United States men's national soccer team

United States
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Red, White, and Blue
Yanks
Sam's Army
Association United States
Soccer Federation
Confederation CONCACAF
Head coach Flag of the United States Bob Bradley
Asst coach Flag of Poland Peter Nowak
Captain Carlos Bocanegra
Most caps Cobi Jones (164)
Top scorer Landon Donovan (37)
FIFA code USA
FIFA ranking 24
Highest FIFA ranking 4 (April 2006)
Lowest FIFA ranking 35 (October 1997)
Elo ranking 18
Highest Elo ranking 11 (July and September 2005)
Lowest Elo ranking 85 (October 1968)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home colors
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away colors
First international
Unofficial: Flag of the United States USA 0 - 1 Canada 
(Newark, NJ, USA; November 28, 1885)
Official: Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 2 - 3 USA Flag of the United States
(Stockholm, Sweden; August 20, 1916)
Biggest win
Flag of the United States USA 8 - 0 Barbados Flag of Barbados.svg
(Carson, CA, USA; June 15, 2008)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Norway.svg Norway 11 - 0 USA Flag of the United States
(Oslo, Norway; 11 August 1948)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1930)
Best result 3rd, 1930
Gold Cup
Appearances 9 (First in 1991)
Best result Winners, 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007
Confederations Cup
Appearances 4 (First in 1992)
Best result 3rd, 1992, 1999
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
(3 appearances before 1930, first 1896)
Silver 1904 St Louis Team
Bronze 1904 St Louis Team

The United States men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. Though soccer has not traditionally had a high profile in American sporting life, since the 1970s the sport has steadily grown in popularity, and the men's national team has risen to become one of the strongest teams in CONCACAF, ranked 24th in the FIFA World Rankings,[1] and has appeared in the last five FIFA World Cups.

Contents

History

The 19th century: first internationals outside the United Kingdom

In 1885, the United States and Canada played the first unofficial international match held outside the United Kingdom. Canada defeated the U.S. 1-0 in Newark, New Jersey.[2] The United States had their revenge the following year when they beat Canada 1-0, also in Newark. These two matches were the only internationals played outside the U.K. in the 19th century. Thirty years later, the United States played its first official international match under the auspices of the US Football Association against Sweden in Stockholm, where the U.S. won 3-2.

The 1904 Summer Olympic Games: double medallists

The U.S. has earned both silver and bronze medals in men's soccer at the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament only featured three teams: Galt F.C. from Canada, and Christian Brothers' College and St. Rose Parish from the United States. Galt defeated both American teams to win the gold, while Christian Brothers' defeated St. Rose in their third match, after two scoreless draws.

1930: the first World Cup

In the 1930 World Cup, the U.S. won its first match in World Cup history, defeating Belgium 3-0 at the Estadio Gran Parque Central in Montevideo, Uruguay. The match occurred simultaneously with another across town at the Estadio Pocitos where France defeated Mexico.

In the next match, the United States again won 3-0, this time against Paraguay. For many years, FIFA credited Bert Patenaude with the first and third goals, and his team-mate Tom Florie with the second.[3] Other sources described the second goal as having been scored by Patenaude[4][5] or by Paraguayan Ramon Gonzales.[6] . In November 2006, FIFA announced that it had accepted evidence from "various historians and football fans" that Patenaude scored all three goals, and was thus the first person to score a hat-trick in a World Cup finals tournament.[7]

Having reached the semifinals with two wins, the American side lost 6-1 to Argentina. Although no criteria for the judgement has been released, FIFA list the U.S. as finishing in third place, above fellow semifinalists Yugoslavia. This is still the team's highest World Cup finish.

1950 World Cup: upset of England

In the 1950 World Cup, the United States lost its first match 3-1 against Spain, but then won 1-0 against England in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in football history, England having recently beaten the rest of Europe 6-1 in an exhibition match. Defeat to Chile by a 5-2 margin in the third group match saw the U.S. eliminated from the tournament. It would be four decades before the United States would again make another appearance at the World Cup.

1950s-1970s

Despite the United States' relative success in early international tournaments, soccer remained a niche sport in the U.S. for many years. In the three decades after the 1950 World Cup the only victories for the United States came against Haiti, Bermuda, Honduras, Canada, Poland, and China.

