United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team, often referred to as the USMNT, represents the United States in international soccer. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The team has appeared in the last seven FIFA World Cups and hosted the 1994 edition.

The men's national team competes in the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup, in addition to the CONCACAF Gold Cup and other competitions by invitation, such as the CONMEBOL Copa America. They achieved their best result when they reached the semi-final at the 1930 World Cup, finishing third; this is also the highest finish of any team outside of the UEFA (European) and CONMEBOL (South American) confederations. After qualifying for the 1934 World Cup, and withdrawing in 1938, the next World Cup participation came at the 1950 tournament, causing an upset by defeating England 1â€"0 in its second group match. After 1950, the U.S. didn't qualify for the World Cup again until 1990.

After the 1990 World Cup, the U.S. qualified automatically as hosts of the 1994 World Cup, eventually losing to Brazil in the round of sixteen. The team has qualified for every World Cup since, including the 2014 World Cup. The national team improved on an international level, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where it lost to Germany 1â€"0. In 2009 it reached the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup, eliminating top-ranked Spain 2â€"0 in the semi-finals before losing to Brazil 3â€"2 in the final.

History

Early years

The first United States national team was constituted in 1885, when it played Canada in the first international match held outside the United Kingdom. Canada defeated the U.S. 1â€"0 in Newark, New Jersey. The United States had its revenge the following year when it beat Canada 1â€"0, also in Newark, although neither match was officially recognized. The U.S. earned both silver and bronze medals in men's soccer at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Olympics through Christian Brothers College and St. Rose Parish, though the tournament has since been unofficiated by FIFA. The United States played its first official international match under the auspices of U.S. Soccer August 20, 1916, against Sweden in Stockholm, where the U.S. won 3â€"2.

The U.S fielded a team in the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, the first ever World Cup. The U.S. began group play by beating Belgium 3â€"0. The U.S. then earned a 3â€"0 victory over Paraguay, with FIFA crediting Bert Patenaude with two of the goals. In November 2006, FIFA announced that it had accepted evidence that Patenaude scored all three goals against Paraguay, and was thus the first person to score a hat trick in a World Cup. In the semifinals, the U.S. lost to Argentina 6â€"1. Using the overall tournament records, FIFA credited the U.S. with a third-place finish ahead of fellow semi-finalist Yugoslavia. The finish remains the U.S. team's best World Cup result, and is the highest finish of any team from outside of South America and Europe.

There was no official soccer tournament in the 1932 Olympic Games. In an informal tournament, the United States finished first, followed by Mexico and Canada. The U.S. qualified for the 1934 World Cup by defeating Mexico 4â€"2. The team played Italy and lost 7â€"1, eliminating them from the tournament. The Olympic soccer tournament was reinstated in the 1936 Olympic Games.

The 1950 World Cup in Brazil was the United States's next World Cup appearance (it withdrew from the tournament in 1938). The USA lost its first match 3â€"1 against Spain, but then won 1â€"0 against England at Independência Stadium in Belo Horizonte. Striker Joe Gaetjens was the goal scorer. The result is considered one of the greatest upsets in the history of the World Cups. Months before the famous World Cup loss to the USA, England had beaten an all-star "rest of Europe" side 6â€"1 in an exhibition match. Sports Illustrated and Soccer Digest have called World Cup upset by the Americans in 1950 the "Miracle on Grass,". In USA's third game of the 1950 tournament, a defeat by Chile by a 5â€"2 margin saw the U.S. eliminated from the tournament. It would be four decades before the United States would make another appearance at the World Cup.

Attempted success

After the creation and rise of the North American Soccer League in the 1960s and 1970s, it seemed as though the U.S. national team would soon become a force in world soccer. Such hopes were not realized, however, and the United States played only two international matches from 1981 to 1983.

To provide a more stable national team program and renew interest in the NASL, U.S. Soccer entered the national team into the NASL for the 1983 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 national team instead of their own clubs. Team America finished the season at the bottom of the league. U.S Soccer cancelled this experiment and withdrew the national team from the NASL. By the end of 1984, the NASL had folded, and there was no senior outdoor soccer league operating in the United States.

U.S. Soccer targeted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1986 World Cup as means of rebuilding the national team and its fan base. The International Olympic Committee declared that teams from outside Europe and South America could field full senior teams, including professionals, that had never played in a World Cup. U.S. Soccer rearranged its Olympic roster, cutting many collegiate players and replacing them with professionals, but the U.S. finished 1â€"1â€"1 and failed to make the second round.

