'BEING PART OF THE U.S.SQUAD WASN'T ALWAYS EASY'

SOCCER HALL OF FAMER WEIGHS IN ON THE EXTRAORDINARY EVOLUTION OF THE SPORT IN AMERICA SINCE HIS PLAYER DAYS

- Cobl Jones

I GREW UP WATCHING THE WORLD Cup every four years, but it wasn't easy. It may be difficult for a lot of people around the world to understand now, but in the '70s when I was starting out playing youth soccer, the sport really wasn't that well known in the United States.

In my hometown of Westlake Village, California, you couldn't really find the tournament on TV; if you wanted to watch any soccer games, you had to go to your local Mexican restaurant. To this day, I remember paying five dollars to stand in the back room of a Cisco's restaurant with 20 or 30 people watching the game on satellite, that's how it was.

I was part of the first generation that went through the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). It was one of those things where I was pretty good at it, so with success, you tend to have a little more joy and stick with it.

I hadn't grown up thinking I was going to play soccer professionally, but things kind of kept falling into place. I did have setbacks, including not being recruited to play in college and being cut from the Olympic soccer team before making the final roster. In those moments, I thought: "Should I quit?" But I give all the credit to my mom for keeping me going.

I ended up making the Olympic soccer team in 1992. I still remember playing against Italy and having a good game, which I think always makes people pay attention. But that's where I thought my career was going to end. I thought: "I've played in the Olympics, I'll go back to college and call it a day." But shortly afterwards, I got the call to join the national team and thought I'd give it a shot.

My First World Cup Experience

MY FIRST TIME WALKING ONTO THE World Cup pitch in 1994 was incredible. I'd come on as a substitute in the first game against Switzerland. It's the pinnacle of our sport at the highest level, representing your country at the World Cup, there's nothing like it.