The 1980s

After the enthusiasm caused by the creation and rise of the North American Soccer League in the 1970s, it seemed as though the U.S. men's national team would soon become a powerful force in world football. Such hopes were not realized, however, and the United States was 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 NASL, U.S. Soccer entered the national team into the league for the 1984 season as Team America. This team lacked the continuity and regularity of training that conventional clubs enjoy, and many players were unwilling to play for the team instead of their own clubs. Embarrassingly, Team America finished the season at the bottom of the league. Recognizing that it had not achieved its objectives, U.S Soccer cancelled this experiment, and the national team was withdrawn from the NASL.

The 1984 Summer Olympics

U.S. Soccer made the decision to target the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California and the 1986 World Cup as means of rebuilding the national team and its fan base. The International Olympic Committee provided what appeared to be a major boost to the United States' chances of advancing beyond the group stage when it declared that Olympic teams from outside Europe and South America could field full senior teams, including professionals. U.S. Soccer immediately rearranged its Olympic roster, cutting many 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 the 1986 World Cup

The United States did bid to host the 1986 World Cup after Colombia withdrew due to economic concerns. However, Mexico beat out the U.S. and Canada to host the tournament, despite concerns that the tournament would have to be moved again because of a major earthquake that hit Mexico shortly before the tournament.

In the last game of the qualifying tournament, the U.S. needed only a draw against Costa Rica, whom they had beaten 3-0 in the Olympics the year before, in order to reach the final qualification group against Honduras and Canada. Controversially, U.S. Soccer scheduled the game to be played at El Camino College in Torrance, California, an area with many Costa Rican expatriates, and marketed the game 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 kept the United States from reaching a second World Cup finals.[2]

Rebuilding for the 1990 World Cup

By the end of 1985 the NASL had folded, and there was no senior outdoor league operating in the United States.[8] As a result, many top American players, such as John Kerr, Paul Caligiuri, Eric Eichmann, and Bruce Murray moved overseas, primarily to Europe.

In 1988, U.S. Soccer attempted to reimplement its national-team-as-club concept, offering contracts to national team players in order to build an international team with something of a club ethos, while loaning them out to their club teams, saving U.S. Soccer the expense of their salaries. This brought many key veterans back to the team, while the success of the NASL a decade earlier had created an influx of talent from burgeoning grass-roots level clubs and youth programs. Thus U.S. Soccer sought to establish a more stable foundation for participation in the 1990 World Cup than had existed for previous tournaments.

The 1990s: Rebirth for American soccer

The 1990 World Cup

In 1989, FIFA named the United States hosts of the 1994 World Cup, but it did so under significant international criticism because of the perceived weakness of the national team and the lack of a professional outdoor league. This criticism was diminished somewhat when a 1-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago, its first away win in nearly two years, in the last match of the 1989 CONCACAF Championship earned the United States its first World Cup finals appearance in 40 years.

For the 1990 World Cup in Italy, two of the team's more experienced players, Rick Davis and Hugo Perez, were recovering from serious injuries and unavailable for selection, and manager Bob Gansler selected many inexperienced players and recent college graduates. . They were beaten 5-1 by Czechoslovakia in its opening game, Caligiuri scoring the consolation goal. 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. The U.S. were eliminated with a 0-3 record.

CONCACAF success

In March 1991 the United States 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 CONCACAF Gold Cup, beating Mexico 2-0 in the semifinals and Honduras 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in the final. In 1992, the U.S. continued its run of success, taking the U.S. Cup with victories over Ireland and Portugal, followed by a draw with Italy.

Hosting the 1994 World Cup

Having qualified automatically as host, The U.S. opened its tournament schedule with a 1-1 draw 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, then 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, it is believed, for this mistake, the United States 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 since 1930.

