<p>Andreas Brehme, a World Cup winner with Germany, has passed away at the age of 63. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/20/andreas-brehme-west-germany-world-cup-winner-dies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According</a> to his partner, Susanne Schaefer, the former <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/germany-national-team-tv-schedule/">Germany</a> international died “suddenly and unexpectedly” Tuesday due to a heart attack.</p>



<p>Brehme helped Germany lift the trophy at the 1990 World Cup by scoring the lone goal in the final against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/argentina-national-team-tv-schedule/">Argentina</a>. The fixture was a rematch of the previous tournament, with the South Americans collecting the 1986 title.</p>



<p>With the match set for extra time, the Germans were awarded a penalty kick in the 85th minute. Brehme stepped up and converted the spot kick in front of 73,000 fans to give his home nation the title.</p>



<p>The unfortunate news regarding Brehme comes six weeks after <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/germany-icon-franz-beceknauer-dies-at-age-78-20240108-WST-481941.html">Franz Beckenbauer</a> also passed away. Beckenbauer coached the 1990 Germany national team at the aforementioned World Cup tournament.</p>



<h2>Bayern, Inter issue statements regarding their former star</h2>



<p>Along with featuring for Germany, Andreas Brehme played for several top clubs throughout his playing career. This includes stays with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/bayern-munich-tv-schedule/">Bayern Munich</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/inter-milan-tv-schedule/">Inter Milan</a>. Much like his success at the World Cup, the versatile defender also helped guide these two clubs to league championships as well.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240220_WST_490705_Brehme-1990-World-Cup-1200x670_f4e5afdc.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-490749" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Brehme-1990-World-Cup-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Brehme-1990-World-Cup-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Brehme-1990-World-Cup-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Brehme-1990-World-Cup.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>Following the news, Bayern issued a heartfelt statement regarding their former star. “FC Bayern are extremely saddened by the sudden passing of Andreas Brehme,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/20/andreas-brehme-west-germany-world-cup-winner-dies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> the German club. </p>



<p>“We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Andreas Brehme will forever be in our hearts, as a World Cup winner and, more importantly, as a very special person. He will forever be part of the FC Bayern family. Rest in peace, Andi!”</p>



<p>Inter Milan also commented on the unfortunate passing of the former Nerazzurri. “Andreas Brehme, Andy to all. It is truly difficult to simply write about his memory, now that he is no longer with us,” <a href="https://www.inter.it/en/news/inter-remembers-andy-brehme" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote</a> the Italian club. </p>



<p>“Because his connection to Inter, to the Nerazzurri world, the fans, was so solid and everyday that it makes this goodbye much harder. Only a few weeks ago, he was at San Siro to watch his beloved Inter up close, speaking to the Club’s official channels, being embraced by the public that has always adored him.”</p>



<h2>UCL clubs to honor Brehme on Tuesday</h2>



<p>Inter is hosting <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/atletico-madrid-tv-schedule/">Atletico Madrid</a> in a massive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/">Champions League</a> fixture on Tuesday. The club has announced that their players will wear black armbands during the key matchup to honor Brehme. Club officials have organized a moment of silence before kickoff inside the San Siro.</p>



<p>Along with playing for these top two clubs, Brehme also featured for HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst, Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, and Real Zaragoza. In total, the German managed to score 87 total goals for club and country. This is quite a feat for a player typically playing in defense.</p>



<p>After retiring from the pitch in 1998, Brehme quickly went into coaching. The World Cup winner initially took charge of his former club Kaiserslautern just two years after hanging up his cleats. Brehme’s final coaching job came with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/bundesliga-tv-schedule/">Bundesliga</a> side Stuttgart as an assistant in 2005.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Former Germany World Cup winner Andreas Brehme dies aged 63

Andreas Brehme, a former World Cup Winner with Germany, has passed away at 63. The defender also played for Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.


<p>At the very start of the 1990s, something quite unusual, almost shocking, had happened. The United States had qualified for the FIFA World Cup. To celebrate and create interest for the USA at the World Cup, something not unusual for the time was created: a hip-hop music video.</p>



<p>The United States had already been awarded the hosting rights for the 1994 World Cup, where they’d automatically qualify. But they earned the right to play at Italia ’90 on the field – the first time since 1950 that the USA would compete at the tournament.</p>



<p>The USMNT’s 1990 squad featured many names well-known to American fans now. Tony Meola, John Harkes, Tab Ramos, Eric Wynalda, Peter Vermes, Marcelo Balboa, Kasey Keller, and Paul Caligiuri were among those on the roster. When they defeated Trinidad &amp; Tobago in their final qualifying game, it secured them a spot in Italy and ushered in the modern era of respectability for the USMNT. </p>



<p>After scoring big goals and making saves on the field, the team laid down some rhymes on a hype track initially imagined by forward Paul Caligiuri and re-worked by artists Def Jef and DJ Eric Vaughn.</p>



<h2>Dripping with 90s nostalgia</h2>



<p>Both the song itself and the video are 100% products of their era. The synthesized beat and rap style immediately take you back to the early 90s.</p>



<p>Footage of the – shirtless – team dancing and kicking around on the beach is interspersed with highlights from games and kids playing soccer.</p>



<p>The back half of the video borrows a trope from a few years earlier – the celebrity recording session a la “<a href="https://youtu.be/bmj7KlIut1w?si=Z1_x5eXUL3giS3Z1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Do They Know It’s Christmas</a>” and “We Are The World.” Famous stars of the time – such as NFL players Marcus Allen and O.J. Simpson (who’d of course become <em>in</em>famous just a few years later)  and one of the American Gladiators – joined USMNT members on the mic for the chorus. </p>