The United States bid to host the 1986 World Cup after Colombia withdrew from contention due to economic concerns, but FIFA selected Mexico to host the tournament. In the last game of CONCACAF qualifying for the 1986 World Cup, the U.S. needed only a draw against Costa Rica to reach the final qualification group against Honduras and Canada. U.S. Soccer scheduled the game to be played in Torrance, California, an area with many Costa Rican expatriates, and marketed the game almost exclusively to the Costa Rican community. Costa Rica won the match 1â€"0, and kept the United States from reaching its fourth World Cup finals.

In 1988, U.S. Soccer attempted to re-implement its national-team-as-club concept, offering contracts to national team players 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, and the success of the NASL during the 1970s 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.

Rise in the U.S.

In 1989, FIFA named the United States as the host 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 diminished somewhat when a 1â€"0 win against Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S.'s first away win in nearly two years, in the last match of the 1989 CONCACAF Championship, earned the United States its first World Cup 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. The U.S. lost all three of its group games to Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Austria.

In a historic match, in 1993 U.S. Cup, U.S. beat England by 2â€"0.

After qualifying automatically as the host of the 1994 World Cup under Bora Milutinović, the U.S. opened its tournament schedule with a 1â€"1 draw against Switzerland in the Pontiac Silverdome in the suburbs of Detroit, 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, the United States won 2â€"1. Escobar was later murdered in his home country, possibly in retaliation for this mistake. Despite a 1â€"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 round of 16, the U.S. lost 1â€"0 to the eventual champion Brazil. Despite this success, the team fired Bora in 1995, reportedly because he was not interested in administrative duties.

In the 1998 World Cup in France, the team lost all three group matches, 2â€"0 to Germany, 2â€"1 to Iran, and 1â€"0 to Yugoslavia, finishing dead last 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. It emerged in February 2010 that Sampson removed Harkes from the team due to Harkes allegedly having an affair with teammate Eric Wynalda's wife.

In the 2002 World Cup under Bruce Arena, the U.S. reached the quarterfinals, its best finish in a World Cup since 1930. The team reached the knockout stage after a 1â€"1â€"1 record in the group stage. It started with a 3â€"2 upset win over Portugal, followed by a 1â€"1 tie with co-host and eventual semi-finalist, South Korea. It then lost its third and final match 1â€"3 to Poland but still qualified for the second round when South Korea defeated Portugal. This set the stage for a Second round face-off with continental rivals Mexico, the first time they met in a World Cup. The U.S. won the game 2â€"0. Brian McBride opened the scoring, and Landon Donovan scored the second goal. That victory advanced the team to the quarterfinals, where it met Germany. The team lost 1â€"0; after being denied a penalty when Torsten Frings handled the ball to prevent a Gregg Berhalter goal.

In the 2006 World Cup, after finishing top of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group E along with the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana. The United States opened its tournament with a 3â€"0 loss to the Czech Republic. The team then drew 1â€"1 against Italy, who went on to win the World Cup. The United States was then knocked out of the tournament when beaten 2â€"1 by Ghana in its final group match, with Clint Dempsey scoring the U.S.'s only goal in the tournament - the goal against Italy had been an own goal by Italian defender Cristian Zaccardo.

Recent success

After failing to maintain his 2002 success at the 2006 World Cup, Bruce Arena's assistant, Bob Bradley, replaced him as coach.

In the 2007 Gold Cup, the U.S. won its group. With a 2â€"1 win over Panama in the quarterfinals, the U.S. defeated Canada 2â€"1 in the semifinals. In the final, the United States beat Mexico 2â€"1, which qualified it for the 2009 Confederations Cup. The team's disappointing Copa América 2007 campaign, fielding a second-tier team, ended after three defeats in the group stage.

The highlight of summer 2009 was the 2009 Confederations Cup. In the semifinals, the U.S. defeated Spain 2â€"0. At the time, Spain was atop the FIFA World Rankings and was on a run of 15 straight wins and 35 games undefeated. With the win, the United States advanced to its first-ever final in a men's FIFA tournament; however, the team lost 3â€"2 to Brazil. The United States then hosted the 2009 Gold Cup. The United States defeated Panama 2â€"1 in the quarterfinals, and defeated Honduras 2â€"0 in the semifinals. In the final, the United States was beaten by Mexico 5â€"0. This defeat broke the U.S. team's 58-match home unbeaten streak against CONCACAF opponents, and was the first home loss to Mexico since 1999.

