United States men's national soccer team

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United States
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname Yanks,
The Stars & Stripes,
The Red, White & Blue
Association United States
Soccer Federation
Head coach Flag of United States Bob Bradley
(Interim [1]; December 2006- )
Captain Landon Donovan
Most caps Cobi Jones (164)
Top scorer Eric Wynalda (34)
FIFA code USA
FIFA ranking 30
Highest FIFA ranking 4 (April 2006)
Lowest FIFA ranking 35 (October 1997)
Elo ranking 19
Highest Elo ranking 11 (July & September 2005)
Lowest Elo ranking 85 (October 1968)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
First kit
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Second kit
First international
Unofficial: Flag of United States USA 0 - 1 Canada Flag of Canada
(Newark, NJ, USA; November 28, 1885)
Official: Flag of Sweden Sweden 2 - 3 USA Flag of United States
(Stockholm, Sweden; August 20, 1916)
Biggest win
Flag of United States USA 8 - 1 Cayman Islands Flag of Cayman Islands
(Mission Viejo, CA, USA; November 14, 1993)
Flag of United States USA 7 - 0 El Salvador Flag of El Salvador
(Los Angeles, CA, USA; December 5, 1993)
Flag of United States USA 7 - 0 Barbados Flag of Barbados
(Foxborough, MA, USA; August 20, 2000)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Norway Norway 11 - 0 USA Flag of United States
(Oslo, Norway; 11 August 1948)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1930)
Best result Semi-finals 1930
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1991)
Best result Winners, 1991, 2002, 2005
Confederations Cup
Appearances 3 (First in 1992)
Best result 3rd, 1992 and 1999
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Silver 1904 St Louis Team
Bronze 1904 St Louis 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.

During the past five years the team has consistently been ranked in the top twenty five of the FIFA World Rankings; its highest-ever rank was 4th, first obtained in April 2006. Currently, the United States is ranked 30th in FIFA World Rankings (following a change in the ranking system, which rewards more recent success) and 20th in the World Football Elo Ratings. More members of the national team than ever now have successful careers in European leagues,[2] and the country's youth team is strong, as shown by the under-19s winning the 2005 Milk Cup. The U.S. has had more men reach 100 caps (international appearances) than any other country, with nine to date.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 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.

[edit] 1930: The first World Cup

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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][9]
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.[10][11]

[edit] 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 football 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.[12]

Joe Gaetjens after scoring the winning goal against England.
Joe Gaetjens after scoring the winning goal against England.

[edit] 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 soccer 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 Spain. It would be four decades before the USA would again make a splash on the highest international level.

[edit] 1980s

The 1980s were dark times for U.S. soccer and the national team reflected this. 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. would soon become a global soccer power. In the NASL, young native American players finally had an opportunity to compete against many of the best international players week in and week out. These players, which included Rick Davis, Bob Rigby, Perry Van der Beck and others, then graduated to the senior team.

[edit] National Team as NASL franchise

However, the enthusiasm generated in the 1970s began collapsing in the early 1980s. The NASL which had overexpanded in 1978, began shedding franchises two years later. In 1980, the league began with 24 teams. By the start of the 1983 season, it was down to 11. It also saw its television ratings and attendance figures, which had skyrocketed after Pele joined the Cosmos, plateau then begin to fall. This led ABC to cancel its entire NASL broadcast schedule in 1980, except for the championship game. The rapid decline in the number of teams exacerbated by the loss of television revenue forced league officials to search for some means of attracting a larger fan base. To do this, the league proposed adding the U.S. national team as a 12th team in the 1984 season. This coincided with a desire on the part of USSF to provide a more stable national team program. Over the years, the team typically assembled a day or so before a game. As this only allowed one or two training sessions, the players had no time to develop a feel for each other. Not surprisingly, they frequently lost. After the game, the team would disband until the next game. To make matters worse, the national team typically had only a handful of games a year, sometimes going through an entire year without even playing one. For example, in 1981 the U.S. didn't have a single game. It was little better in 1982 and 1983 when it played only one game each year. USSF was also concerned about the 1984 Olympic games, to be played in Los Angelas and qualification for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The federation wanted to field a competitive national team for both. So when NASL approached USSF about entering the men's national team as an NASL franchise, USSF accepted the offer.