<p>You can watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o73qnXFP7e8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entire video on YouTube</a> or check it out below:</p>



<h2>USA World Cup team 1990 song &amp; video</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Def Jef &amp; DJ Eric Vaughn with the 1990 USA World Cup Soccer Team - Victory (MONO AUDIO)" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o73qnXFP7e8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h3>“…we plan to go home with the World Cup…”</h3>



<p>The optimistic and ambitious lyrics of the song were not prophetic in the end, of course. </p>



<p>The USA went 0-0-3 with a -5 goal difference in group play at the tournament. The draw did them no favors, pairing them with hosts Italy (L 1-0), Czechoslovakia (L 5-1), and Austria (L 2-1).</p>



<p>But regardless of the results at the World Cup, the 1990 team laid the foundation for the USA sides that would follow. </p>



<p>They would not be the last US players to make the World Cup, nor would they be the last to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PhRq0UxF74" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drop some beats</a>.</p>



<p><em>Photo: Imago</em>.</p>


USA World Cup video 'Victory' from 1990 is a must watch

Break out your parachute pants and boombox and strap in for the 1990 USA World Cup team's anthem and music video.

USA World Cup video 'Victory' from 1990 is a must watch - World Soccer Talk

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<p>When the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/nations/usmnt-tv-schedule/">US Men’s National Team</a> roster was announced for the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">2022 World Cup</a>, the club names of the players were dazzling: Arsenal, Barcelona, Juventus, among others. </p>



<p>The “kids” playing in Qatar in the red, white, and blue are part of a new generation of soccer players. Top clubs covet these names with contributions pouring in for both club and country.</p>



<p>As the US looks ahead in four years to hosting a second World Cup, it can be easy to forget that the US is still a relatively young soccer power. Certain things fell in the correct order, both good and bad, for the USMNT to get to this current spot. More bad breaks could have further delayed the outbreak of the US. </p>



<p>Adam Elder’s new book,&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/amzn.to/3tJ3lI8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Kids in the World Cup: The Totally Late ’80s and Early&nbsp;90s Tale of the Team That Changed American&nbsp;Soccer Forever</a>, looks at this formative period. Many older soccer fans remember Paul Caligiuri’s goal at Trinidad &amp; Tobago. Or, they recall the USMNT’s impressive performance to hold Italy at Rome in 1990 to just one goal. The story of how fraught this period was for US Soccer needs retelling. Elder’s writing style and in-depth knowledge gives this story the attention and attitude needed to do it justice.&nbsp;</p>



<h2><em>New Kids in the World Cup</em> book by Adam Elder</h2>



<p>The story begins in 1988. The US advanced past Jamaica to make the round-robin phase for the 1990 World Cup. This US team is not like the totally professional one today. Instead, the roster had a mix of indoor soccer players, part-timers, a few pros in Europe and others known by the Federation. The coach was a part-time coach, full-time maître&nbsp;d’. But the stakes could not be higher. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="WORLD CUP 1990  - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - ITV FEATURE- PRE FIRST MATCH V CZECHOSLOVAKIA-ITALY" width="500" height="375" src="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/embed/8OOs4CiU0T0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<p>The US failing to qualify&nbsp;could mean losing hosting rights to the 1994 World Cup and the millions of dollars that came with it.</p>



<p>The book&nbsp;takes the reader through qualification and the subsequent World Cup. Elder looks at not just the performance on the field, but how the Federation evolved and built the roster to reflect the goals of a more modern, more professional system. Of course like any good story there were numerous times the US could have tripped up and fallen short, but they dramatically reached their goal.</p>



<h5>Narrative of the story</h5>



<p>The difference between this book and other ‘this is where they came from’ type books is the narrative style. The book reads like a novel. The scenes are full of emotionally-loaded descriptive words and the chapters include cliff-hangers and dramatic narrative pauses. Considering the personalities on the team and the late ’80s and early ’90s timeframe, the stylistic choice is a good one.</p>



<p>Even if you know how the story ends, and acknowledge there may be some overdramatization at times, this is a very good read. Elder did his homework either through superior memory or re-watching these games and interviewing the participants. I recommend this book as some enjoyable reading between stressful US <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/04/analysis-of-world-cup-groups/">Group B matches</a> as a way to recognize just how good we have it as US soccer fans.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / WEREK</em></p>



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<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/04/analysis-of-world-cup-groups/"><strong>The Groups:</strong></a> We <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/04/analysis-of-world-cup-groups/">breakdown each group</a> and all the teams
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<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-jerseys-for-qatar-2022/"><strong>The Kits:</strong></a> Check out <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-jerseys-for-qatar-2022/">what every team will be wearing</a> on the field this fall
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<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/predictor/"><strong>Predictor:</strong></a> Play out every scenario with our <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/predictor/">World Cup Predictor</a>
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<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/05/world-cup-bracket-free-download/"><strong>World Cup Bracket:</strong></a> Map out the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/05/world-cup-bracket-free-download/">entire tournament</a>, from the groups to the final
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<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/"><strong>World Cup Hub:</strong></a> Your one stop for <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">everything Qatar 2022</a>
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Adam Elder wrote the book 'New Kids in the World Cup,' a retelling of the less prosperous, but equally important, times for US Soccer.

New Kids in the World Cup book tells early USMNT growth in 90s

Latest news from World Cup 1990. Find out about all the news related to World Cup 1990 on worldsoccertalk.com

World Cup 1990

Bayern Munich

Former Germany World Cup winner Andreas Brehme dies aged 63

Music

USA World Cup video 'Victory' from 1990 is a must watch

Book Review

New Kids in the World Cup book tells early USMNT growth in 90s