US national football team
The United States men's national team played its first international matches against Canada in 1885 and 1886; however, neither match is considered official. It would be another 30 years before the US would finally play an officially recognized international.
In the inaugural World Cup in 1930, the US team advanced to the semifinals, still the all-time best World Cup performance by the men's team. Numerous soccer historians have claimed that the US team at that competition was loaded with "ringers" from British professional leagues. There were six British-born professional soccer players on the US team; however:
- At the time of the 1930 World Cup, the combined British professional experience of those six players was two games, both 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, including the six British-born players, were living in the United States by 1928.
In the 1950 World Cup, the US team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in soccer history, defeating England 1-0. However, the US failed to advance from group play, and would not qualify for another World Cup until 1990.
The USA's best performances at recent World Cups have been a second-round appearance in 1994, when it hosted the event, and a quarterfinal berth in 2002. They were one of the major surprises at the 2002 event, stunning highly fancied Portugal in group play, defeating continental rivals Mexico in the second round, and narrowly losing to eventual runner-up Germany in the quarterfinals.
For about a decade before the 2002 World Cup, the US men's team was largely in the shadow of the country's high-profile women's team. While the US men have not totally escaped the women's shadow, they are now receiving more attention from soccer fans at home. The US men are now a highly competitive side, capable of playing with and occasionally defeating top teams from the rest of the world. In recent years, the US has become known for producing goalkeepers; three US keepers started in the English Premier League in the 2003-04 season.
As of the September 2004 FIFA World Rankings, the USA team is ranked 10th in the world; its highest-ever rank was 7th, in the July 2004 rankings.
World Cup record
- 1930 - Semifinals
- 1934 - Round 1
- 1938 - Did not qualify
- 1950 - Round 1
- 1954-1986 - Did not qualify
- 1990 - Round 1
- 1994 - Round 2
- 1998 - Round 1
- 2002 - Quarterfinals
Selected famous players