In 1983, the national team, fittingly called Team America, became an NASL franchise. However, like much of the rest of U.S. soccer at the time, this was a failure. Many of the top U.S. players refused to leave their pro clubs to play for Team America at lower pay. Team America also had the effect of destroying, rather than building, national team esprit as top U.S. players on Team America harshly and publicly criticized those who did not join the team. Team America also stumbled badly, finishing the season 10-20 and at the bottom of the league standings. Besides creating rifts in the national team player base, the failure of Team America brought the national team little more than scorn from the average U.S. fan. In their eyes, if the best U.S. players couldn't succeed in a pro league, it was obvious why it couldn't win at the national team level. Recognizing that it had not achieved their objectives, USSF withdrew its support from this experiment and the national team did not play in the NASL again.

[edit] More Disappointment

As the national team bumbled in the NASL, USSF began pinning its hopes on the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1986 FIFA World Cup as means of building a national team fan base. The 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, provided a perfect opportunity to showcase U.S. soccer. 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. The year saw more hard news. USSF had been pushing to host the 1986 World Cup, but FIFA announced they were awarding it to Mexico.

[edit] Failure to qualify for 1986 World Cup

The next year, 1985, brought the national team to one of the lowest points in its history. Despite the failure of Team America in 1983, the collapse of all U.S. outdoor leagues, the 1-1-1 record in the 1984 Olympics and the failure of USSF to bring the 1986 World Cup to the U.S., the national team had a legitimate shot at qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1950. So far that year the U.S. had gone 2-0-1 in qualification games. The U.S. needed only a tie against Costa Rica in the last game. To make things better, the U.S. had trounced this same team 3-0 in the Olympics the year before and had tied them 1-1 five days earlier in Costa Rica. Suddenly things went wrong. USSF, in an inexplicable decision, scheduled the game at El Camino College in Torrance, California. The school sits in an area full of Costa Rican expatriates and had a poorly maintained field. Even worse, USSF allowed the game to be marketed almost exclusively to the Costa Rican community, even providing Costa Rican folk dances as half time entertainment.[1] The U.S. played flat as the fans cheered for Costa Rica. In the 35th minute, U.S. goalkeeper Arnie Mausser weakly punched away a cross which fell to Ticos forward Evaristo Coronado. An easy goal into a wide open net, and the U.S. national team was staying home for yet another World Cup.[2]

[edit] National Team begins to revive

By the end of 1985, the U.S. national team appeared to be dead. From the heights of the late seventies optimism, the team had experienced a series of catastrophic failures. The NASL had folded in 1984. The American Soccer League, the de facto U.S. second division, had collapsed a year earlier. Another league, known as the United Soccer League lasted a season and a half, folding 6 games into its 1985 season. All of this turmoil impacted the national team due to the lack of a top flight outdoor league in which players could hone their skills.[13] With nothing to play for and no outdoor leagues to play in, many top U.S. players began searching for a way to make a living. Some U.S. players began to move overseas, primarily to Europe. These included John Kerr, Paul Caligiuri, Eric Eichmann, Bruce Murray and other national team stalwarts. Others chose to bounce from one failing domestic team to another while several others left professional soccer entirely. Those national team players who chose to play indoor soccer for Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) found their teams frequently refused to release them for national team games. However, from this dismal situation, the national team slowly emerged to rise to regional dominance and global competitiveness.

In order to bring stability to the national team, USSF decided after the 1988 Summer Olympics to offer contracts to national team players. While Team America had failed, the federation decided to revisit the concept, with a twist. In effect, USSF re-created the national team as an independent professional club team, similar to the Team America concept, but at an international level. The national team owned the players' contracts, then loaned these players out to their "club" teams. This put an end to teams refusing to release their players for national team games. Several players who had initially decided to leave soccer for careers which could support themselves and their families, chose instead to sign with USSF and continue playing. What made this successful, where Team America had failed, was the rapid rise in the U.S. talent level. The failures of the early 1980s masked a grass roots phenomena. The NASL had brought soccer into millions of houses in the 1970s. Although the U.S. team did poorly at the 1984 Summer Olympics, millions of U.S. boys watched the games and were inspired. By 1988, a whole new generation of talented players were entering college and becoming available for the national team. By providing them an opportunity to make a living playing soccer at its highest level, USSF gave them a reason to continue playing the game they loved. The national team was now a de-facto professional team, and the players slowly developed the attitudes of esprit common to professional teams. The team that qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and won the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup were forged in these dark days of the 1980s.

