The year is 1989. The United States is a soccer desert, but it just won a bid to host the 1994 World Cup. If the U.S. is going to prove it deserves the honor, it’ll need to get its team to qualify for the 1990 World Cup—and they haven’t made it in nearly four decades. A coach named Bob Gansler and his gang of mulleted misfits are America's only hope. This is the story of their last-ditch attempt to put U.S. soccer on the map.

CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.