SWITZERLAND : WORLD CUP HISTORY

The Swiss had some glorious moments in the early years of the Cup, participating in four of the first five tournaments, hosting the 1954 competition and reaching the quarterfinals twice. But as the rest of the world caught up to them, they found it more difficult to reach the finals. In 1966, the Swiss were ousted in the first round, losing to West Germany, Spain and Argentina. At USA '94, Switzerland managed to reach the second round on the strength of a 1-1-1 record. The Swiss drew with the U.S., 1-1 (that was the game in which Eric Wynalda fired off his magnificent free kick), rolled over Romania, 4-1, and lost to Colombia, 2-0. Spain dispatched them in the second round, 3-0.