[edit] 1990s

[edit] "Shot Heard Round The World" and the 1990 World Cup

By the final qualification game for the 1990 FIFA World Cup only two players remained from the failed 1986 campaign, captain Mike Windischmann and Paul Caligiuri. While the team had made great strides to recover from the 1985 fiasco in Torrance, it appeared the team might yet again fail to make the finals in Italy. To do so, the U.S. needed to win this last game on the road, something it had not done since a victory at Guatemala nearly two years earlier. To make matters worse, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S.'s opponent in the final game, needed only a tie to reach the World Cup for the first time in its history. The Trinidad and Tobago fans knew all this. On November 19, 1989, Nearly 30,000 people crammed into Trinidad’s National Stadium to watch their beloved Soca Warriors send the U.S. team home broken-hearted. Instead, the U.S. stunned the Trinidadians on Paul Caligiuri's improbable 31st minute goal, now known as the "Shot Heard Round the World". Caligiuri, who had seen limited time with the national team in 1989 due to a stress fracture as well as commitments to his German club SV Meppen, was a surprise starter at defensive midfielder. In the 31st minute, he took a pass from Tab Ramos glanced up and saw Trinidad goalkeeper, Michael Maurice off his line. Thirty-five yards from goal, Caligiuri faked with his right foot, put the ball on his left and, as two defenders closed on him, chipped a long swerving shot against the wind which dipped over Maurice, who had the sun in his eyes, and into the right side of the goal.[3] The U.S. pulled back into a defensive formation and fought off repeated efforts by Trinidad to gain a tying goal. But Caligiuri's goal held and the U.S. left Trinidad and Tobago with a 1-0 victory and its first World Cup berth in 40 years.

More than just a berth in the World Cup rode on Caligiuri's goal and the victory it brought. FIFA had just named the U.S. as host of the 1994 World Cup, but it was under significant international criticism for this decision. The criticism rested on two grounds, the failure of the national team to qualify for a World Cup since 1950 and the lack of a top level U.S. professional league. The victory in Trinidad swept away the criticism of the national team, and Major League Soccer was eventually created as a direct product of the 1994 World Cup. The right to host the 1994 World Cup was only one of the pressures on the team. By the end of 1989, national team sponsors were beginning to back away from the team. Since USSF depended on sponsorship money to pay player contracts, loss of that revenue would doom the U.S. team to resume its pre-1988 policy of ad hoc player lineups. When Caligiuri scored his goal, sponsors flocked back to the national team.[4]

Despite the dramatic victory in Trinidad, the U.S., according to predictions, performed poorly at the World Cup. Coach Bob Gansler stocked the team with recent college graduates, snubbing several seasoned professionals, Caligiuri not withstanding. As a result, Gansler left long-time veterans Rick Davis and Hugo Perez off the roster. According to Gansler, he did so because of recent injuries suffered by both players. Regardless of the reason, the U.S. showed its naivety and inexperience in a 5-1 thrashing by Czechoslovakia in its opening game, Caligiuri once again scoring the lone goal. Gansler chose to play an offensive formation, which the more mature and tactically advanced Czech team picked apart. For the game against host Italy, Gansler pulled the U.S. back into a defensive shell, relying on counters for scoring opportunities. Peter Vermes nearly burned the Italians, unleashing a blistering shot which Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga barely parried away. However, the Italians scored once, which was all they needed. In the U.S.’s last game, the team fell 2-1 to Austria, unable to generate much offense even after Austrian Peter Artner was shown red in the 34th minute. The U.S. left the cup with an 0-3 record but high hopes for the future.

[edit] Success at last

In 1991, the U.S. national team built on its successful run to the 1990 World Cup. Putting behind it the disappointment of a 0-3 record in the cup, the team entered 1991 filled with confidence. In March, it won the North America Cup, tying Mexico 2-2 and beating Canada 2-0. Then came a 1-0 victory over Uruaguay in the World Series of Soccer in May. To top the year, the national team went undefeated in the 1991 Gold Cup, beating Mexico 2-0 in the semifinals and Guatemala 0-0 (4-3 PKs) in the final. In 1992, the U.S. continued its run, taking the U.S. Cup title with victories over Ireland and Portugal, followed by a tie with Italy.