In the second round, the U.S. lost 1-0 to eventual champions Brazil.[9]

1998 World Cup: 32nd out of 32

In the 1998 World Cup in France, the team lost all three group matches, 2-0 to Germany, 2-1 to Iran, and 1-0 to Yugoslavia, and so finished in last place in its group, and 32nd in the field of 32. Head coach Steve Sampson received much of the blame for the performance as a result of abruptly cutting team captain John Harkes, whom Sampson had ironically named "Captain for Life" shortly before, as well as several other players who were instrumental to the qualifying effort, from the squad.[10]

The 2000s: a power in CONCACAF

The 2002 World Cup: quarterfinalists

The United States, now led by successful MLS and college coach Bruce Arena, won their second Gold Cup as hosts of the 2002 tournament. Arena used the competition as preparation for his team's campaign in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. The establishment of Major League Soccer had an effect on the development of the national team similar to that of the NASL during the 1980s. Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley emerged as talented, young stars, while experienced veterans like Brian McBride, Cobi Jones, and Claudio Reyna entered the prime of their careers. These players helped form the core of the team that earned the United States' best finish at the World Cup since 1930. In the Group Stage, a 3-2 win over Portugal, a 1-1 draw with co-host and eventual fourth place finisher, South Korea, and a 3-1 defeat to already eliminated Poland were sufficient to reach the knockout rounds. In the Round of 16 the U.S. faced continental rivals Mexico for the first time in a World Cup, defeating them 2-0. In the quarterfinals the United States lost 1-0 to eventual runners-up Germany.

The United States followed up this success by winning its third Gold Cup, and second out of three, in 2005.

The 2006 World Cup: disappointment

After finishing top of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group E along with the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana. Since three of the teams were ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings at the time, it was considered a Group of Death.

The United States opened its tournament with a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic.[11] The team then drew 1-1 against Italy, and was knocked out of the tournament when beaten 2-1 by Ghana in its final group match.[12]

2007 and beyond

After failing to maintain his 2002 success at the 2006 World Cup, Bruce Arena was eventually replaced by his assistant with the national team and Chivas USA manager Bob Bradley, whose reign began with four wins and one draw in friendlies leading up to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, hosted by the United States.

They won all three of their group stage matches, against Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and El Salvador. With a 2-1 win over Panama in the quarterfinals, they advanced to face Canada in the semifinals, in which the U.S. registered a 2-1 win. In the final, the United States came from behind to beat Mexico 2-1.[13]

The team's disappointing Copa América 2007 campaign ended after three defeats in the group stage against Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia. The decision by U.S. Soccer to field what many considered a second tier team was questioned by fans and media alike.[14]

After winning seven of eight matches against Barbados, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba in the Second and Third Rounds of qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the U.S. will compete throughout 2009 in the Fourth Round, or hexagonal, against Honduras, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, and El Salvador. Due to its victory in the 2007 Gold Cup, the United States will also participate in the 2009 Confederations Cup, and has been drawn against Italy, Brazil, and Egypt for the Group Stage. Finally, the U.S. will also compete in the 2009 Gold Cup, and has an automatic berth into the competition along with Canada and Mexico.

One of the hallmarks of Bradley's tenure as national team manager has been his willingness to cap a large number of players, many of whom for the very first time. This practice has been praised by those wanting to see a more diverse player pool for the national team, as well as criticized by those hoping for more consistency and leadership from core players.[15] This has coincided with many young American players like Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Freddy Adu, and Maurice Edu making their first moves to European clubs, meaning that more American players are gaining experience at the highest levels of club and international soccer than at any other time in the team's history.

Schedule and recent results

Matches from the past six months, as well as any future scheduled matches.

Date Venue Opponent Competition Result U.S. goals (Goal #)
June 15, 2008 Flag of the United States The Home Depot Center Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados WCQ R2 8-0 W Dempsey (10,11)
Bradley (2)
Ching (6,7)
Donovan (36)
Johnson (12)
Ferguson (og)
June 22, 2008 Flag of Barbados Kensington Oval Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados WCQ R2 0-1 W Lewis (10)
August 20, 2008 Flag of Guatemala Estadio Mateo Flores Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala WCQ R3 0-1 W Bocanegra (10)
September 6, 2008 Flag of Cuba Estadio Pedro Marrero Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba WCQ R3 0-1 W Dempsey (12)
September 10, 2008 Flag of the United States Toyota Park Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago WCQ R3 3-0 W Bradley (3)
Dempsey (13)
Ching (8)
October 11, 2008 Flag of the United States Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba WCQ R3 6-1 W Beasley (16,17)
Donovan (37)
Ching (9)
Altidore (2)
Onyewu (5)
October 15, 2008 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Hasely Crawford Stadium Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago WCQ R3 2-1 L Davies (1)
November 19, 2008 Flag of the United States Dick's Sporting Goods Park Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala WCQ R3 2-0 W Cooper (2)
Adu (1)
January 24, 2009 Flag of the United States The Home Depot Center Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden F
February 11, 2009 Flag of the United States Salt Lake City, Utah Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico WCQ R4
March 28, 2009 Flag of El Salvador Estadio Cuscatlán Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador WCQ R4
April 1, 2009 Flag of the United States TBD Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago WCQ R4
June 3, 2009 Flag of Costa Rica Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica WCQ R4
June 6, 2009 Flag of the United States TBD Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras WCQ R4
June 15, 2009 Flag of South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium Flag of Italy.svg Italy CC G
June 18, 2009 Flag of South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil CC G
June 21, 2009 Flag of South Africa Royal Bafokeng Stadium Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt CC G
August 12, 2009 Flag of Mexico Estadio Azteca Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico WCQ R4
September 5, 2009 Flag of the United States TBD Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador WCQ R4
September 9, 2009 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Hasely Crawford Stadium Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago WCQ R4
October 10, 2009 Flag of Honduras Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras WCQ R4
October 14, 2009 Flag of the United States TBD Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica WCQ R4

