Much of this issue (June 10) has been devoted to the European Championship, which will receiving extensive coverage both here and on ESPN and ESPN2 this June.
The last tournament in Sweden in 1992 suffered from all the worst elements of Italia `90 — low scoring, negative play and sporadic outbreaks of violence from English, Dutch and German fans.
But there were some high points: The Dutch played some dreamy soccer; it was the last time Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard played together at a major tournament; and Dennis Bergkamp became a star.
The Netherlands fell in the semifinals to Denmark, which was The Story of Euro `92. Players were lured from the beaches of Europe at the 11th hour as replacements for a banned Yugoslavia and, completely underwhelmed by the quality of the opposition, beat Germany 2-0 in the final. So much for intensive preparation!
Euro `96 will tell a different story: There is greater parity among the top teams now, and Northern Europe, which dominated the `92 tourney, will be complemented by “flair” teams from Spain, Portugal and Italy this time.
But what the tournament and European soccer is crying out for are some new stars. Look at the rosters on the following pages and you’ll find that most of the stars of USA `94 are on the wrong side of 30.
So who will the new stars be? Will Italy’s Alessandro Del Piero hit the big time? Can Patrick Kluivert put his personal problems behind him? And will Robbie Fowler be the man to score England’s goals?
Whatever the snags and organizational snafus leading up to Euro `96, the tournament itself promises to provide some entertaining and passionate soccer, even if it does lack the skills and diversity of the World Cup.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Duncan Irving