[edit] 1994 World Cup hosts

The United States was awarded the 1994 FIFA World Cup, despite soccer being relatively unpopular in the country compared to its more established sports, such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Despite soccer's lowly position in the U.S. sports hierarchy, the U.S.-hosted 1994 tournament still holds the World Cup record for attendance at nearly 70,000 per match[14] and has been considered among the most successful World Cups in history.[15] 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. Eric Wynalda scored a stunning 35-yard free kick to tie the game. 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. went up 2-0 on an Earnie Stewart goal. Despite a late Colombia goal, the U.S. hung on for the biggest win in its history. 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. The tournament was still considered an overwhelming success for U.S. Soccer, both on and off the field.

[edit] Disappointment in France

In the 1998 World Cup, the team lost all three group matches, including a disappointing loss to Iran, and a last-place finish. 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.[16]

[edit] 2000s

[edit] Korea and Japan darkhorse

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. They were one of the major stories in Korea and Japan, surprising the "Golden Generation" of highly favored Portugal 3-2 and tying eventual fourth place finisher South Korea 1-1 to advance from group play.

This set the stage for an exciting Round 2 face-off with familiar continental rivals Mexico. The Americans put together perhaps their best game of the tournament against the Mexicans[17] and emerged victorious in the first World Cup showdown between the two old adversaries, 2-0. This sparked the hopes and imaginations of USA soccer fans for the first time in generations, before the team narrowly 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.

[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup disappointment

Current sport event This article documents a current sports-related event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
Members of the U.S. team train in preparation for the World Cup.
Members of the U.S. team train in preparation for the World Cup.
Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group E

The United States was drawn for Group E in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which, partly because of the highest FIFA rankings of any group (particularly among the top three, meaning at least one would face certain elimination), was frequently called a Group of Death. In addition to the Top 5 FIFA rankings of the Czech Republic (#2) and USA (#5), Italy (#13) earned a Top 8 seed, while Ghana (#48) had conceded only 4 goals in 12 World Cup qualification matches.

The USA opened with a 3-0 loss to Czech Republic.[18] The team then drew 1-1 against Italy helped by an Italian own goal, in a game in which some calls by referee Jorge Larrionda and his assistant referees were controversial. Red cards given to Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope just before and immediately following the halftime break for reckless tackles forced 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, after another controversial decision that resulted in a game-winning penalty kick for the Ghanaian team.[19]

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.

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 basis through May 2007. 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, a 2-0 win over Mexico, a 3-1 win over Ecuador, and a 0-0 draw with Guatemala.

[edit] Schedule and recent results

[edit] Upcoming matches

  • Copa America 2007:
    • Argentina vs. USA - June 28, 2007 - Maracaibo, Venezuela
    • Paraguay vs. USA - July 2, 2007 - Barinas, Venezuela
    • Colombia vs. USA - July 5, 2007 - Barquisimeto, Venezuela
    • Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final - July 7-15, 2007

[edit] Recent results

[edit] Current squad

The following players were named for the friendly match against Guatemala on 28 March 2007.[20]

Caps and goals as of 29 March 2007, including the Guatemala match.

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Club
2 MF Clint Dempsey March 9, 1983 (age 24) 24 6 Flag of England Fulham
4 DF Jonathan Spector March 1, 1986 (age 21) 5 0 Flag of England West Ham
5 MF Benny Feilhaber January 19, 1985 (age 22) 2 0 Flag of Germany Hamburger SV
6 DF Steve Cherundolo February 19, 1979 (age 28) 39 1 Flag of Germany Hannover 96
7 MF DaMarcus Beasley May 24, 1982 (age 24) 62 12 Flag of England Manchester City, on loan from PSV Eindhoven
8 MF Michael Bradley July 31, 1987 (age 19) 4 0 Flag of Netherlands Heerenveen
9 FW Eddie Johnson March 31, 1984 (age 23) 24 9 Flag of United States Kansas City Wizards
10 FW Landon Donovan March 4, 1982 (age 25) 89 30 Flag of United States Los Angeles Galaxy
12 DF Jimmy Conrad February 12, 1977 (age 30) 21 1 Flag of United States Kansas City Wizards
13 DF Wade Barrett June 23, 1976 (age 30) 2 0 Flag of United States Houston Dynamo
14 MF Kyle Beckerman April 21, 1982 (age 24) 1 0 Flag of United States Colorado Rapids
16 MF Brian Carroll July 20, 1981 (age 25) 7 0 Flag of United States D.C. United
17 MF Brian Mullan April 23, 1978 (age 28) 4 0 Flag of United States Houston Dynamo
18 GK Kasey Keller November 29, 1969 (age 37) 97 0 Flag of Germany Borussia Monchengladbach
19 FW Kenny Cooper October 21, 1984 (age 22) 2 1 Flag of United States FC Dallas
21 MF Justin Mapp October 18, 1984 (age 22) 4 0 Flag of United States Chicago Fire
23 DF Jay DeMerit December 4, 1979 (age 27) 1 0 Flag of England Watford
24 GK Brad Guzan September 9, 1984 (age 22) 1 0 Flag of United States Chivas USA
25 DF Frank Simek October 13, 1984 (age 22) 1 0 Flag of England Sheffield Wednesday


