Russia’s win over Spain Sunday in World Cup Soccer reminds us of the National Champion Greensboro Dynamo team from 1994

Today’s/Sunday’s World Cup Soccer match was decided on Penalty Kicks, in a shootout, after 90 minutes of regulation play and then the 30 minutes of overtime and in the end, Russia, ranked at #70 coming into the game, defeats the #3 Spain team on Penalty Kicks/Spot Kicks…

This becomes the third biggest upset in World Cup history and with the ‘kick-save’ by the Russian keeper on the last penalty kick attempt from Spain, the Russians took the 1-1 tie and turned it into a victory and now Russia moves on to the World Cup Soccer quarterfinals and their next game, will be next Saturday…

Huge win for the Russians and it does the Cup play good to have the home team win and that should really keep the 2018 Cup even more interesting, with the home team still in the hunt….

Today’s game with Russia over Spain instantly becomes one of the greatest games in World Cup Soccer history and 24 years ago, back in 1994, the Americans were hosting the Cup and the United States made a run of their own, as the home team, with names like Alexi Lalas, Cobi Jones, Eric Wynalda, Joe-Max Moore and keeper Tony Meola leading the way….

Greensboro had their own version of the the World Cup back in 1994, when the Greensboro Dynamo hosted the USISL Championship Game at UNCG and on a Monday night in August of 1994, Greensboro became National Soccer Champions…

In the Championship Game on that Monday night, Greensboro defeated the Minnesota Thunder on penalty kicks, in a Sudden-Death Shootout, at the UNCG Soccer Stadium….

The game was a sell-out and there must have been at 5,000 fans in attendance to see the Dynamo win the title in exciting fashion….The game ended up tied at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime and extended play and the contest went to a Sudden-Death Shootout….

Greensboro won the game and the National Title, on penalty kicks, just like in today’s Russian win over Spain and the winning goal was kicked in by the Dynamo’s top defenseman, the fullback, Brian Japp of all people…

The Greensboro team was led in by the veteran Eddie Radwanski, and the the Greensboro side featured Michael Gailey, from Grimsley High School, who like Eddie Radwanski played at UNCG, Brian Japp was from UNCG, Jason Haupt was from UNCG, the team had Jimmy Glenn from Clemson, there was the keeper Aiden Heaney, the Dynamo had the Garcia brothers Gabe and Carlos, there was Maher Ata, Aiden Murphy, Kenny Gasser and a few more to help form the overall 11….

This is one night that I will never forget and I’m sure for you true local sports fans, you too can relate today’s game with the penalty kick shootout, to our Greensboro Dynamo and their quest for the National Championship, back in 1994….The ’94 Dynamo team was coached by the UNCG soccer coach at that time, Michael Parker….

That penalty kick shootout shot that Monday night has become over the years, one of the biggest goals in Greensboro Sports history, and I feel for certain, the kick-save and the ultimate win by the Russians on this Sunday afternoon, will also become one of the biggest moments in World Cup and all of soccer history….

Hope you got to see today’s game and just maybe you were there at UNCG, on that historic night back in 1994, but if you weren’t you got a taste of history here at our site today…..

Long live Brian Japp and long live the foot/leg of the Russian soccer keeper…..

You can check out Eddie Radwanski, the current Clemson women’s soccer coach, talking about that Greensboro Dynamo Soccer win from back in 1994, when you CLICK HERE for YouTube….