The U.S. qualified for the Fourth round, or Hexagonal, of the 2010 World Cup qualification. The U.S. began the Fourth round by beating Mexico 2â€"0, a loss that extended Mexico's losing streak against America on U.S. soil to 11 matches. Next, the United States earned a 2â€"2 draw away to El Salvador. Jozy Altidore became the youngest U.S. player to score a hat-trick, in a 3â€"0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Next, the U.S. were defeated by Costa Rica 3â€"1. The United States defeated Honduras 2â€"1. Near the end of the summer of 2009, the United States lost 2â€"1 to Mexico at Estadio Azteca. The United States then defeated El Salvador 2â€"1. Then the U.S. beat Trinidad and Tobago 1â€"0. On October 10, 2009, the United States secured qualification to the 2010 World Cup with a 3â€"2 win over Honduras. Four days later, the U.S. secured first place in the Fourth round with a 2â€"2 draw against Costa Rica.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. team were drawn in Group C against England, Slovenia and Algeria. After drawing against England (1â€"1) and Slovenia (2â€"2), the U.S. defeated Algeria through a Landon Donovan stoppage time goal, the first time the USA had won its group since 1930. In the round of 16, the U.S. was eliminated by Ghana, 2â€"1. On FIFA's ranking of World Cup teams the USA finished in 12th place.

The U.S. team began its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification with a 2â€"0 defeat by Brazil in the New Meadowlands Stadium. In preparation for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the U.S. played three friendlies; a 1â€"1 draw to Argentina, a 1â€"0 loss to Paraguay, and a 4â€"0 loss to Spain.

The United States hosted the 2011 Gold Cup. The U.S. advanced past the group stage with a pair of victories over Guadeloupe and Canada, despite losing to Panama 2â€"1. This was the first defeat for the U.S. in a Gold Cup group stage match, and its first ever loss to Panama. In the quarterfinals, the United States defeated Jamaica 2â€"0. In the semifinals the U.S. avenged their group stage defeat with a 1â€"0 victory over Panama, and advanced to its fourth consecutive Gold Cup final, where the team faced Mexico in a rematch of the 2009 Gold Cup final. The United States was beaten by Mexico 4â€"2, extending Mexico's winning streak against the U.S. to three matches. It was also the second consecutive loss to Mexico on American soil.

Following the loss, Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties as coach and Jürgen Klinsmann became the national team's head coach July 29, 2011.

After their first six matches resulted in only a win and a draw against four losses, the U.S. embarked on a five-game winning streak. On February 29, 2012 the team won 1â€"0 in Italy, the first ever win for the USA over Italy. In 2012, the team began its World Cup qualification, and topped their third round qualification group with four wins, one draw and one defeat.

On June 2, 2013, the U.S. played a friendly against 2nd-ranked Germany in its Centennial celebration match at a sold out RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The U.S. won 4â€"3. This was the USMNT's first win over a top 2 ranked team since the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

On June 7, 2013, the U.S. beat Jamaica 2â€"1, the U.S.'s first-ever qualification victory at Jamaica. On June 11, the U.S. beat Panama 2â€"0 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle in front of almost 41,000 fans, the seventh largest crowd for a World Cup Qualifier on U.S. soil. The game also drew the second largest TV audience on ESPN for a U.S. World Cup Qualifier. On June 18, the U.S. followed with a 1â€"0 victory over Honduras at Rio Tinto Stadium. In July 2013, the U.S. hosted and played in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup where it went undefeated in the group stage and won with a 1â€"0 victory over Panama in the final, a victory which represented a record 11th straight win. A 4â€"3 victory over Bosnia in an international friendly match in Sarajevo represented the 12th straight win for the USMNT, the longest winning streak for any team in the world at that time. The match was also the USMNT's first-ever come-from-behind win in Europe.

The 12 game winning streak ended September 6, 2013, when the U.S. lost to Costa Rica 3â€"1 at Costa Rica. By defeating Mexico four days later, the U.S. clinched a spot in the 2014 World Cup.

For the 2014 World Cup, the U.S. was drawn into Group G, along with Ghana, Germany, and Portugal. The U.S. took revenge on the Ghanaians, winning 2â€"1. They drew their second group game against Portugal 2â€"2. In the final game of the group stage, the U.S. fell to Germany 1â€"0, but moved on to the knockout stage on goal difference. This was the first time that the team made two consecutive trips to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup. In the round of 16, the U.S. lost 2â€"1 to Belgium in extra time, despite goalkeeper Tim Howard making a World Cup record 15 saves during that match.

Team image

Media coverage

ESPN has English-language rights to all friendlies and all home World Cup qualifiers from 2010 to 2014. Matches will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2. beIN Sport USA has English-language rights to all away World Cup qualifiers from 2010 to 2014. Univision has Spanish-language broadcast rights to USA's national team matches from 2010 to 2014. Matches are televised on Univision, UniMás, or Galavision

Uniforms

Since their first unofficial game against Canada, the uniforms have frequently featured white tops with blue shorts. In 1950, the U.S. adopted a Peru style, featuring a diagonal stripe across the shirt. The stripe has been on third kits for 2003, 2004, and 2006, as well as the 2010 home, away and third kits. Adidas provided the uniforms for the United States from 1985 until 1994. Since 1995, Nike has been the uniform supplier.