[edit] Recent call-ups

The following players have all been called up to the U.S. squad in the past six months. The last call-up time is noted in parentheses. Players who have since retired from international soccer are not included.

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Club
DF Chris Albright January 14, 1979 (age 28) 21 1 Flag of United States Los Angeles Galaxy (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
DF Carlos Bocanegra May 25, 1979 (age 27) 44 6 Flag of England Fulham (friendly vs. Ecuador, 25 March 2007)
DF Jonathan Bornstein November 7, 1984 (age 22) 2 1 Flag of United States Chivas USA (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
DF Bobby Boswell March 15, 1983 (age 24) 2 0 Flag of United States D.C. United (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
GK Joe Cannon January 1, 1975 (age 32) 2 0 Flag of United States Los Angeles Galaxy (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
FW Brian Ching May 24, 1978 (age 28) 21 4 Flag of United States Houston Dynamo (friendly vs. Ecuador, 25 March 2007)
MF Ricardo Clark February 10, 1983 (age 24) 3 0 Flag of United States Houston Dynamo (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
MF Bobby Convey May 27, 1983 (age 23) 43 1 Flag of England Reading (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
MF Joshua Gros June 25, 1982 (age 24) 1 0 Flag of United States D.C. United (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
GK Tim Howard March 6, 1979 (age 28) 17 0 Flag of England Everton (friendly vs. Ecuador, 25 March 2007)
FW Nate Jaqua October 28, 1981 (age 25) 2 0 Flag of United States Los Angeles Galaxy (friendly vs. Denmark, 21 January 2007)
MF Pablo Mastroeni August 26, 1976 (age 30) 52 0 Flag of United States Colorado Rapids (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
DF Bryan Namoff May 28, 1979 (age 27) 1 0 Flag of United States D.C. United (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
DF Oguchi Onyewu May 13, 1982 (age 24) 18 1 Flag of England Newcastle United, on loan from Standard Liège (friendly vs. Ecuador, 25 March 2007)
DF Heath Pearce August 13, 1984 (age 22) 6 0 Flag of Denmark FC Nordsjælland (friendly vs. Denmark, 21 January 2007)
GK Matt Reis March 28, 1975 (age 32) 2 0 Flag of United States New England Revolution (friendly vs. Denmark, 21 January 2007)
FW Chris Rolfe January 17, 1983 (age 24) 6 0 Flag of United States Chicago Fire (friendly vs. Mexico, 7 February 2007)
FW Taylor Twellman February 29, 1980 (age 27) 19 5 Flag of United States New England Revolution (friendly vs. Ecuador, 25 March 2007)


[edit] World Cup record

Year Round Position P W D L GF GA Scorers
1930
Semi-finals
T-3rd
3
2
0
1
7
6
Patenaude (4), McGhee (2), Brown (1)
1934
Round 1
16th (last)
1
0
0
1
1
7
Donelli (1)
1938
Withdrew
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1950
Round 1
10th
3
1
0
2
4
8
Souza (2), Gaetjens/Wallace (1)
1954 to 1986
Did not qualify
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1990
Round 1
23rd
3
0
0
3
2
8
Caligiuri/Murray (1)
1994
Round 2
14th
4
1
1
2
3
4
Wynalda/Stewart/Escobar(OG) (1)
1998
Round 1
32nd (last)
3
0
0
3
1
5
McBride (1)
2002
Quarterfinals
8th
5
2
1
2
7
7
McBride/Donovan (2), O'Brien/Mathis/Jorge Costa(OG)(1)
2006
Round 1
25th
3
0
1
2
2
6
Dempsey/Zaccardo(OG) (1)
Total
Best: Semi-finals
Best: T-3rd
25
6
3
16
27
51
Top Scorer: Patenaude (4)

