United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualification History

Project created by Erik Reiss and Benjamin Gottschalk

Written by Erik Reiss

 

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1930:

The first World Cup ever was held in Uruguay in 1930. The tournament featured thirteen teams divided into one group of three and three groups of four, with the top team in each group qualifying for the semifinals. At this point, United States soccer was very much in its developmental stages, having only been around for seventeen years. Just two years prior, the USMNT embarrassed themselves in the 1928 Olympics, losing 11-2 to Argentina in the first round. Thus, expectations for the first World Cup were minimal at best. However, the United States quickly stunned the soccer community, coming out firing in their first match and defeating Belgium 3-0 (Lisi, 2013). A local Uruguayan newspaper even commented on the game stating “the large score of the American victory has really surprised experts” (Bondy, 2014). With a renewed sense of confidence, the red white and blues continued their unexpected run, pummeling Paraguay 3-0 in their second match. This feat was led by Patenaude who scored all three goals and made his way into the history books with the first hattrick in World Cup history. The United States dominated the group stage and made their way to the semifinals, where they, unfortunately, lost 6-1 to Argentina. However, they ultimately finished in third place, which remains greatest USMNT World Cup achievement to date.

 

 

1934:

The 1934 World Cup in Rome, Italy featured sixteen teams in a single-elimination knock-out style tournament. Coming off an excellent performance in Uruguay, the United States seemed ready to take on whoever was brought to them. However, this was far from reality. In their first match, the United States were defeated by Italy in a 7-1 rout, seeing an early exit from the tournament due to the single-elimination structure.

 

 

1938:

The 1938 World Cup in France featured fifteen teams and retained its single-elimination knock-out structure. The United States, however, was not one of these teams, as they withdrew from this World Cup, making it the first that the Americans missed (Rosenblatt, 2013).

 

1950:

The 1950 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil featured thirteen teams and four groups total. There were two groups of four, one group of three, and one group of two, with the winners of each advancing to a four-team round-robin final group. Since their stunning run in the 1930 World Cup, the United States remained a non-factor on the international stage. They came into the tournament fielding a team of semi-professionals and had minimal expectations. To make matters worse, they were placed in a group with Spain and England – both of which were heavy favorites coming into the tournament. As expected, the United States were beaten 3-1 by Spain in their first match. Their second match was against England, and as 500-1 underdogs, it was projected to be a bloodbath. England held a reputation as the “Kings of Football” and was projected to lift the trophy in Rio that year (The Miracle on Grass, 2010). But, despite all odds, the United States played their hearts out and shocked the world with a 37^th minute goal by Joey Gaetjens. They went on to win the game 1-0, in what was nicknamed “The Miracle on Grass” and widely considered one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history (Lisi, 2013). In fact, this outcome was so astonishing that when the New York Times received a wire-service account of the result, they neglected to immediately report the score because they thought it was a “hoax” (Longman, 2009). Unfortunately, the United States went on to lose their next match to Chile 5-2 and saw an early departure from the tournament in the group stages. Although reverberating through the soccer community, the upset against England did little to impel soccer in the United States demonstrated by the fact that the USMNT did not play a single game the following year and would not qualify for another World Cup for forty years (Lisi, 2013).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ESTvxyqsI

USA shock England in 1950: The miracle on grass

1954-1986:

1954-1986 marked a dreadful time for US soccer, failing to qualify for nine consecutive World Cups.

 

1990:

The 1990 World Cup in Italy marked the United States’ return to global prominence, making their first appearance in the tournament in forty years. The tournament showcased twenty-four teams, divided into six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group along with the top two third-place finishers advancing to a knockout round of sixteen. Although making their way back into global consciousness, the United States did not fare well in the competition. The team, which was mainly composed of college kids, lost all three group stage matches – 5-1 to Czechoslovakia, 1-0 to Italy, and 2-1 to Austria. Thus, any chances of progressing were easily squelched, and they were eliminated in the group stages.

 

1994:

The 1994 World Cup was the first held in the United States, giving the USMNT an automatic bid. The decision to hold the World Cup in America, rather than Brazil and Morocco, saw rampant criticism due to the minute soccer culture in the country, comparing the pronouncement to “holding a major skiing event in an African Country” (Halloran, 2017). The structure of the tournament repeated that of 1990, with twenty-four teams, divided into six groups of four, and the top two teams in each group along with the top two third-place finishers advancing to a knockout round of sixteen. On their home turf, the United States realized its first semblance of a successful campaign. The red white and blues managed to tie Switzerland 1-1 in their first match, and would later face Columbia, who was one of the tournament’s favorites. In a game they were expected to lose, the United States reaped the benefits of an own-goal by Andres Escobar and went on to win 2-1. In their third game, they, unfortunately, could not pull away against Romania and lost the game 1-0, but their previous tie and win proved to be enough to push the United States through to the knockout stages. Alas, they suffered a terrible draw and were paired with Brazil, who went ahead defeating the US 1-0 and eventually winning the World Cup (Halloran, 2017). The USMNT’s showing was unequivocally their best since 1930, and while they failed to win, the tournament was a massive success for United States soccer. US stadia hit an average of 96% occupancy throughout the tournament, and cumulative attendance of 3,586,538 shattered the previous record of one-million. US soccer yielded a $50 million surplus, which funneled into the US Soccer Foundation and subsequently improved training facilities and stadiums, elevating the nation’s infrastructure for generations to come (1994 FIFA World Cup, n.d.).