World Cup Qualifying

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Second Round Group 1

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Second Round
Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   Home leg     Away leg  
Group 1
United States Flag of the United States.svg 9–0 Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados 8–0 1–0
Guatemala Flag of Guatemala.svg 9–1 Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia 6–0 3–1
Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg 3–2 Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda 1–2 2–0
Antigua and Barbuda Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg 3–8 Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba 3–4 0–4

Third Round Group 1

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Third Round
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of the United States.svg United States 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 6 3 2 1 9 6 +3 11
Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala 6 1 2 3 6 7 −1 5
Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba 6 1 0 5 5 18 −13 3
  Flag of Cuba Flag of Guatemala Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Flag of the United States
Cuba Flag of Cuba.svg 2 – 1 1 – 3 0 – 1
Guatemala Flag of Guatemala.svg 4 – 1 0 – 0 0 – 1
Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg 3 – 0 1 – 1 2 – 1
United States Flag of the United States.svg 6 – 1 2 – 0 3 – 0

Fourth Round

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Fourth Round
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of the United States.svg United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Flag of Costa Rica Flag of El Salvador Flag of Honduras Flag of Mexico Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Flag of the United States
Costa Rica Flag of Costa Rica.svg Apr 01 Feb 11 Sep 05 Oct 10 Jun 03
El Salvador Flag of El Salvador.svg Sep 09 Oct 14 Jun 06 Feb 11 Mar 28
Honduras Flag of Honduras.svg Aug 12 Jun 10 Apr 01 Sep 05 Oct 10
Mexico Flag of Mexico.svg Mar 28 Oct 10 Sep 09 Jun 10 Aug 12
Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Jun 06 Aug 12 Mar 28 Oct 14 Sep 09
United States Flag of the United States.svg Oct 14 Sep 05 Jun 06 Feb 11 Apr 01

Confederations Cup

Main article: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

Group Stage Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of the United States.svg United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009-06-15
16:00
Brazil Flag of Brazil.svg v Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

2009-06-15
20:30
United States Flag of the United States.svg v Flag of Italy.svg Italy Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-18
16:00
United States Flag of the United States.svg v Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-18
20:30
Egypt Flag of Egypt.svg v Flag of Italy.svg Italy Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

2009-06-21
20:30
Italy Flag of Italy.svg v Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

2009-06-21
20:30
Egypt Flag of Egypt.svg v Flag of the United States.svg United States Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

Current squad

Matchday squad v Guatemala

The following 18-man matchday squad was named for the 2-0 2010 World Cup Qualifying Third Round win against Guatemala on November 19, 2008.[16]

Caps and goals are current as of the completion of the 2-0 2010 World Cup Qualifying Third Round win against Guatemala on November 19, 2008.

