90s Soccer Grails: World Cup '94 Gems + New Collection
Rare USWNT gear, Logo 7 snapbacks, and thoughts on US Soccer's new heritage drop
EDITOR’S NOTE
The 1994 World Cup
When the USA was chosen as the host country for the 1994 World Cup, it launched a plethora of firsts.
It was the first time the World Cup was held in the United States, and broke tournament records with an overall attendance of 3,587,538. It was also the first time the World Cup was hosted in multiple cities.
One of those cities was my hometown, Chicago. I grew up on the South Side and…let’s just say that soccer hadn’t hit our area just yet.
Luckily for me, my dad worked for the City. As such, he had a lot of diverse coworkers, who introduced him to all kinds of cultural exchanges: the band Rush, fun phrases like schvartze and na zdrowie, and soccer.
Always trying to expand my worldview, Dad took me downtown in the thick of it for the kickoff parade.
Pics from the 1994 World Cup Kickoff Parade in Chicago
We walked up Michigan Ave, just soaking it all up.
Pics from the 1994 World Cup Kickoff Parade in Chicago
Like many others, the 1994 World Cup was the dawn of my love for soccer and the culture that surrounds it. I distinctly remember random flashes: guys wearing yellow, red, and black yelling and hugging in the street, flags I only ever saw when we were up thrifting on the north side, my dad chanting U-S-A! U-S-A! with random red-faced white guys decked in the American flag, seeing a guy throw up in the street someplace other than a White Sox game.
Gameday Grails hasn’t really covered vintage or vintage-inspired soccer gear to this point. Mostly, I feel like the space was oversaturated by people who, frankly, have more range than I do when it comes to history and culture in that space.
That changed when I listened to The Athletic’s Full Time with Meg Linehan. I give the show my highest possible recommendation, if you like women’s soccer or quality sports commentary that doesn’t yell at you.
The more I learned about the depth and complexity of American soccer on the women’s side, the more I feel like we could, as a sports-obsessed culture, do better about accentuating the positive history of our national soccer clubs overall, from the USWNT/MNT down to USL/NWSL/MLS teams, and everything in-between.
So, as the weather heats up, we’ll dip a toe into the wild and wonderful world of vintage soccer wear. Want us to cover anything around the world of vintage soccer gear or vintage-inspired soccer brands? Reply to this email.
There is a 10/10 chance you’ll hear from me.
Until then, as always, let's have some fun out there.
THIS WEEK’S GRAILS
This week, our theme = rare vintage US Soccer 🔥
Vintage 90s US Men's Soccer Looney Tunes tee (Men’s XL): Back when we thought putting Bugs Bunny on everything would make Americans care about soccer. Spoiler alert: it kind of worked?
Vintage 90s US Women’s World Soccer Champions T-shirt (Men’s XL): Pre-'99ers gear is about as rare as Americans who can explain the offside rule.
Vintage 1994 Adidas World Cup Team USA shirsey (Men’s L): Perfect for channeling your inner "soccer is definitely gonna be huge in America this time" energy.
RARE Logo 7 1994 WORLD CUP USA Snapback Hat: At this price point, it's practically your patriotic duty to cop.
VINTAGE 90'S MITRE 1994 TEAM USA SOCCER WORLD CUP POLO SHIRT (Men’s L): Perfect for looking professionally patriotic while telling everyone how you "totally called" the US beating Colombia.
HOMEFIELD HEATER OF THE WEEK
Diamond Classics Series 2 is now LIVE
Homefield’s homage to the heroes of college baseball and softball is BACK with 20 new schools. These aren’t those goofy jerseys you wore in travel ball growing up.
Think jersey-weight pullovers with historically accurate scripts and a healthy dose of “wow, that person knows ball”.
👉 Shop the full Diamond Classics Series 2 collection here
🎁 First time ordering from Homefield? Use code GRAILS15 at checkout for 15% off.
👉 Click here before your size disappears!
A THING WE LIKE
Flagrant Mag started with four women—**this is where we pause to salute Brazilia, Bethany, Ashtyn, and Alex**—who looked at the state of basketball media and said, “Nah, we can do this better.”
Now they’re running the most grail-worthy print drop in sports media—and expanding into audio.
Enter: Pickup.
Each episode, they "pick up" a few things they've been thinking about — some basketball-related, some complete detours, always fun and engaging. Like the magazine and everything they do, this is a podcast for those who are in love with the beautiful game (soccer, you wish!), and everything that comes with it.
Still hosted by Ciara Smith, aka Ciara Mountains, weekly episodes drop every Tuesday.
Find Pickup on APPLE, SPOTIFY and wherever you listen to podcasts.
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GOOD NOSTALGIA VS. BAD NOSTALGIA: US SOCCER
US Soccer
U.S. Soccer just dropped a retro collection that's a solid start to what appears to be a concerted effort to bring our national teams into the 21st century.
That's not intended as a slight — we genuinely like this stuff! Especially since this is, to my knowledge, the first time we've seen a dedicated heritage campaign celebrating both the men's and women's national teams from the organization itself, not from a sponsor/partner brand like Nike.
US Soccer
What They Got Right:
The 1950 England upset getting its moment? The ode to 1994? The debut of the USWNT in ‘85? Love to see it. This is exactly the kind of history that deserves to be celebrated and shared with new generations of fans.
US Soccer
Room for Growth:
Here's the thing, though: For this to be the first round of an ongoing heritage brand, it is missing one of the biggest moments in US Soccer history: The 1998 U.S. Women’s National Team.
They say themselves, “Reflecting on milestones and moments that impacted the sport and culture as we know it.”
Look, any conversation about US Soccer history that doesn't include the ‘99ers feels incomplete. We're talking about a team that didn't just win a World Cup - they changed the entire landscape of American sports. That penalty kick celebration? It's not just a soccer moment - it's an AMERICAN moment, period.
And while we're here, imagine future drops that they could also tap into:
• Landon Donovan's Algeria goal in 2010 - We lowkey still get chills just thinking about it.
• The 2011 World Cup quarterfinal vs Brazil - Abby Wambach's 122nd-minute header and Hope Solo's saves deserve to be honored forever.
• Those '94 denim kits. ‘Nuff Said.
Looking ahead, we're excited to see how US Soccer builds on this foundation. There's so much rich history to work with - both men's and women's sides - and so many incredible moments that deserve their spotlight.
Your turn: What US Soccer moment would you want to see celebrated in the next drop? (And yes, Brandi Chastain '99 needs to happen. Like, yesterday.)
ICYMI
Good Nostalgia vs Bad Nostalgia: @U.S. Soccer 🇺🇸⚽️ #vintagesportswear #gamedayoutfit #uswnt #usmnt #ussoccer #sportsmarketing
The video version of today’s feature.
FROM THE VAULT
The 1984 Detroit Pistons merch catalog.
Let’s Connect!
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Do you own a vintage-inspired sportswear brand we should be aware of? Reach out.
Have feedback, ideas or want to collab? Email [email protected] with any ideas, we’re usually down to clown.
Thank you for being part of the Gameday Grails family.
Hell yeah, Ernest. Great finds