We were no match for 'Catweazle': Gary Pallister looks back on England's 2-0 defeat to Alexi Lalas and Co in 1993

This might have been a cunning plan but it didn't look quite so great when we failed to qualify.

We'd just lost an important World Cup qualifier 2-0 in Norway and been lambasted.

There were a lot of negative thoughts around the squad when we arrived in Boston.

Lift-off: Lalas celebrates outjumping Chris Woods to make it 2-0

There were some new faces and Graham Taylor made a few changes to the team.

Carlton Palmer played alongside me at centre half.

The pitch at the Foxboro Stadium still had American football markings on it, which was surreal to say the least. We played poorly and never got going.

It was the kind of performance that had got us into trouble before. America were the better team and deserved their 2-0 win.

They had some players from the Premier League and the German Bundesliga who knew their way around.

This wasn't a shock like England's defeat in 1950.

But there's always rivalry when it's England and the U.S. at any sport. They wanted to beat us, to take the big scalp. England are a big name in world football. It was like us beating them at baseball.

Their crowd responded once they took the lead. Alexi Lalas scored the second goal. He cut a comical figure with his Catweazle beard.

Joe Gaetjens (left) scored the only goal as the U.S. inflicted England¿s most embarrassing defeat - and there have been a few contenders - at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil

We'd seen pictures of him on telly with his guitar. No-one was quite sure what to make of him. He went on to play football at a high level in Italy, proving you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

We knew there would be fall-out. Fortunately, we stayed in America, out of the way. It was a game that everybody felt we should have won and we were embarrassed. Some of it filtered over from back home.

Graham Taylor had already been taking stick and this defeat added fuel to the fire. It wasn't pleasant.

It wasn't a good year for England and I don't look back on it with any great fondness. Four days after losing to the U.S. we played very well against Brazil in Washington. We took the lead and drew 1-1.

Then we lost 2-1 to Germany in Detroit. That's the nature of football.

One day you're a hero, the next you're a klutz. It goes with the territory.

Gary Pallister was representing National Express, an official supporter of the England football team. www.nationalexpress.com