the 2010 tournament approaches, the United States is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Certainly not a favorite by any means but a talented, well-coached team of European-based players that is capable of beating anyone at anytime. That wasn't so in 1994. Back then, Uncle Sam's Army was made up of plodding foot soldiers, who made up for their lack of technical skill with plenty of grit and muscle. Colombia should have liked its chances--instead it was an unmitigated disaster.

True to form, the Americans started in a defensive posture, soaking up the Colombian pressure and relying on the counter-attack. Colombia nearly scored early, but Tab Ramos cleared a shot out of the goalmouth after Tony Meola failed to save Antony de Avila's shot. The game--and history--turned in the 35 minute. John Harkes' cross was deflected by Colombian defender Escobar into his own net, giving the underdogs a 1-0 lead. Normally the most reliable of defenders, it was an uncharacteristic mistake--Escobar was at full stretch trying to clear the ball and was simply unlucky. It's happened thousands of times.

The U.S. increased its lead in the 56th minute as Earnie Stewart tapped in a loose ball and Colombia couldn't reply until Valencia's 90th-minute strike. And just like that, Colombia was out of the World Cup. Two matches, two unexpected defeats and a meaningless 2-0 victory over Switzerland in the last group game as an unwanted consolation prize.

The squad returned home while the tournament continued without them. On July 2, just 10 days after the loss to the Americans, Escobar was gunned down outside of the "El Indio" bar, located in the Medellin suburbs.

While never definitively proven, it's widely believed and commonly accepted that Escobar was murdered by drug factions who had bet large sums of money on Colombia reaching the second round, something that was prevented largely because of his own goal. Indeed, it's reputed that his gunman shouted "Goooooooaaaaal," a cruel mocking of the way South American commentators celebrate a score. Escobar's funeral was attended by 120,000 people. The gunman, Humberto Munoz Castro, was sentenced to 43 years but was released on good behavior in 2005.

Colombian football hasn't been the same since.

Stimulating sports: Death of a dream: The rise and fall of Colombia and World Cup '94

It's common for athletes to become pundits one their careers have ended. And it's almost as common for those athletes to be often spectacularly wrong about the sports they know and love so well. In football of course, there's no bigger star than Pele, hero of the Brazilian World Cup winners in 1958, 1962 and 1970. His status as a legend is secure and his word carries weight. So that's why, in the months leading up to the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Pele made people sit up and take notice with his prediction that Colombia would win the tournament.

It was fairly heady stuff--prior to 1994 "Los Cafeteros" had been to just three World Cups. In 1962 in Chile, the team finished last in its group after a wild campaign. Opening with a 2-1 loss to South American champions Uruguay, Colombia rebounded with an astounding 4-4 draw against Russia in the next game, one of the highest scoring in World Cup history. It should be remembered that the Russian goalkeeper that day was the legendary Lev Yashin, widely regarded as the best keeper in history. One of the highlights that day was Marcus Coll scoring directly off a corner kick--the first--and so far only--Olympic goal in the history of the tournament. Colombia had fired all its weapons though and their stay ending with a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Yugoslavia.

Colombia missed the next six tournaments before making its return at Italia 90. After opening with a solid 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates, Colombia lost to Yugoslavia, 1-0. That set the stage for a final group game against mighty Germany, which would go on to win the title. In a dramatic match at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Germany took the lead in the 89th minute through Pierre Littbarski. But Colombia hit back immediately, tying the score on a Freddy Rincon goal in the 90th minute. The 1-1 scoreline stood and the point was enough to send Colombia through to the round of 16.

The match against Cameroon made for more drama--but this time Colombia was on the wrong end. At the Stadio Sao Paolo in Naples, the two teams battled through 90 scoreless minutes before ageless Roger Milla put the Indomitable Lions ahead 1-0 in the 106th minute.

Then, in a moment that will be remembered as long as blooper reels are in existence, eccentric Colombian keeper Rene Higuita charged off--way off, like 35 yards off--his line but failed to clear the ball, allowing Milla to happily score Cameroon's second. The moment proved to be decisive as Bernardo Redin grabbed a late consolation to make the final score 2-1.

