United States

Nickname(s)	The Red, White, and Blue Yanks Sam's Army
Association	United States Soccer Federation
Confederation	CONCACAF
Head coach	Bob Bradley
Asst coach	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)
Home colors Away colors
First international
Unofficial: USA 0 - 1 Canada  (Newark, NJ, USA; November 28, 1885) Official:  Sweden 2 - 3 USA (Stockholm, Sweden; August 20, 1916)
Biggest win
USA 8 - 0 Barbados  (Carson, CA, USA; June 15, 2008)
Biggest defeat
Norway 11 - 0 USA (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

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.

[edit] History

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] The 1990s: Rebirth for American soccer

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 for, it is believed, 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]

[edit] 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]

[edit] The 2000s: a power in CONCACAF

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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 the fans and media alike.^[14]

The United States has also reached CONCACAF's fourth round of qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, after winning seven of eight matches through the Third Round.

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.

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

[edit] World Cup Qualifying

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

[edit] 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	9–0	Barbados	8–0	1–0
Guatemala	9–1	Saint Lucia	6–0	3–1
Trinidad and Tobago	3–2	Bermuda	1–2	2–0
Antigua and Barbuda	3–8	Cuba	3–4	0–4

[edit] Third Round Group 1

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Third Round

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  United States 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15  Trinidad and Tobago 6 3 2 1 9 6 +3 11  Guatemala 6 1 2 3 6 7 −1 5  Cuba 6 1 0 5 5 18 −13 3

Cuba  – 2 – 1 1 – 3 0 – 1 Guatemala  4 – 1 – 0 – 0 0 – 1 Trinidad and Tobago  3 – 0 1 – 1 – 2 – 1 United States  6 – 1 2 – 0 3 – 0 –

[edit] Fourth Round

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Fourth Round

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  El Salvador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Costa Rica  – Apr 01 Feb 11 Sep 05 Oct 10 Jun 03 El Salvador  Sep 09 – Oct 14 Jun 06 Feb 11 Mar 28 Honduras  Aug 12 Jun 10 – Apr 01 Sep 05 Oct 10 Mexico  Mar 28 Oct 10 Sep 09 – Jun 10 Aug 12 Trinidad and Tobago  Jun 06 Aug 12 Mar 28 Oct 14 – Sep 09 United States  Oct 14 Sep 05 Jun 06 Feb 11 Apr 01 –

[edit] Confederations Cup

Main article: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit] Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Egypt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0