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
1 GK Troy Perkins July 20, 1981 (1981-07-20) (age 28) 0 0 Flag of Norway Vålerenga
2 DF Jonathan Bornstein November 7, 1984 (1984-11-07) (age 24) 13 1 Flag of the United States Chivas USA
3 DF Clarence Goodson May 17, 1982 (1982-05-17) (age 27) 2 0 Flag of Norway Start
4 MF Pablo Mastroeni (C) August 26, 1976 (1976-08-26) (age 33) 62 0 Flag of the United States Colorado Rapids
5 MF John Thorrington October 17, 1979 (1979-10-17) (age 30) 3 0 Flag of the United States Chicago Fire
6 DF Drew Moor January 15, 1984 (1984-01-15) (age 25) 5 0 Flag of the United States FC Dallas
7 FW Davy Arnaud June 22, 1980 (1980-06-22) (age 29) 2 0 Flag of the United States Kansas City Wizards
8 FW Conor Casey July 25, 1981 (1981-07-25) (age 28) 9 0 Flag of the United States Colorado Rapids
9 FW Kenny Cooper October 21, 1984 (1984-10-21) (age 25) 3 2 Flag of the United States FC Dallas
10 MF Freddy Adu June 2, 1989 (1989-06-02) (age 20) 12 1 Flag of France Monaco
11 FW Brian Ching May 24, 1978 (1978-05-24) (age 31) 32 9 Flag of the United States Houston Dynamo
12 DF Cory Gibbs January 14, 1980 (1980-01-14) (age 29) 19 0 Flag of the United States Colorado Rapids
13 MF Ricardo Clark February 10, 1983 (1983-02-10) (age 26) 16 1 Flag of the United States Houston Dynamo
14 FW Jozy Altidore November 6, 1989 (1989-11-06) (age 19) 6 2 Flag of Spain Villarreal
15 DF Michael Parkhurst January 24, 1984 (1984-01-24) (age 25) 4 0 Flag of Denmark Nordsjælland
16 MF Sacha Kljestan September 9, 1985 (1985-09-09) (age 24) 12 0 Flag of the United States Chivas USA
17 FW Chris Rolfe January 17, 1983 (1983-01-17) (age 26) 9 0 Flag of the United States Chicago Fire
18 GK Brad Guzan September 9, 1984 (1984-09-09) (age 25) 11 0 Flag of England Aston Villa

Recent call-ups

The following players were named to a matchday squad in the last six months, but were not named to the matchday squad for the 2-0 2010 World Cup Qualifying Third Round win against Guatemala on November 19, 2008.

Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club Most Recent Call-Up
Goalkeepers
Matt Reis March 28, 1975 (1975-03-28) (age 34) 2 0 Flag of the United States New England Revolution v Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados; June 15, 2008
Chris Seitz March 2, 1987 (1987-03-02) (age 22) 0 0 Flag of the United States Real Salt Lake v Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados; June 22, 2008
Tim Howard March 6, 1979 (1979-03-06) (age 30) 35 0 Flag of England Everton v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Defenders
Jay DeMerit December 4, 1979 (1979-12-04) (age 29) 9 0 Flag of England Watford v Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala; August 20, 2008
Carlos Bocanegra May 25, 1979 (1979-05-25) (age 30) 62 10 Flag of France Stade Rennais v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Steve Cherundolo February 19, 1979 (1979-02-19) (age 30) 51 2 Flag of Germany Hannover 96 v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Oguchi Onyewu May 13, 1982 (1982-05-13) (age 27) 38 5 Flag of Belgium Standard de Liège v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Danny Califf March 17, 1980 (1980-03-17) (age 29) 21 1 Flag of Denmark Midtjylland v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Frankie Hejduk August 5, 1974 (1974-08-05) (age 35) 81 6 Flag of the United States Columbus Crew v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Michael Orozco February 7, 1986 (1986-02-07) (age 23) 1 0 Flag of Mexico San Luis v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Heath Pearce August 13, 1984 (1984-08-13) (age 25) 21 0 Flag of Germany Hansa Rostock v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Marvell Wynne May 8, 1986 (1986-05-08) (age 23) 1 0 Flag of Canada Toronto FC v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Midfielders
Eddie Lewis May 17, 1974 (1974-05-17) (age 35) 82 10 Flag of the United States Los Angeles Galaxy v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; September 20, 2008
Michael Bradley July 31, 1987 (1987-07-31) (age 22) 25 3 Flag of Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
DaMarcus Beasley May 24, 1982 (1982-05-24) (age 27) 82 17 Flag of Scotland Rangers v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Brian Carroll July 20, 1981 (1981-07-20) (age 28) 6 0 Flag of the United States Columbus Crew v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Maurice Edu April 18, 1986 (1986-04-18) (age 23) 10 0 Flag of Scotland Rangers v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Danny Szetela June 17, 1987 (1987-06-17) (age 22) 3 0 Flag of Italy Brescia Calcio v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
José Francisco Torres October 29, 1987 (1987-10-29) (age 21) 2 0 Flag of Mexico Pachuca v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008
Forwards
Brek Shea February 20, 1990 (1990-02-20) (age 19) 0 0 Flag of the United States FC Dallas v Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados; June 22, 2008
Eddie Johnson March 31, 1984 (1984-03-31) (age 25) 37 12 Flag of Wales Cardiff City v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; September 20, 2008
Clint Dempsey March 9, 1983 (1983-03-09) (age 26) 46 13 Flag of England Fulham v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Landon Donovan March 4, 1982 (1982-03-04) (age 27) 105 37 Flag of the United States Los Angeles Galaxy v Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba; October 11, 2008
Charlie Davies June 25, 1986 (1986-06-25) (age 23) 4 1 Flag of Sweden Hammarby v Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago; October 15, 2008

