(Redirected from U.S. national soccer team)
The 'United States men's national soccer team' is the national
soccer (association football) team of the
United States and is controlled by the
United States Soccer Federation. They are currently ranked 17th in the
FIFA World Rankings[1], and have qualified for five consecutive
FIFA World Cups. The strength of the country's youth team was demonstrated when they won the U-19
Milk Cup in
2005.
[2]
History
First international outside Britain
In 1885, the U.S. and
Canada played the first unofficial international match held outside of
Great Britain. The Canadians defeated the homestanding Americans 1-0 in
Newark, New Jersey.
[3] The American side had their revenge the following year, in 1886, when they beat the Canadians 3-2, also in Newark. These two matches were the only internationals played outside of the United Kingdom in the
19th century. Thirty years later, the Americans would play their first ''official'' international match by travelling to face
Sweden in
Stockholm, where the USA won 3-2.
1930: The first World Cup
First win ever
In the
1930 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. won the first match in
World Cup history, defeating
Belgium 3-0 at
Estadio Gran Parque Central in
Montevideo, Uruguay. The match occurred simultaneously with another "first game" across town in
Estadio Pocitos where
France defeated
Mexico. FIFA has commemorated the American victory as the first World Cup match on two occasions, in 1987 and 2005.
[4]
First World Cup hat-trick
In the next fixture, USA again won 3-0, this time against
Paraguay. Some controversy had ensued for seven decades over the scoring, as American
Bert Patenaude may or may not have scored the first
hat-trick in World Cup history. FIFA had generally maintained that Patenaude scored only two goals, the second of the three goals being credited to teammate
Tom Florie.
[5], but his teammates and the U.S. Soccer Federation among other sources credited Patenaude with notching three.
[6][7] Other sources claimed that it was an own goal by Paraguayan Ramon Gonzales.
[8][ RSSSF - THE FIRST WORLD CUP HAT TRICK ]
However, FIFA announced on
10 November 2006 that it had accepted evidence from "various historians and football fans" and received confirmation from the
United States Soccer Federation that Patenaude scored all three goals, and was indeed the first person to score a hat-trick in World Cup play, clearing up a 76-year-old error.
[9][10]
Semi-finalists
In that first World Cup, the American side lost a one-sided match to
Argentina, 6-1, after advancing to the
semi-finals. This is still the all-time highest World Cup finish by the men's team. The 1930 tournament was unique in that no third place match was played and no third place trophy was awarded to either the United States or fellow semi-finalists
Yugoslavia. However, FIFA documents have listed the U.S. finish as 3rd place, a designation that was apparently retroactive. It remains unclear whether FIFA simply chose to list the U.S. above Yugoslavia for alphabetical reasons or because the U.S. had a superior goal difference to Yugoslavia over the course of the tournament. Some British soccer historians have claimed that the U.S. team at that competition was loaded with non-native players from British professional leagues, but the facts do not support that assertion. There were six British-born players on the 1930 team, all of whom played in the team's three World Cup matches. At the time of the 1930 World Cup, the combined experience of those six players in British professional leagues was two games, both by a single player in the
English Third Division (equivalent to today's
Football League One). Four of the six had come to the United States as teenagers or younger. Three of the six never played professionally in Britain; their pro careers were entirely in North America. In the 1920s, there was a thriving professional league in the United States, and the league survived into the mid-1930s. Two of the six did have significant professional careers in Britain, but not until after 1930. All 16 members of the 1930 World Cup team were living in the United States by 1928.
[11]
Joe Gaetjens after scoring the winning goal against England.
1950: Victory against England
The
1950 FIFA World Cup is memorable in the English-speaking world for the U.S. team pulling off one of the
greatest upsets in football history, handing
England a devastating result in its first ever World Cup loss, 1-0, after England had recently beaten the rest of Europe 6-1 in an exhibition match. A recent movie named ''
The Miracle Match'' commemorates the upset. Like England, the U.S. failed to advance from group play after losing to
Chile and
Spain. It would be four decades before the USA would again make an equivalent impression at the highest international level.
