end of the year. It also became the number one film
of 1996. In 1997, Smith starred in another successful
film,Men in Black, with Tommy Lee Jones. In 1998,
he starred inEnemy of the State, and in 1999 he starred
inWild, Wild, West.
In addition to his acting career, Smith continued
to pursue his music during the decade. Collabo-
rating with D. J. Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes), with
whom he had worked during the 1980’s, Smith re-
leased the albumHomebasein 1991. In 1997, Smith
released the title song to theMen in Blacksound
track. That year, Smith launched his solo music ca-
reer with the release ofBig Willie Style, and in 1999 he
releasedWillennium. Both albums went multiplati-
num. During the 1990’s, Smith won three Grammy
Awards in the category of Best Rap Performance: for
“Summertime” (1992), “Men in Black” (1998), and
“Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” (1998).
Impact An award-winning rap artist, television star,
and a film superstar, Will Smith is among a rare
group of American performers who have enjoyed
success in more than one field of entertainment. As
both a rap artist and an actor, Smith had an enor-
mous impact on the popular culture of the 1990’s.
Further Reading
Anderson, Marilyn D.Will Smith. San Diego, Calif.:
Lucent Books, 2003.
Marron, Maggie.Will Smith: From Rap Star to Mega
Star. New York: Warner Books, 2000.
Bernadette Zbicki Heiney
See also African Americans; Film in the United
States; Hip-hop and rap music; Music; Television.
Soccer
Definition International team sport
Soccer made a big comeback in the United States in the
1990’s thanks to the success of World Cup USA 1994 and
the U.S. women’s team. U.S. major-league soccer started
again in 1996. In Canada, the national soccer league
folded in 1992.
By 1990, soccer was not a mass spectator sport in
America, yet the game was popular among young
amateur and college players and also attracted those
who did not want to become professional athletes.
As there were many strong female players at the col-
legiate level, it was a gratifying moment when the
U.S. women’s national team won the first Women’s
World Cup in China in 1991.
The decade’s biggest soccer event was the 1994
World Cup, held in the United States. Its great suc-
cess against some odds led to a renaissance of profes-
sional soccer in the United States, with a major
league forming again in 1996. When the U.S.
women’s team won the 1999 Women’s World Cup in
the United States, some of its outstanding players
like Mia Hamm became recognized nationwide. In
Canada, too, the women’s national team outper-
formed the men’s team.Further U.S. Developments In the early part of the
decade, soccer struggled to become a popular pro-
fessional sport in the United States. At the 1990
World Cup, the United States was eliminated after
the first round because of an embarrassing 1-5 loss to
the Czechs, a respectable 0-1 against hosting Italy,
and a bitter 1-2 against Austria. At home, there were
many competing leagues fighting with one another
over the best players, and it was only gradually that
outdoor soccer beat its rival indoor game in popular-
ity. At last the 1989 merger of the Western Soccer Al-
liance with the American Soccer League put to-
gether the new American Professional Soccer
League (APSL), which finished its first season in- To save travel expenses, the league had two
divisions. Its winners met to determine the champi-
onship, which fell in 1990 to the Maryland Bays with
a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
in penalty kicks.
Professional soccer continued to consolidate in
1991-1993. The weaker regional leagues folded, as
well as the weaker professional teams. However, the
surviving teams became stronger by attracting the
best players.
The national team disappointed when it failed to
move beyond round one in the 1992 Olympics. By
1994, however, the United States amazed a skeptical
world by not only filling the stadiums of the hosted
World Cup but also having its team advance to round
two. There, the United States lost to the later world
champion Brazil with a respectable 0-1.
In 1995, the women’s team could not defend its ti-
tle at the second Women’s World Cup, held in Swe-
den, losing against Norway but winning against
China to earn third place. However, the women’s
The Nineties in America Soccer 783