Competitive record

Main article: United States men's national soccer team cup results

The United States has competed at the Olympics (when that tournament was considered a full international tournament), the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup, as well as NAFC and CONCACAF regional tournaments. The U.S. has also played in the Copa America by invitation, as well as several minor tournaments.

The best result for the United States in a World Cup came in 1930 when they finished third. The U.S. took the silver and bronze medals at the 1904 Olympics. In the Confederations Cup, the United States has finished third in both the 1992 and 1999 editions.

In regional competitions, the United States had 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.

Famous former players

  • Jeff Agoos
  • Desmond Armstrong
  • Marcelo Balboa
  • Walter Bahr
  • Mike Burns
  • Paul Caligiuri
  • Fernando Clavijo
  • Rick Davis
  • Thomas Dooley
  • John Doyle
  • Brad Friedel
  • Joe Gaetjens
  • Billy Gonsalves
  • John Harkes
  • Chris Henderson
  • Cobi Jones
  • Kasey Keller
  • Jovan Kirovski
  • Alexi Lalas
  • Brian Maisonneuve
  • Arnie Mausser
  • Brian McBride
  • Ruben Mendoza
  • Tony Meola
  • Joe-Max Moore
  • Bruce Murray
  • John O'Brien
  • Bert Patenaude
  • Hugo Perez
  • Eddie Pope
  • Preki
  • Brian Quinn
  • Tab Ramos
  • Claudio Reyna
  • Werner Roth
  • Tony Sanneh
  • Juergen Sommer
  • Mike Sorber
  • Earnie Stewart
  • Peter Vermes
  • Roy Wegerle
  • Eric Wynalda

Centurians and top scorers

Centurians

The following players have won 100 or more caps with the national team:

Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Cobi Jones 164 15 1992-2004
2 Jeff Agoos 134 4 1988-2003
3 Marcelo Balboa 128 13 1988-2000
4 Claudio Reyna 112 8 1994-2006
5 Paul Caligiuri 110 5 1984-1997
6 Eric Wynalda 106 34 1990-2000
7 Landon Donovan 105 37 2000-
8 Kasey Keller 102 0 1990-2007
9 Earnie Stewart 101 17 1990-2004
10 Tony Meola 100 0 1988-2002
Joe-Max Moore 100 24 1992-2002

Top scorers

The following players are the top scorers in national team history:

Rank Player Goals Caps Years
1 Landon Donovan 37 105 2000-
2 Eric Wynalda 34 106 1990-2000
3 Brian McBride 30 95 1993-2006
4 Joe-Max Moore 24 100 1992-2002
5 Bruce Murray 21 86 1985-1993
6 DaMarcus Beasley 17 82 2001-
Earnie Stewart 17 101 1990-2004
8 Cobi Jones 15 164 1992-2004
9 Marcelo Balboa 13 128 1988-2000
Clint Dempsey 13 46 2004-
Hugo Perez 13 73 1984-1994