1980s
After the growing enthusiasm caused by the rise of the
North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970s, it seemed at times as if the U.S. national team would soon become powerful players in world soccer. Such hopes were not realized, and USA were not considered a strong side in this era. From 1981 to 1983, only two international matches were played.
Team America in the NASL
To provide a more stable national team program, and renew interest in the domestic league, the U.S. national team, playing as
Team America, was added as a member of the
NASL in the 1984 season. This side lacked the continuity and regularity of training of conventional club sides, and many players were unwilling to play for this team instead of their own clubs. Team America finished the season at the bottom of the league. Recognizing that it had not achieved their objectives, USSF cancelled this experiment and the national team was withdrawn from the NASL.
1984 Olympics
USSF targeted the
1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, and the
1986 FIFA World Cup as means of building a national team fan base. The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) provided what appeared to be a major boost to the U.S.'s chances of advancing beyond the group stage when it declared that Olympic teams from outside Europe and South America could field their full international teams, including professionals. USSF immediately rearranged its
Olympic team roster, cutting many of the collegiate players, and replacing them with professionals. Despite this, the U.S.
finished 1-1-1 and failed to make the second round.
Failure to qualify for 1986 World Cup
The USSF had applied to host the 1986 World Cup, but Mexico eventually won the right to hold the tournament.
In the last game of the qualifying tournament, U.S. needed only a tie against
Costa Rica, whom they had beaten 3-0 in the Olympics the year before, to reach the finals. The USSF, controversially, scheduled the game at
El Camino College in
Torrance, California, in an area with many Costa Rican expatriates, and allowed the game to be marketed almost exclusively to the Costa Rican community, even providing Costa Rican folk dances as half time entertainment.
[1] A 35th minute goal by
Evaristo Coronado won the match for Costa Rica, and eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup.
[2]
National Team begins to revive
By the end of 1985, there was no domestic senior outdoor league
[12], and many top U.S. players, such as
John Kerr,
Paul Caligiuri,
Eric Eichmann and
Bruce Murray moved overseas, primarily to Europe.
In 1988,
USSF offered contracts to national team players, to build a team for international matches with something of a club ethos. The national team owned the players' contracts, then loaned these players out to their club teams. This brought several players back to the sport, and combined with an influx of talent from a burgeoning grass-roots level, the team qualified for the
1990 FIFA World Cup and won the
1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
1990s
1990 World Cup
In 1989, FIFA named the U.S. as host of the 1994 World Cup, but it was under significant international criticism for this decision because of the weakness of the national side and the lack of a top level professional league. This criticism was relieved somewhat when, by winning their first game on the road in nearly two years in a 1-0 victory over
Trinidad and Tobago through a 35th minute goal by
Paul Caligiuri, U.S.A. reached the
1990 World Cup in Italy, its first World Cup finals berth in 40 years.
For the World Cup, coach
Bob Gansler selected many inexperienced recent college graduates ahead of seasoned professionals like
Rick Davis and
Hugo Perez. They were beaten 5-1 by
Czechoslovakia in its opening game, Caligiuri scoring the consolation goal. A more defensive approach in the match against host team
Italy resulted in a 1-0 defeat. In the U.S.’s last game, the team fell 2-1 to
Austria, despite the dismissal of Austrian
Peter Artner in the 34th minute. The U.S. were eliminated with a 0-3 record.
CONCACAF Cup Success
In March 1991, the U.S. national team won the North America Cup, tying
Mexico 2-2 and beating
Canada 2-0. This was followed in May by a 1-0 victory over
Uruguay in the
World Series of Soccer. The national team then went undefeated in the
1991 Gold Cup, beating Mexico 2-0 in the semifinals and
Honduras 0-0 (4-3 on
penalty kicks) in the final. In 1992, the U.S. continued its run of success, taking the
U.S. Cup title with victories over
Ireland and
Portugal, followed by a tie with Italy.
1994 World Cup hosts
The controversy over the United States having been awarded the
1994 FIFA World Cup, despite soccer being
relatively unpopular in the country had continued until the tournament started. Despite soccer's lowly position in the U.S. sports' hierarchy, the 1994 tournament still holds the World Cup record for attendance at nearly 70,000 per match
[13].
