Released in July and written by award-winning journalist Hal Phillips, Generation Zero: Founding Fathers, Hidden Histories and the Making of Soccer in America is a 458-page deep dive into the U.S. Men's National Team's qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.
Among the many individuals interviewed for the book, Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City Technical Director Brian Bliss provide their insight and commentary along with Sporting Legends Bob Gansler and Tony Meola.
Kansas City's head coach from 1999-2006, Gansler led the United States to a historic 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Nov. 19, 1989 - with Bliss, Meola and Vermes among the Americans on the field - to secure the national team's first berth in a World Cup since 1950.
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The book is available to order in paperback and digital formats and can be purchased from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Brief excerpts are available to read online from United Soccer Coaches and the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
A daily newspaper and magazine editor until 2001, Phillips writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure and ESPN.com. The book also features images from official U.S. Men's National Team photographer Jon van Woerden.
