29 July 2000 - Apparently, They Didn't Select Any Defenders

On 29 July 2000, the Columbus Crew hosted the highest-scoring MLS All-Star game ever, as East beat West 9-4 with goals from eight different players.

The 2000 edition was the fifth MLS All-Star Game and the fourth to feature East versus West (the 1998 game pit US all-stars against world all-stars). And the East had enjoyed more success, winning three matches to the West's one. 2000 provided more of the same.

Played before a sellout crowd of almost 24,000 at Columbus Crew Stadium, the East wasted no time, setting the pace with a 2nd-minute goal from MetroStar forward Clint Mathis. But the West scored a quick flurry of goals from Chicago Fire striker Ante Razov (17', 22') and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos (19') to take a 3-1 lead. By the break, the East had narrowed the gap, but the West still led, 4-3.

The second half belonged to the East, who received goals in the 51st, 59th, 61st, 65th, 67th, and 76th minutes to claim their fourth win over the West in convincing fashion. Tampa Bay Mutiny star Mamadou Diallo (pictured) claimed Man of the Match honors with two goals and an assist. A full list of the scorers is below.

East: Clint Mathis (NY/NJ) 2'; Jaime Moreno (DC) 36'; Adolfo Valencia (NY/NJ) 39'; Mark Chung (NY/NJ) 51'; Mamadou Diallo (Tampa Bay) 59', 61'; Jay Heaps (Miami) 65'; Dante Washington (Columbus) 67'; Brian McBride (Columbus) 76'.

West: Ante Razov (Chicago) 17', 22'; Mauricio Cienfuegos (LA) 19'; Piotr Nowak (Chicago) 44'.

5 September 1993 - A Monumental Victory

On 5 September 1993, Colombia humbled Argentina by the score of 0-5 in a World Cup qualifying match at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Colombia entered the match brimming with confidence. They were one point ahead of Argentina in the group standings and had just beaten the Albiceleste 2-1 three weeks earlier in Barranquilla, ending Argentina's 33-match win streak. The confidence proved well-placed, as, in the 41st minute, Colombian midfielder Carlos Valderrama sent a through ball to fellow midfielder Freddy Rincón, who then rounded the Argentinian keeper and tapped the ball into the empty net.

After the break, Argentina attacked in an effort to get an equalizer. As the Albiceleste pushed forward, Colombia took advantage of the exposed holes in the back and scored four more goals--another from Rincón (62'), two from striker Faustino Asprilla (49', 64'), and one from striker Adolfo Valencia (84').

After the match, Argentina's manager Alfio Basile was quoted as saying "I never want to think about that match again. It was a crime against nature, a day when I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury myself in it." The loss was Argentina's first--and to date only--home loss in a World Cup qualifier.

2 July 1994 - The Murder of Andrés Escobar

On 2 July 1994, Colombian defender Andrés Escobar died after being shot 12 times outside a bar in his hometown of Medellín.

Just 10 days previously, on 22 June, Escobar scored an own goal in a World Cup group stage match against the United States when, in the 34th minute, he misjudged a cross from American midfielder John Harkes and deflected it into his own net. The US doubled its lead in the 52d minute with a goal from midfielder Earnie Stewart, before Colombian striker Adolfo Valencia scored in the 89th minute. The match ended 2-1 and Colombia were subsequently eliminated from the tournament, despite winning their last group stage match against Switzerland.

Immediately after his murder, the media reported rampant speculation that the shooting was in response to Escobar's own goal, including theories that he had been targeted by drug lords or gambling syndicates who had bet heavily on Colombia to advance. There was also speculation that he had been killed by Colombians who were angered specifically by the loss to the United States, who was at that time involved in a long-running drug war against Colombia's cocaine trade.

In 1995, Humberto Muñoz Castro, identified by the New York Times as a driver/bodyguard for an unnamed "business executive," was convicted of Escobar's murder and sentenced to 43 years in prison. In 2005, however, he was released after serving only 11 years.