John Harkes

In the spring of 1998, Harkes was dismissed from the U.S. national team as it was preparing for the World Cup. Coach Steve Sampson and Harkes had a personality conflict and differing opinions of the role he should play on the field. The U.S. team flopped in World Cup play in France.

Harkes also had changes in his professional soccer life. In 1999, he was still a member of D.C. United, but the team could not afford to keep Harkes expensive contract under the MLS salary cap. He was loaned to English Premier League's Nottingham Forest, a struggling team, for part of their season.