USMNT Legend Eddie Pope on World Cups Past and Present
National Soccer Hall of Famer joins U.S. Soccer Podcast to discuss World Cup memories, ambitions
Eddie Pope knows what it means to represent the Stars and Stripes on the biggest stages. The legendary D.C. United defender—winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup (1998), U.S. Open Cup (1996), MLS Cup (1996, 1997, 1999) and Supporters’ Shield (1997, 1999)—racked up 82 senior national team caps, enjoyed three trips to the FIFA World Cup and claimed the 2005 Concacaf Gold Cup with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
The High Point, N.C. native represented the USMNT in the World Cup in France (1998), Korea/ Japan (2002) and Germany (2006), helping the United States to its second-best World Cup finish in 2002 as quarterfinalists.
After advancing to the Round of 16 on home soil in the 1994 World Cup, the USMNT was confident heading to France in 1998. Following a strong showing at the 1998 Concacaf Gold Cup which featured the USMNT’s first and only victory against Brazil and a runner-up finish against Mexico, the USMNT rattled off five unbeaten matches ahead of the World Cup, featuring wins against Austria and Kuwait and draws against Paraguay, Macedonia and Scotland. Despite the strong run leading to the World Cup, something wasn’t quite clicking.
“In a World Cup, chemistry is so important,” Pope said, reflecting on the 1998 World Cup. “Not only can the regular things that typically go wrong in a tournament like that happen, but if you don't have good team chemistry, you're fighting an uphill battle. We did not have good team chemistry, so I think we had almost lost before we even started.
“Looking back on it, to me, that was the biggest difference because we had so much talent and players who had been in Europe and had been very successful in Europe. MLS was coming on, so we didn't have the complaint that we didn't have a league. It was primed for us to do relatively well. But we got the team chemistry part all wrong.”
The culmination of these factors proved costly, as the USMNT crashed out of the World Cup early following group stage defeats against Germany, IR Iran and Yugoslavia.
Things changed as the U.S. approached the 2002 World Cup in Korea Republic and Japan. A new U-17 MNT residency program was established ahead of the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championships, fostering the growth and development of future National Soccer Hall of Fame members Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley among others, and that group was defined by its youth and fresh perspective on the game.
“This younger group was different,” Pope explained. “They were in an environment where they were training twice a day for weeks and months at a time. They were playing lots of games. When they came into camp, they were fearless. They were young. It was fresh. It was great to have that in our environment. To be frank, the chemistry was better.”
Helped by Landon Donovan’s breakout performance, the USMNT finished second in Group D through a victory against Portugal and a draw against co-hosts Korea Republic. In the highest-profile meeting between the regional rivals, the U.S. went on to top Concacaf foe Mexico 2-0 in true dos-a-cero fashion in the Round of 16 before falling just short to eventual runners-up, Germany, to tally its best modern-era World Cup finish and second-best since placing third at the inaugural 1930 World Cup, which was played with less team and under a different format.
Heading into the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Pope knew his time with the national team was coming to a close. The USMNT struggled in Germany, losing to the Czech Republic and Ghana, though notably posting a 1-1 draw against eventual champions, Italy. Even though the U.S. joined runners-up France as the only teams to avoid a loss in a matchup against the eventual champions during the tournament, Pope was shown a pair of yellow cards in the contest, and in that moment, the defender’s national team career ultimately and unceremoniously came to an end.
“I knew it was going to be my last international competition,” Pope said. “The result was okay, but getting sent off, which I'll argue to this day I don't think I deserved, was not fun.”
Though Pope’s national team career concluded with that sending off in Kaiserslautern, the proficient defender—who went on to close out his club career with Real Salt Lake a year later—has enjoyed key milestones off the pitch since: Pope was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011 and later helped bring professional soccer to his hometown of High Point, N.C. through MLS NEXT Pro side Carolina Core FC in 2024, with which he currently serves as the Chief Sporting Officer.
Looking ahead to the USMNT’s ambitions as the 2026 World Cup approaches, Pope is eagerly anticipating this summer’s tournament.
“In my opinion—and it's biased—I think the team is really good,” Pope said of the current USMNT squad. “There were some bumpy performances, but whenever you bring in a new coach, they have to put their thumbprint on the process, on the players, and on their expectations. As of late, that seems to have happened, and I think that's great. I also look at the experience that the players have. We have players who are playing at big clubs in Europe. We also have players who are playing in MLS at big clubs and are doing well. Across the board, we look good.
“The squad—and we'll see what it ends up being—has more to choose from than ever before. I feel like the coach will have the opportunity to be specific about what he wants and who he needs to apply his tactics and whatever formation he plans on playing moving forward. The pool is extremely deep. I was looking at it the other day. I think it's the deepest it's ever been. No pressure on them, but I think the team can do well.”
Three World Cups and 82 caps later, Pope is candid about what he remembers most about representing the United States on the biggest of stages.
“It is hard to explain,” Pope admitted. “For me, one of the best moments is when they play the national anthem. We all get chills, and you start to think back quickly to all the training, playing when you're little, all those things, and you're looking around you. It feels surreal, and that's when the excitement really kicks in.”