13 January 1988 - Statistically, It Proved To Be A Little Misleading

On 13 January 1988, the United States beat Guatemala with a goal from left back Jeff Agoos, making only his second national team appearance.

The teams met in Guatemala City, where the United States had lost all four of their previous matches. The most recent loss had come just three days earlier when the hosts won 1-0. That match marked the international debut for Agoos (pictured), a star in the making at the University of Virginia. His performance on that day was unremarkable, however, and he was substituted for fellow dubutant John Diffley.

US manager Lothar Osiander included both Agoos and Diffley in the starting line-up for the rematch on 13 January, with Agoos providing the day's only goal to give the US a narrow victory in the friendly. And it turned out to be a very rare occurrence. Agoos went on to earn a total of 134 caps for the US--enough to place him third on their all-time appearances list--but he scored only three more times for them.

21 September 1951 - A Bruce Is Born

On 21 September 1951, future two-time MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Arena was a standout goalkeeper for Nassau Community College in New York, earning All America recognition in 1970 and 1971 for both lacrosse and soccer. After two years, he transferred to Cornell University, where he won the 1972 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. A short professional stint followed, including a single US cap, but Arena made his most significant impact as a coach.

In 1978, Arena moved to the University of Virginia to coach both lacrosse and soccer (he eventually dropped lacrosse in 1985). He guided the UVa program to prominence, winning five national championships. He left in 1996 to take up the reins at DC United for their inaugural MLS season, winning the MLS Cup twice in his first two years and claiming his first Coach of the Year award in 1997.

In 1998, he left DC to manage the US national team and guided them to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, their best showing since 1930. But a disappointing group stage exit in 2006 led to his departure. A short stint with the New York Red Bulls followed, but he was sacked after just over a year. He is currently the manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he won his second Coach of the Year award after guiding them to the MLS Cup Final in 2009.

7 November 2008 - Wake Forest Gives Virginia The Deacon Blues

On 7 November 2008, top-ranked Wake Forest University beat the University of Virginia 2-0 before a crowd of 3,968 at Virginia's Klockner Stadium. The win secured the Demon Deacons' first undefeated regular season in program history.

The star of the match was Deacon midfielder Sam Cronin (pictured), whose 6th minute cross was headed in by forward Cody Arnoux to give Wake Forest an early 1-0 lead. Cronin doubled the lead in the 16th minute when he collected a loose ball and fired off an 18-yard strike into the back of the net.

Cronin graduated from Wake Forest in 2009 and currently plays for Toronto FC.

Coincidentally, Wake's win came 139 years to the day after the first intercollegiate football game played in the US. In that match, played on 7 November 1869 using rules drafted by the London Football Association, Rutgers University defeated Princeton University, 6-4. Because the London Rules at the time allowed players to use their hands to bat or hold the ball, that match is also generally considered to be the first-ever "American football" game.

21 April 1991 - It Was Almost, But Not Quite, Like The Beatles At Shea Stadium

On 21 April 1991, midfielder John Harkes became the first American to play in an English cup final at Wembley Stadium. He started the match for Second Division Sheffield Wednesday against First Division Manchester United in the League Cup Final before a crowd of 77,612.

The Owls beat United 1-0, with the lone goal coming from Harkes' midfield partner John Sheridan. The victory was particularly meaningful for Sheffield Wednesday manager Ron Atkinson, who had been the manager of Manchester United until 1986, when he was replaced by Alex Ferguson.

Two years after his record-setting appearance, Harkes became the first American to score in a League Cup final, as the Owls lost 2-1 to Arsenal. He played in England from 1990 through the 1995-96 season, including stints at Derby County and West Ham United. In 1996, he returned to the U.S. to play for MLS side D.C. United under coach Bruce Arena, who had coached Harkes at the University of Virginia.