After failing to appear in nine straight tournaments beginning in 1954, the team has now appeared in five consecutive FIFA World Cup finals since 1990, an active string that is surpassed only by Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain, and South Korea.[21]

[edit] Gold Cup record

[edit] FIFA Confederations Cup record

[edit] Copa América record

Starting from 1993, CONMEBOL has invited teams from other confederations to participate in their confederation championship, Copa América. USA has been invited every time since, but due to MLS scheduling conflicts, has taken part only twice, in 1993 and 1995. USA will take part a third time in 2007.

  • 1993 - Round 1
  • 1995 - Fourth place
  • 1997 to 2004 - Was invited but turned down due to MLS season schedule conflict
  • 2007 - TBD


[edit] Famous past players

For All Time Player Statistics see: United States men's national soccer team (player statistics)

[edit] Top Scorers

  1. Eric Wynalda (34)
  2. Landon Donovan (30)
  3. Brian McBride (30)

[edit] Head coaches

  • Thomas Cahill (1916-1924)
  • George Burford (1924-1925)
  • Nat Agar (1925-1927)
  • George Burford (1927-1928)
  • Robert Millar (1929-1933)
  • David Gould (1933-1934)
  • Bill Lloyd (1934-1937)
  • No Coach from 1938-1946
  • Andrew Brown (1947-1948)
  • Walter Giesler (1948-1949)
  • Bill Jeffrey (1949-1952)
  • John Woods (1952-1953)
  • Erno Schwarz (1953-1955)
  • George Meyer (1957)
  • Jim Reed (1959-1961)
  • John Herberger (1964)
  • George Meyer (1965)
  • Phil Woosnam (1968)

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Bob Bradley named new soccer coach for Team USA. Retrieved on December 9, 2006.
  2. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/world/2004-01-22-howard_x.htm#list
  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. FIFA. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  6. ^ CNN/Sports Illustrated - Bert Patenaude. CNN. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  7. ^ Planet World Cup - World Cup Trivia. PlanetWorldCup.com. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  8. ^ The Football Association 20 World Cup Facts. The FA. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  9. ^ RSSSF - THE FIRST WORLD CUP HAT TRICK. RSSSF. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
  10. ^ American Bert Patenaude credited with first hat trick in FIFA World Cup™ history. FIFA. Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
  11. ^ FIFA World Cup hat-tricks. FIFA. Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
  12. ^ For more details on this issue, see Allaway, Roger, and Colin Jose, The myth of British pros on the 1930 U.S. team.
  13. ^ U.S. Soccer Team Hindered
  14. ^ http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1994/wc94story.html
  15. ^ http://www.ussoccer.com/history/host/fwc94.jsp.html
  16. ^ Sampson destroyed US unity with late changes to lineup. SoccerTimes.com. Retrieved on June 8, 2006.
  17. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/specials/world_cup/2006/06/14/rongen.notebook/index.html
  18. ^ FIFA match report, accessed on June 16, 2006
  19. ^ Ghana 2-1 USA. BBC. Retrieved on June 23, 2006.
  20. ^ U.S. MNT Draws, 0-0, vs. Guatemala in Frisco, Texas. U.S. Soccer Federation (March 28, 2007).
  21. ^ World Cup Qualifying is done by confederation, each of which has a fixed number of spots allotted. This means that weaker teams could make the tournament from one region, while stronger teams from other regions could fail to qualify. A ranking based on this record has thus a meaning only within national teams from the same confederation.

[edit] External links

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Champions: Italy 

Runners-up: France 

Third place: Germany 

Fourth place: Portugal 

Eliminated in Quarter-finals: Argentina | Brazil | England | Ukraine 

Eliminated in Round of 16: Australia | Ecuador | Ghana | Mexico | Netherlands | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland 

Eliminated in Group Stage: Angola | Costa Rica | Côte d'Ivoire | Croatia | Czech Republic | Iran | Japan | Korea Republic | Paraguay | Poland | Saudi Arabia | Serbia & Montenegro | Togo | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | USA