 

 

1998:

The 1998 World Cup in France was the first look at our modern-day World Cup structure. Like today, there were thirty-two teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of sixteen. United States soccer finally appeared to be trending in the right direction after a strong showing in the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 debut of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Americans were drawn group F with the likes of Germany – who had just won the 1996 Euros, Iran – who made for a politically charged matchup following the Iran Hostage Crisis, and Yugoslavia. Amid inter-team turmoil, marked by Coach Steve Sampson cutting John Harkes for allegedly sleeping with his wife and benching key players such as Tab Ramos and Alexi Lalas, the United States embarrassed themselves, losing all three matches. The 2-0 defeat to Germany was expected, but the losses to Iran and Yugoslavia underscored the deficiencies in the US soccer development. Consequently, this changed the route of US soccer forever as they unveiled “Project 2010” and embarked on completely overhauling the developmental program (Duffy, 2014).

 

2002:

The 2002 World Cup in South Korea unveiled a new generation of United States players, led by Landon Donavan and DaMarcus Beasley, signaling a new age for US soccer. They were placed in a group with Portugal, South Korea, and Poland. South Korea and Poland seemed manageable, but Portugal boasted a golden generation of players, led by Luis Figo and Fernando Cuoto. The United States stunned the Portuguese in a 3-2 defeat, drew South Korea 1-1, and lost to Poland 3-1. Their win and tie proved to be enough to push them through to the round of sixteen, where they were set to play Mexico in a highly coveted intracontinental matchup. On the surface, the Americans were clear underdogs, but they resiliently overcame the unfavorable draw, beating Mexico 2-0 with McBride and Donavan each tallying a goal. Mexican Head coach Javier Aguirre responded to the loss saying, “we usually beat them so to lose was a big deal, especially because it was a World Cup game. To me, the rivalry between Mexico and the USA started from that moment. That’s when it really intensified to what we see today” (Lisi, 2013) However, even with their momentous start, their run ceased in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 loss to a very strong German team. Despite the scorecard, though, many believed that the United States outplayed Germany and deserved a win.

 

 

2006:

The 2006 World Cup in Germany engendered high hopes for the United States, who came into the tournament ranked fifth in the world and were bouncing back from an illustrious quarterfinal run in 2002. Unfortunately, the hype didn’t materialize into results on the pitch. Placed in a group with Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana, the red white and blues failed to steal a win. They took a 3-0 beating in their first game against Czech Republic, managed a 1-1 draw against Italy, and suffered a 2-1 defeat against Ghana. Failing to win a single game, the United States were sent home. Despite the futile effort, though, their draw to Italy impressed some, as the United States were the only team the Italians did not beat on their route to the trophy.

 

2010:

United States entered the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa with a renewed sense of confidence after beating #1 ranked Spain and consequently finishing in second place in the 2009 Confederations Cup a year earlier. In the finals, the US went up 2-0 to Brazil in the first half but ultimately lost 3-2. Although suffering a loss, this marked the first time in history that the team was a serious contender for an international title (Lisi, 2013). Now moving onto the World Cup, they were drawn a favorable group with England, Slovenia, and Algeria. In their first match against England, the USMNT was able to pull out a 1-1 draw against England. Now facing Slovenia, they expected a walk in the park but found themselves climbing an uphill battle after going down 2-0 early in the game. Luckily, the US was able to force another draw and remain in contention to make it out of the group stages. Now, they would face Algeria, which was undoubtedly the groups weakest team. For ninety minutes the United States were visibly the better team, but better play doesn’t always translate into results, and they were unable to tally a single goal in regulation. However, in the first minute of stoppage time, Landon Donovan put away a seven-yard rebound and helped the United States prevail with a flare of late heroics. In what may have been the most notable goal in US soccer history, Donavan placed the USMNT at the top of their group for the first time since 1930 as they prepared to match up with Ghana in the round of sixteen. Unfortunately, their run ended there as Ghana defeated the United States 2-1 in a nail-biter that was sent to overtime.

 

Landon Donovan Game Winning Goal vs Algeria (World Cup 2010) 

2014:

The United States came into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with a great deal of optimism after prevailing in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup just a year prior. However, this optimism was quickly clouded with doubt after being placed in the group of the death with two world-class teams in Germany and Portugal as well as Ghana, who knocked them out of 2010’s World Cup in the round of sixteen and defeated them in 2006’s World Cup in the group stages. Despite the hands they were dealt, the United States were determined survive the rigorous road ahead of them. In their first match against Ghana, the red white and blues wanted a taste of revenge after falling to the Ghanaians in the two previous World Cups, and they came out firing. In the first thirty seconds, US Captain Clint Dempsey received the ball off a throw-in and weaved through Ghana’s defense before nailing one off the post to put the US up 1-0. Ghana eventually tied it up with a goal of their own, but in the 86^th minute, John Brooks deflected a perfectly placed corner kick into the back of the net to win the game 2-1 in a remarkable fashion.

