50 days to the World Cup: A case hives couldn't stop Eric Wynalda's free kick goal against Switzerland

Sean LeahyWed, April 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

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The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.

Eric Wynalda’s first World Cup experience ended in embarrassment after 52 minutes.

Czechoslovakia's Ľubomír Moravčík baited the U.S. forward after continually stepping on Wynalda’s foot throughout their match in the 1990 World Cup. Wynalda, tired of the gamesmanship, shoved Moravčík, which was spotted by Kurt Röthlisberger, who brandished a red card.

Four years later, Wynalda would get a second chance and redeem himself in front of 73,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome.

That opportunity almost never came to fruition for Wynalda, who made 106 appearances for the U.S. The night before the team’s opening match of the 1994 World Cup against Switzerland, he felt a rash begin to develop on his body. He took medicine to treat it, but did not get a good night's sleep (the O.J. Simpson White Bronco chase being that same night didn’t help anyone’s ability to get plentiful rest).

A switch from Powerade to Gatorade by the team caused Wynalda to break out in hives. He was so fatigued from the lack of sleep and the allergic reaction that he was subbed out in the 57th minute coming off the field with swollen, red hands.

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But just before halftime, Wynalda made his mark on the match.

His 45th minute goal would help the U.S. start the 1994 World Cup off with a 1-1 draw.

"It definitely was the best goal of my life," Wynalda said later. "You really have to hit that shot perfectly for it to work, and that's what happened."

Wynalda wasn't even the main free-kick taker on the squad. That was Claudia Reyna's job, but a hurt hamstring ruled him out for the tournament. Tab Ramos could have been the one, but he told Wynalda that the 28-yard distance was out of his range.

“In that minute, it seemed to me as if there was no one else in the stadium. I just swung my foot at the ball and it flew in,” Wynalda said. “The noise that greeted me was deafening.”

The U.S would go on and beat Colombia and lose to Romania in its final two group stage matches. The four points were good enough to advance to the knockout round where they would fall to eventual champions Brazil, 1-0.

Wynalda's goal in 1994 was one of the 34 he scored for the U.S. When he retired in 2000, he was the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men's team. His record would stand for eight years before being passed by Landon Donovan.

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Source: “AOL Sports”