MIAMI, Florida – The FIFA World Cups of the 1990s and 2002 saw two more Concacaf teams make their debut in the tournament, while the United States and Mexico clashed in a history-making affair.

In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Costa Rica appeared for the first time ever in the tournament and was nothing short of impressive. On June 11 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, the Ticos won their first World Cup match in a 1-0 final over Scotland thanks to Juan Cayasso’s left-footed finish in the 49’, giving Costa Rica their first win in a World Cup.

1994 marked the return of the World Cup to Concacaf soil, this time with the tournament being played in the United States for the first time ever. The host nation managed to advance to the knockout round thanks in large part to a 2-1 win over Colombia in the group stage on June 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. An Andres Escobar own goal in the in the 34’ and Earnie Stewart’s strike in the 52’ provided the necessary scoring for the U.S. win.

The World Cup returned to the European continent in 1998, with France playing host and that was where Jamaica made their first ever World Cup appearance. The Reggae Boyz’s first World Cup match was on June 14 at the Stade Felix-Bollaert in Lens and Robbie Earle etched his name into history as the first Jamaican to score in a World Cup with his goal in the 45’ in a 3-1 loss to Croatia.

At that same World Cup, one of the most unforgettable results was Mexico’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on June 25. Down 2-0 going into the final 15 minutes at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, El Tricolor mounted a memorable comeback with a Ricardo Pelaez goal in the 75’ and then a last-gasp equalizer through Luis Hernandez in the 90+4’ to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw.

Four years later at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, two teams from Concacaf faced off in a World Cup for just the second time ever and the first in a knockout round tie. Rivals the United States and Mexico took the field on June 17 at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju and the U.S. raced out to a 1-0 lead in the 8’ through Brian McBride. El Tricolor looked to respond, but Landon Donovan would double the margin in the 65’ with a fine header, giving the U.S. a 2-0 lead that held until the final whistle.