Head coaches

  • Flag of the United States Thomas Cahill (1916–1924)
  • Flag of the United States George Burford (1924–1925)
  • Flag of England Flag of the United States Nat Agar (1925–1926)
  • Flag of the United StatesGeorge Burford (1928)
  • Flag of Scotland Robert Millar (1929–1933)
  • Flag of Scotland David Gould (1933–1934)
  • Flag of the United States Bill Lloyd (1934–1937)
  • No Coach from 1938–1946
  • Flag of Scotland Andrew Brown (1947–1948)
  • Flag of the United States Walter Giesler (1948–1949)
  • Flag of the United States Bill Jeffrey (1949–1952)
  • Flag of England John Wood (1952–1953)
  • Flag of Hungary Erno Schwarz (1953–1955)
  • Flag of the United States George Meyer (1957)
  • Flag of the United States Jim Reed (1959–1961)
  • Flag of the United States John Herberger (1964)
  • Flag of the United States George Meyer (1965)
  • Flag of Wales Phil Woosnam (1968)
  • Flag of England Gordon Jago (1969)
  • Flag of the United States Bob Kehoe (1971–1972)
  • Flag of Poland Max Wosniak (1973)
  • Flag of the United States Eugene Chyzowych (1973)
  • Flag of England Gordon Bradley (1973)
  • Flag of West Germany Dettmar Cramer (1974)
  • Flag of the United States Al Miller (1975)
  • Flag of West Germany Manny Schellscheidt (1975)
  • Flag of the United States Walter Chyzowych (1976–1980)
  • Flag of Hungary Flag of the United States Bob Gansler (1982)
  • Flag of Greece Alkis Panagoulias (1983–1985)
  • Flag of West Germany Lothar Osiander (1986–1988)
  • Flag of Hungary Flag of the United States Bob Gansler (1989–1991)
  • Flag of the United States John Kowalski (1991)
  • Flag of Serbia Flag of Mexico Bora Milutinović (1991–1995)
  • Flag of the United States Steve Sampson (1995–1998)
  • Flag of the United States Bruce Arena (1998–2006)
  • Flag of the United States Bob Bradley (2006–present)

Honors

International

Third Place (1): 1930
Silver Medal (1): 1904
Bronze Medal (1): 1904
Third Place (2): 1992, 1999

Regional

Winners (4): 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007
Runners-up (3): 1989, 1993, 1998
Third Place (2): 1996, 2003

* - Before the FIFA World Cup began in 1930 the Football Tournament at the Summer Olympics was considered both a full international tournament and the World Championship of Football. Since then it has become a mostly youth international tournament (Currently U-23 plus 3 "overage" players), at least for men. This is why Uruguay, for example, considers its two gold medals from 1924 and 1928 summer Olympic games as tantamount to its two World Cup victories in 1930 and 1950.

See also

Notes

  1. "November 2008 World Rankings".
  2. As the U.S. v Canada match was unofficial, the first official match outside Britain was held in 1901 between Argentina and Uruguay.
  3. "FIFA: USA - Paraguay match report". FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  4. "CNN/Sports Illustrated - Bert Patenaude". CNN. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  5. "Planet World Cup - World Cup Trivia". PlanetWorldCup.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  6. "The Football Association 20 World Cup Facts". The FA. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  7. "FIFA World Cup hat-tricks". FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
  8. U.S. Soccer Team Hindered
  9. ESPNsoccernet - World Cup - 'Winning is the only option'
  10. "Sampson destroyed US unity with late changes to lineup". SoccerTimes.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-08.
  11. FIFA match report, accessed on June 16, 2006
  12. "Ghana 2-1 USA". BBC. Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
  13. "U.S. defeats Mexico again in Gold Cup final". MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  14. "South American soccer federation miffed at U.S.". ESPNsoccernet (2007-07-04). Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  15. Krishnaiyer, Kartik (2008-08-15). "Bob Bradley’s US Squad Stale and Predictable". Major League Soccer Talk.
  16. Bradley Names 20-Player Roster for FIFA World Cup Qualifier Against Guatemala on Nov. 19, http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_11370500.html, retrieved on 2008-11-16 

External links

Preceded by
1989 Costa Rica Flag of Costa Rica.svg
North American Champions
1991 (First title)
Succeeded by
1993 Mexico Flag of Mexico.svg
Preceded by
2000 Canada Flag of Canada.svg
North American Champions
2002 (Second title)
Succeeded by
2003 Mexico Flag of Mexico.svg
Preceded by
2003 Mexico Flag of Mexico.svg
North American Champions
2005 (Third title)
2007 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
Incumbent