The U.S. opened its tournament schedule with a 1-1 tie against
Switzerland in the
Pontiac Silverdome in
Detroit,
Michigan, the first World Cup game played indoors. In its second game, the U.S. faced
Colombia, ranked fourth in the world, at the
Rose Bowl. Aided by an
own goal from
Andrés Escobar, who was later
murdered in his home country for this mistake, the U.S. won 2-1. Despite a 1-0 loss to
Romania in its final group game, the U.S. made it to the knockout round for the first time in modern history, avoiding the ignominy of becoming the first host nation not to advance from the group stage. In the second round, the U.S. lost to eventual champion
Brazil, 1-0, even though Brazil played much of the match with only 10 players after a red card.
Disappointment in France
In the
1998 World Cup, the team lost all three group matches, including a loss to
Iran, and finished in last place in its group. In fact, the team finished in last place overall-- placing 32nd in the field of 32. Head coach
Steve Sampson received much of the blame for the performance, after abruptly cutting team captain
John Harkes and several other players who were significant to the qualifying effort.
[14]
2000s
2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan
The team won the
2002 Gold Cup to set up the team's best performance since 1930 in the
2002 World Cup, when the US team reached the quarterfinals. The knockout stage was reached through a 3-2 win over
Portugal and a 1-1 tie with co-host and eventual fourth place finisher,
South Korea.
This set the stage for a Round 2 face-off with familiar continental rivals
Mexico. The U.S. emerged victorious in the first World Cup showdown between the two old adversaries, 2-0. The team lost 1-0 to eventual runners-up
Germany in the quarterfinals.
USA won its second Gold Cup of the last three with the
2005 Gold Cup.
2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany
:''Additional information:
2006 FIFA World Cup - Group E''
The United States was drawn in
Group E for the
2006 FIFA World Cup, along with
Czech Republic,
Italy and
Ghana. With three of the top 10 sides in the FIFA rankings in the group, it was considered a
Group of Death.
The USA opened with a 3-0 loss to
Czech Republic.
[15] The team then drew 1-1 against
Italy, helped by an Italian own goal:
red cards were shown to
Pablo Mastroeni and
Eddie Pope just before and immediately following the halftime break for reckless tackles, forcing the US team to play nearly all of the second half with nine players to Italy's ten. The USA was knocked out in its final group match against
Ghana, who defeated the Americans 2-1.
[16]
After going winless in
Italy 1934,
Italy 1990,
France 1998, and
Germany 2006, the U.S. is left still searching for its first victory in a World Cup held on European soil. The tie against Italy was USA's first point earned in a World Cup on European soil; the
Cristian Zaccardo own goal was also the only goal conceded by Italy until France scored in the
final on a penalty kick.
Recent history
After the tournament, Arena's contract was not renewed. After a five-month search that ended with favorite
Jürgen Klinsmann declining the position,
Chivas USA coach
Bob Bradley was hired on an interim and later fulltime basis. He will also lead the Under-23 squad, which will play in the
2008 Summer Olympics. The
2007 season began with a January training camp under Bradley, followed by a 3-1 win over Denmark
[17], a 2-0 win over archrivals
Mexico, a 3-1 win over
Ecuador, a 0-0 draw with
Guatemala and a 4-1 win over
China.
The team started their 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign on
June 7,
2007, with a 1-0 victory over
Guatemala at the
Home Depot Center in
Carson, California. They defeated
Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 on
June 9,
2007 also at the
Home Depot Center. They then completed group play with a 4-0 win over
El Salvador on
June 12,
2007 at
Gillette Stadium in
Foxborough, Massachusetts and clinched a place in the quarterfinals as winner of Group B.
On
June 16,
2007, with a 2-1 win over
Panama in the quarterfinals, they advanced to face
Canada on
June 21,
2007. USA beat Canada with a score of 2-1.
Landon Donovan scored on a penalty kick while
Frankie Hejduk scored with an assist from
Donovan.
