[TRIVIA] When was the last time the USA failed to beat El Salvador at home? Hint: It set up the most famous World Cup qualifier in U.S. history.
El Salvador was already eliminated from the 1990 World Cup when it traveled to the Budweiser Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo., to face the USA in the second-to-last day of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup.
In the first game, moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, because of the Salvadoran civil war, Bob Gansler‘s Yanks won, 1-0, on a goal by Hugo Perez.
For the second leg, El Salvador brought a team of players from Luis Angel Firpo players — named after the legendary Argentine boxer — and held the USA to a 0-0 tie.
The result left the USA one point behind Trinidad & Tobago going into the final game of qualifying in Port of Spain. Instead of needing only a tie to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in 40 years, the USA had to win, which it did, 1-0, on Paul Caligiuri‘s miracle shot.