Regarding the classic use of national flag elements, the American team jersey at the 1994 World Cup in the United States may still be outstanding. When the team forms and the national anthem rings, the national team becomes the embodiment of national consciousness, ready to practice the term "fighting for the country" on the field. And the jerseys of national team players often embody the color of the national flag and draw inspiration from its elements.
The red and white stripes (13 red and white stripes, referring to the first 13 independent colonies) in the "Star Spangled Banner" are used on the home court sword stripe shirt, with wavy stripes that mimic the wind blowing of the national flag; A blue background with white stars (50 stars, referring to the 50 states of the United States) is used for away games, with stars of different sizes arranged diagonally, making it a masterpiece in design.
With the assistance of these two sets of jerseys, especially the away jerseys, Milutinovic's US team left a deep impression on people at the 1994 World Cup. At that time, the United States was just a "desert" with a lack of tradition and football being referred to as a soccer player, which was highly despised by mainstream public opinion. However, this tournament achieved few commercial successes in history: borrowing American football fields, with an average on-site audience of over 69000 people and a total attendance of 3.6 million, it is still the largest tournament in World Cup history. It should be noted that this tournament is still a 24 team, 52 game scale, Since 1998, the World Cup has only expanded to 32 teams and 64 games. As the host team, the United States team also bloomed under the national flag amidst the cheers of their own audience.
In the three-group stage, the US team began to wear away jerseys for life. In the 1/8 final against Brazil, the US team put on their home jersey, and the match was held on July 4th, Independence Day, which particularly sparked the enthusiasm of home fans. Against the star-studded Samba Legion, the United States only lost 0 to 1 (Bebeto scored the only goal). Moreover, Brazil went all the way and finally won the championship. The United States became the stepping-stone to win the fourth star and did not lose face.
After this tournament, several American players were given opportunities to study abroad or were favored by stronger teams in the mainstream Western European leagues they played for. In addition, with the establishment of the Major League of America (MLS) through the World Cup, which opened its first season in 1996, the development of American football seems to have entered a fast lane.
In 2026, the United States will host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico again. Can the US team still create a classic soccer jersey as with 1994 USA soccer jersey at that time?