The U.S. national team made history by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup, but the road to South Korea and Japan began in a far less memorable place: Mazatenango, Guatemala.
Two players with ties to the Seattle Sounders played in that World Cup qualifier nearly 16 years ago – goalkeeping great Kasey Keller and current assistant coach Ante Razov – and both are featured in a recently released video by U.S. Soccer.
“It was certainly eye-opening,” Razov says. “When you’re greeted by 40 commandos in ski masks, it’s the real deal.”
Check out more on the game from Razov and Keller in the video above and don’t miss Sounders forward Clint Dempsey and the USMNT when they take on Guatemala in the next round of World Cup qualifiers on Friday (4 p.