Kasey Keller made his 100th appearance for the U.S. National Team. In the final match, the USA came from behind to beat their eternal rivals
Mexico 2-1 in the tournament's final at
Chicago's Soldier Field
[18]. The match saw
Landon Donovan equal
Eric Wynalda's all time goal tally of 34 goals for the national side before
Benny Feilhaber's 77th minute strike sent the Americans to their fourth CONCACAF Gold Cup victory, thus coming in second with four wins after rival Mexico, who has won seven.
On June 28, 2007, the National Team started their
Copa America 2007 campaign with a 1-4 loss against
Argentina, continued it with a 1-3 setback to
Paraguay on
2 July, and concluded it on
5 July with a 0-1 loss to
Colombia. The decision by the
USSF to field what many considered a second tier team was questioned
[19] as the U.S. National Team finished last in the tournament.
Schedule and recent results
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score1 | Competition | USA scorers | Match Report |
|---|
| January 20, 2007 | The Home Depot Center, Carson | '2' | 3-1 | F | Landon Donovan
Jonathan Bornstein
Kenny Cooper | US Soccer |
| February 7, 2007 | University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale | | 2-0 | F | Jimmy Conrad
Landon Donovan | US Soccer |
| March 25, 2007 | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa | | 3-1 | F | Landon Donovan (3) | US Soccer |
| March 28, 2007 | Pizza Hut Park, Frisco | | 0-0 | F | | US Soccer |
| June 2, 2007 | Spartan Stadium, San Jose | | 4-1 | F | DaMarcus Beasley
Benny Feilhaber
Clint Dempsey
Oguchi Onyewu | US Soccer |
| June 7, 2007 | The Home Depot Center, Carson | | 1-0 | GCF | Clint Dempsey | US Soccer |
| June 9, 2007 | The Home Depot Center, Carson | | 2-0 | GCF | Brian Ching
Eddie Johnson | US Soccer |
| June 12, 2007 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough | | 4-0 | GCF | DaMarcus Beasley (2)
Taylor Twellman
Landon Donovan | US Soccer |
| June 16, 2007 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough | | 2-1 | GCF | Landon Donovan
Carlos Bocanegra | US Soccer |
| June 21, 2007 | Soldier Field, Chicago | | 2-1 | GCF | Frankie Hejduk
Landon Donovan | US Soccer |
| June 24, 2007 | Soldier Field, Chicago | | 2-1 | GCF | Landon Donovan
Benny Feilhaber | US Soccer |
| June 28, 2007 | Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo | | 1-4 | CAF | Eddie Johnson | US Soccer |
| July 2, 2007 | Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas | | 1-3 | CAF | Ricardo Clark | US Soccer |
| July 5, 2007 | Estadio Metropolitano de Fútbol de Lara, Barquisimeto | | 0-1 | CAF | | US Soccer |
| August 22, 2007 | Ullevi, Gothenburg | | 0-1 | F | | US Soccer |
| September 9, 2007 [3] | Soldier Field, Chicago | | TBD | F | | |
| October 14, 2007 | Nou Camp, Barcelona | 3 | TBD | F | | |
| October 17, 2007 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | | TBD | F | | |
| November 17, 2007 [4] | South Africa | | TBD | F | | |
1 - United States score always listed first
;
2 - Denmark and FIFA do not recognize this as a full international. See discussion page for details.
3 - This match is not an official international, as Catalonia is not recognized by FIFA. It is unknown whether this match will count towards American players cap and goal totals.
;Key
★ F =
Friendly
★ GCF =
Gold Cup Finals
★ CAF =
Copa America Finals
Current squad
Friendly v. Brazil
The following players were named to the 19-man squad for the
September 9 friendly v.
Brazil.
[20]
Caps and goals as of August 22 2007, following the international friendly v.
Sweden.
★ Zavagnin replaces injured
Colorado Rapids midfielder
Pablo Mastroeni, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the national team in the last six months, but were not named to the 19-man squad facing
Brazil.