 

The United States proceeded to play a dominant Portugal, led by Ronaldo, in which they went down 1-0 early on in the first half. But, nineteen minutes into the second half, Jermaine Jones was able to equalize off a beautiful half-volley from the edge of the box. Seventeen minutes later, Dempsey snuck behind the defense and chested the ball in from Graham Suzi’s cross to give the United States a late lead. Alas, they could not escape the wrath of Cristiano Ronaldo, who tied the game up 2-2 in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The late goal was a heartbreaker, but the United States were in great position ahead of their match against Germany. The following game remained a deadlock through the first half until a deflection in the 54^th minute found Bastian Schweinsteiger’s feet just outside of the box, to which he curled it into the bottom left corner past Tim Howard. This proved enough to give the German’s the win, but the United States previous results against Ghana and Portugal sufficed to propel them into the round of sixteen against a Belgian team that won all three games in the group stages. The Belgians pressed all game, but for ninety minutes a stalwart Tim Howard would not have any of it. Saving the United States on countless occasions, he finished regulation with fifteen saves and sent the match into overtime. But, not even Tim Howard’s heroics were enough to slow down the Belgians. In just the third minute of extra time, Kevin de Bruyne was set up by Romalu Lukaku and put the Belgians up 1-0. Only twelve minutes later, Lukaku impacted the game yet again and made the score 2-0 in the 105^th minute. However, the US were not done, and in the 107^th minute, nineteen-year-old Julian Green scored a beautiful volley to make the score 2-1. Unfortunately, the USMNT’s effort was not enough, and they were sent home in the round of sixteen.

 

2014 World Cup: Team USA Highlights. Look Back: U.S. ESPN’s greatest moments 

 

How to cite this article: 

“United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualification History,” Written by Erik Reiss (2018). World Cup 2018 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/united-states-mens-national-teams-failure-to-qualify-for-the-2018-fifa-world-cup/united-states-mens-national-teams-world-cup-qualification-history/(accessed on (date)).

 

References:

“1994 FIFA World Cup (USA ’94).” 1994 FIFA World Cup (USA ’94) – U.S. Soccer, U.S. Soccer, www.ussoccer.com/about/history/us-soccer-as-host/1994-fifa-world-cup.

“2014 World Cup: Team USA Highlights. Look Back: U.S. ESPN’s greatest moments.” YouTube, uploaded by DSShakespeare, 13 July 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBBrglaBRUE

Bondy, Filip. “Bondy: Past Success vs. Belgium in World Cup Gives U.S. Hope.” NY Daily News, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 29 June 2014, www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/bondy-success-belgium-world-cup-u-s-hope-article-1.1848537.

Duffy, Ty. “The 1998 World Cup And The Making of Modern American Soccer.” The Big Lead, 20 May 2014, thebiglead.com/2014/05/16/the-1998-world-cup-and-the-making-of-modern-american-soccer/.

Halloran, John D. “World Cups Revisited: The Story of USA 1994.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 12 Apr. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1798046-world-cups-revisited-the-story-of-usa-1994.

“Landon Donovan Game Winning Goal vs Algeria (World Cup 2010.” YouTube, uploaded by 34notredame, 27 November 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7eZmKWW9s4

Lisi, Clemente. “The US National Team at the 1930 World Cup.” US Soccer Players, 28 Jan. 2013, ussoccerplayers.com/2013/01/the-us-national-team-at-the-1930-world-cup.html.

Lisi, Clemente. “Remembering the USA in the 1950 World Cup.” US Soccer Players, 25 Feb. 2013, ussoccerplayers.com/2013/02/remembering-the-usa-in-the-1950-world-cup.html.

Lisi, Clemente. “Remembering the USMNT in the 2002 World Cup.” US Soccer Players, 14 Oct. 2013, ussoccerplayers.com/2013/10/remembering-the-us-in-the-2002-world-cup.html.

Lisi, Clemente. “Remembering the USMNT in the 2010 World Cup.” US Soccer Players, 13 Dec. 2013, https://ussoccerplayers.com/2013/12/remembering-the-us-in-the-2010-world-cup.html

Longman, Jeré. “Brazil 1950: Recounting One of U.S. Soccer’s Finest Days.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Dec. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/sports/soccer/10soccer.html.

Rosenblatt, Ryan. “The United States’ Complete World Cup History.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 1 July 2014, www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/7/1/5861212/usa-belgium-2014-world-cup-history.

“The Miracle on Grass.” ESPN.co.uk, 9 June 2010, en.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/27321.html.

“USA shock England in 1950: The miracle on grass.” YouTube, uploaded by FIFATV, 15 November 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ESTvxyqsI.