USMNT 1950 World Cup squad

REMEMBERING THE USA IN THE 1950 WORLD CUP

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 25, 2013) US Soccer Players – Nearly 63 years later, it remains one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. When the USA defeated England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup, it sent shockwaves across the soccer world. To this day, it is considered by many to be one of the biggest – if not the biggest – victories in National Team history.

Twenty years after the United States reached the semifinals of the 1930 World Cup, the National Team found itself in a vulnerable position. Soccer remained the preferred game of immigrants in this country but struggled to find the mainstream acceptance baseball and football enjoyed. On an international level, the United States was a non-factor. After crashing out of the 1934 World Cup in the first round, the United States failed to qualify for the 1938 edition in France.

Following World War II, the USA fielded a team of semi-pros and qualified for the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil by virtue of 1-1 draw and a 5-2 victory over Cuba. Although the Americans would fail to get out of the opening round, it did produce arguably the biggest win in World Cup history. For the players involved, the game seems to return to prominence every few years. Hall of Fame induction for the squad in 1976, the 2005 movie about the game, and the United States once again meeting England at World Cup level in 2010.

“England was considered pretty good (at the time),” noted historian Roger Allaway. “This was the first World Cup it had entered and it had not yet been dethroned as masters of the sport. Going into this World Cup, it probably was co-favorite along with Brazil. Friendlies between major powers were still a big deal in this era, and two years before England had scored a landmark victory when it beat Italy 4-0 in Turin.” Read More