Rivalries

The teams of Mexico and the United States are widely considered as the two major powers of CONCACAF. Matches between the two nations often attract much media attention, public interest and comment in both countries.

Although the first match was played in 1934, their rivalry was not considered major until the 1980s, when the teams began to frequently compete in CONCACAF cups. On August 15, 2012, the United States defeated Mexico at Estadio Azteca in the first victory for the U.S. against Mexico on Mexican soil in 75 years.

Supporters

The main supporter groups backing the United States men's national soccer team are Sam's Army and The American Outlaws. The two groups are usually put together in a "supporters' section" at U.S. home games. Sam's Army started shortly after the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Sam's Army members wear red to matches, sing or chant throughout the match .They are so dedicated that they often bring huge American flags and other banners to the game.

The American Outlaws was started in Lincoln, Nebraska as a local supporters' group. The group's membership attempted to address a lack of consistency from game to game in supporter organization and social events on match days. To achieve this goal the American Outlaws became a nationwide, non-profit, supporters' group. Some American Outlaws members wear American flag bandanas over their faces.

Home stadium

Due to its immense size, the United States does not have a national stadium, instead playing home matches at numerous venues. Overall, the team has played in 101 venues in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium has hosted more national team matches than any other stadium, hosting 21 times. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, is also a notable stadium, hosting the national team 17 times and hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, and the 1984 Olympic Gold Medal Match, making it the only venue in the world to host all 3 of international soccer's major championship matches.

Coaching staff

Players

For all past and present players who have appeared for the national team, see United States men's national team players.

Current squad

The following 23 players were named to the Group Stage roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Caps and goals are updated as of June 10, 2015 after the match against Germany.

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the United States squad within the last twelve months.

Notes:

• INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
• PRE = Preliminary squad
• RET = Retired from the national team

Results and fixtures

For all past match results of the national team, see single-season articles and the team's results page.

2014

2015

US Soccer Schedule. USA: Fixtures and Results â€" FIFA.com

Player records

Active players are shown in Bold.

Competitive record

For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page.

The United States regularly competes at the FIFA World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The U.S. has also played in the FIFA Confederations Cup, Copa América by invitation, as well as several minor tournaments. The U.S. men's team played in the Summer Olympics when that tournament was considered a full international tournament, but since 1988, the men's Olympic event has been age-restricted, and participation has been by the United States men's national under-23 soccer team.

The best result for the United States in a World Cup came in 1930 when they reached the semifinals. The best results in the modern era include the 2002 World Cup, when the U.S. reached the quarterfinals, and the 2010 World Cup, when the U.S. won its group.

In the Confederations Cup, the United States finished in third place in both 1992 and 1999, and were runner-up in the 2009 Confederations Cup. During the 2009 Confederations Cup the United States appeared in their first ever intercontinental tournament final. In the semifinals, the United States upset top ranked Spain, 2â€"0, to advance to the final. In the final, the United States lost 3â€"2 to Brazil.

In regional competitions, the United States has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup five times, with their most recent title in 2013. Their best ever finish at the Copa América came in a fourth-place finish in 1995.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup

Summer Olympics

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship 1963â€"1989, CONCACAF Gold Cup since 1991.

CONMEBOL Copa América

Honors

Major competitions

• FIFA World Cup

Third place (1): 1930

Quarterfinals (1): 2002

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Runners-up (1): 2009

Third place (2): 1992, 1999

• CONCACAF Championship / CONCACAF Gold Cup

Winners (5): 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013

Runners-up (5): 1989, 1993, 1998, 2009, 2011

Third place (2): 1996, 2003

• Copa América

Fourth place (1): 1995

Minor competitions

• U.S. Cup

Winners (3): 1992, 1995, 2000

• Marlboro Cup

Winners (1): 1989

See also

• Soccer in the United States
• United States women's national soccer team
• Honda Player of the Year
• US National Soccer Team Players Association
• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
• United States national soccer team results

References

Notes

External links

• Official website
• US men's national soccer team Profile, Stats and Analytics at Footballdatabase
• Archive of United States men's national soccer team results 1885â€"1979
• Archive of United States men's national soccer team results 1980â€"
• US National Soccer Team Players Association official website
• Association of Football Statisticians US soccer team website