So all in all, a decent history on the biggest stage--nothing terrible but nothing to write home about. But as the 1990 tournament hinted at, there was something in the water in Colombia in the early part of the decade. A golden generation of players was taking shape and by the time qualifying for 1994 came around, the group was in full flower. Colombia stormed through its six matches, winning four and losing two while scoring 13 and conceding just two. The highlight of course was the famous 5-0 evisceration of Argentina at Buenos Aires on September 3, 1993.

The Argentine fans were brimming with confidence and rightfully so. Despite a 2-1 loss in Baranquilla three weeks prior, a defeat that ended Argentina's 33-match unbeaten streak, the home fans saw no reason why Alfio Basile's boys couldn't return the favor on home turf. The following match report and quotes comes from FIFA.com.

Their team (Argentina) still needed to take all three points to move ahead of Colombia in the standings and qualify for USA 1994 without the need for a play-off. For the Cafeteros, a point in front of their hosts before the start of play, a draw would be enough to see them through.

Yet even this seemed optimistic for the visitors on the evidence of the opening exchanges, during which up-and-coming Colombian keeper Oscar Cordoba was put under severe pressure by Basile's charges, Copa America winners in 1991 and 1993. As the minutes passed, however, and Argentina's dominance failed to produce an opener, so anxiety began to set in. Disaster then struck in the minutes leading up to half-time, El Pibe Valderrama picking up the ball in midfield before sending Freddy Rincon galloping through on Sergio Goycochea. The keeper was powerless to prevent Rincon rounding him and slotting the ball into the empty net, stunning the packed home crowd - including one Diego Maradona - into shocked silence.

Argentina burst out of the blocks after the break looking for an equaliser, only to leave gaping holes at the back for Valderrama and Co to exploit. And exploit them they did, with the Cafeteros adding three further goals via Rincon and a Faustino Asprilla brace before 20 second-half minutes had expired. It was at this point that Albiceleste followers began to seek out news from the match between Paraguay and Peru. In the event Argentina, runners-up at Italy 1990, were mighty grateful to the Peruvians for holding the Albirroja to a 2-2 draw, as a win for Paraguay would have edged out Basile's side on goal difference.

The fans packing the Monumental, enraged by their national team's display, began cheering Colombia's every touch after the fourth goal. The Cafeteros subsequently put the seal on this astonishing win, Argentina's first and so far only home defeat in FIFA World Cup qualifying, in the closing minutes via Adolfo El Tren Valencia. Applauded off the pitch by the home faithful, Colombia had secured their berth at USA 1994 in style. Argentina, meanwhile, were berated by supporters and media alike who clamoured for Maradona's return in time for the qualifying play-off against Australia.

The star
Faced with a performance of such magnitude, it would not be fair to highlight just one individual. Keeper Cordoba supplied a series of near-miraculous interventions, Valderrama dictated the tempo in midfield to perfection and Asprilla and Rincon took their chances with lethal aplomb. All of which, as well as the balance supplied by wide midfielder Leonel Alvarez, were key to the most memorable match in Colombian football history.

They said
"That result was excellent because we showed the world that Colombia can rise to the big occasion. Not for nothing did we reach three World Cups in a row. Some say that win went to our heads but that's football. It's a vehicle for dreams and disappointments and winning never does you any harm. That result has nothing to do with what happened later on." Francisco ‘Pacho' Maturana, Colombia coach in 1993

"When we scored the third, fourth and fifth goals I looked at Pacho and said to him, 'We're in for it now.' They (the media) were going to start saying we were the best team in the world. If we'd have lost they would have said we were the world's worst, but that 5-0 scoreline worried me because there was no sense of perspective in the country." Hernan Gomez, Maturana's assistant coach at the time

"I never want to think about that match again. It was a crime against nature, a day when I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury myself in it." Alfio Basile, then Argentina coach

Needless to say, the result was one of the most famous of the 20th century. Watching video of the match today, the result is no less astonishing now that it was then. Argentina's players look tentative, bewildered and confused while the Colombians play as if they have live wires runnign through their bodies. No wonder Pele was so moved--for that one night at least Colombia was Brazil. Next stop, the United States where the world was seemingly at their feet.

Part 2: The death of a dream