United States men's national soccer team Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Team colours | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Association | ||
| United States Soccer Federation | ||
| Current coach | ||
| Bruce Arena, 1998- | ||
| Most capped player | ||
| Cobi Jones: 164 | ||
| Highest goalscorer | ||
| Eric Wynalda: 34 | ||
| First International | ||
| Unofficial: USA 0 - 1 Canada (Newark, USA; 28 November 1885) | ||
| Official: Sweden 2 - 3 USA (Stockholm, Sweden; 20 August 1916) | ||
| Largest win | ||
| USA 8 - 1 Cayman Islands (Mission Viejo, USA; 14 November, 1993) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
| USA 0 - 10 England (New York City, USA; 27 May, 1964) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Finals appearances: 7 (First: 1930) Best result: Semi-finals, 1930 | ||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | ||
| Appearances: 7 (First: 1991) Best result: Winners, 1991, 2002 | ||
| Copa America | ||
| Finals appearances: 2 (First: 1993) Best result: 4th place, 1995 |
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.
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 October 2004 FIFA World Rankings, the USA team is ranked 11th in the world; its highest-ever rank was 7th, in the July 2004 rankings.
| Table of contents |
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2 Gold Cup record 3 Copa América record 4 Selected famous players 5 Former Players 6 External links |
This is an Article on United States men's national soccer team. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About United States men's national soccer team World Cup record
Gold Cup record
Copa América record
Selected famous players
Former Players
External links