;Goalkeepers
;Defenders
;Midfielders
;Forwards
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|
| Ante Razov | 3/2/1974 | Chivas USA | 25 (6) | v China, June 2, 2007 |
| Kenny Cooper | 10/21/1984 | FC Dallas | 2 (1) | v Guatemala, March 28, 2007 |
| Herculez Gomez | 4/6/1982 | Colorado Rapids | 2 (0) | Copa America 2007 |
| Taylor Twellman | 2/29/1980 | New England Revolution | 28 (6) | Copa America 2007 |
| Charlie Davies | 6/25/1986 | Hammarby IF | 3 (0) | v Sweden, August 22, 2007 |
| Brian Ching | 5/24/1978 | Houston Dynamo | 25 (5) | v Sweden, August 22, 2007 |
| Kamani Hill | 12/28/1985 | VfL Wolfsburg | 2 (0) | v Sweden, August 22, 2007 |
| Sal Zizzo | 4/3/1987 | Hannover 96 | 1 (0) | v Sweden, August 22, 2007 |
Competitive Record
''Main article:
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Cup Results''
The U.S. men's national team has competed at the
FIFA World Cup,
Olympics when that tournament was considered a full international cup, the
Confederations Cup and the North American Football Confederations and CONCACAF regional tournaments. The U.S. has also played by invitation in the
Copa America, as well as several minor cups.
Its best result in the World Cup came in 1930 when the U.S. was a semi-finalist. While the U.S. took the silver and bronze medals at the
1904 Olympics, these teams were not sanctioned by any recognized national organization and are not considered full internationals. However, the 1924 and 1928 games were considered full internationals as the evolving concept of an amateur allowed the entering of full international teams. In the
Confederations Cup, the U.S. finished third in 1992 and 1999.
In regional competitions, the U.S. never finished higher than second until the 1991 Gold Cup. Since then, they have won four titles. In 1995, the U.S. finished fourth at the
Copa América.
Notable former players
''For All Time Player Statistics see:
United States men's national soccer team (player statistics)''
Top 5 Scorers
#
Eric Wynalda (34)
#
Landon Donovan (34)
#
Brian McBride (30)
#
Joe-Max Moore (24)
#
Bruce Murray (21)
Head coaches
See also
★
Soccer in the United States
★
United States women's national soccer team
★
United States Soccer Federation
★
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
★
US National Soccer Team Players Association
★
England v United States (1950)
★
Major League Soccer
★
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (Record)
★
United States U-23 men's national soccer team
★
United States U-20 men's national soccer team
★
USA and Mexico football rivalry
Notes
1. Italy returns to top of soccer's world rankings
2. US U-19's win Milk Cup for first time
3. As the US-Canada match was unofficial, the first official match outside Britain was held in 1901 between Argentina and Uruguay.
4. http://www.rsssf.com/tables/30full.html
5. FIFA: USA - Paraguay match report
6. CNN/Sports Illustrated - Bert Patenaude
7. Planet World Cup - World Cup Trivia
8. The Football Association 20 World Cup Facts
9. American Bert Patenaude credited with first hat trick in FIFA World Cup™ history
10. FIFA World Cup hat-tricks
11. For more details on this issue, see Allaway, Roger, and Colin Jose, ''The myth of British pros on the 1930 U.S. team''.
12. U.S. Soccer Team Hindered
13. http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1994/wc94story.html
14. Sampson destroyed US unity with late changes to lineup
15. FIFA match report, ''accessed on June 16, 2006''
16. Ghana 2-1 USA
17. USA-Denmark B 3-1
18. U.S. defeats Mexico again in Gold Cup final
19. South American soccer federation miffed at U.S.
20. Bradley Names 19-Man Roster to Travel to Face Sweden on Aug. 22 in Goteborg
External links
★
Official Website
★
Archive of U.S. national team results 1885-1979
★
Archive of U.S. national team results 1980-
★
Bert Patenaude's hat-trick, the first ever hat-trick scored in the FIFA World Cup
★
Photo essay on the history of U.S. Soccer, from the perspectivde of a fashionista.
Titles
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
