Commercialised, curious, sometimes raucous: USA 94 was a joy to attend

The 1994 World Cup in the United States marked a shift toward a more expansive, commercialised future while contrasting sharply with the later, larger and more lucrative 32-year-later tournament. A 23-year-old on 9,000 a year attended for two weeks with a student friend, watching only two goalless draws yet experiencing a raucous, often tepid atmosphere. Europe and the US held mutual suspicion, with US-focused media fixated on hooliganism and Europeans mocking an assumed couch-potato audience. FIFA president Joao Havelange suggested splitting games into quarters, but fears did not materialise. Football and crowds exceeded expectations, with a World Cup finals average-crowd record of 68,991 that still stands, occurring two years before Major League Soccer began.

Read at www.theguardian.com