Seeing your national soccer team winning the cup is one of the best feelings you’ll experience. It is how American fans feel whenever the USMNT wins another game. The team has been doing well, defeating very strong opponents throughout the years.
Fans always wait for the opportunity to bet on the USMNT on sites like GGBet during the World Cup. In the past, there were games that not only saw the team become victorious in the World Cup but also changed American soccer forever. Here are the top 5 games that left their mark on the country’s soccer world.
1. USA vs Portugal
If there’s one game that USMNT fans remember, it’s the one against Portugal at the United States’ 2002 World Cup campaign. Supporters who have been following the team for a long time had to wake up in the middle of the night or stay awake to watch the game.
This match was in Group D of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and it took place on June 14, 2002. The viewers cannot forget the result.
This is because the United States beat Portugal with a 3-2 score. The game, which took place in Suwon, South Korea, already favored the United States in the first half. The goals began to fly early on.
The one who started the goal streak was none other than John O’Brien. He scored in the 8th minute. Then, Jorge Costa scored another goal. In the 36th minute, McBride scored the third goal. This would put the U.S. ahead of its opponents, ultimately bringing about its victory.
Moreover, the United States was going pretty strong for the rest of the game, even though they didn’t score another goal. Their win came as a pleasant surprise, and it showed that the USMNT was a strong opponent.
2. First Win at the Inaugural World Cup
When the first-ever World Cup event took place, teams from all across the world were curious about how it would go and, more importantly, which teams would be the best. The event took place from July 13 to 30, 1930, in Uruguay.
13 teams participated in the tournament. At the time, it was difficult for European teams to join due to how hard it was to travel to South America. The teams that joined had an interesting journey and, unfortunately for one of the teams, it would lose against the U.S.
The first two World Cup matches unfolded at the same time. One of them was the United States vs Belgium. The USMNT won with a 3-0 score. During this game, Jimmy Douglas, the U.S. goalkeeper, was the one to post the first clean sheet in this event.
The win over Belgium sent the U.S. to a third-place finish. They kept the amazing performance during the tournament, winning against Paraguay as well. However, they eventually lost in the semifinals.
In the game with Paraguay, the U.S. team’s Bert Patenaude scored a hat-trick. This is how he became the third-best goalscorer of the event.
3. First Group Title at the World Cup in 80 Years
The USMNT didn’t always have a good time at the World Cup. For example, they didn’t get a group title for 80 years. However, this also makes sense because the U.S. team was only competitive in the previous two World Cup events.
Moreover, before 2010, U.S. Soccer didn’t expect the team to win. Instead, the priority was to simply survive and move further.
In 2010, when the U.S. national team went against Algeria, their efforts paid off. They won their first group title in 80 years, which was a huge milestone. The team could finally prove just how good they were. They were also able to go against some of the best teams.
England, which didn’t do too well during the campaign, helped the U.S. as well. Eventually, the U.S. lost in the knockout stage against Ghana, but they still made progress compared to previous appearances, which showed USMNT’s potential.
Some of the key players during this event were Landon Donovan, who scored the winning goal against Algeria, and Clint Dempsey, who scored a goal against England.
4. 1950 World Cup – USA vs England
On June 29, 1950, the United States went against England. At the time, the USMNT was not the biggest force in the soccer field, but this game was one of their best moments. The group didn’t move forward from the group stage. However, the win against England was so spectacular that many fans didn’t even care about this fact.
The match, which took place at Estádio Independência in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, ended with a 1-0 score in favor of the U.S. The only goal of the match was scored by the U.S. team’s center forward Joe Gaetjens. The Haitian-born player scored the goal in the 38th minute of the game.
England was favored before this, but the U.S. seized a surprising win. Meanwhile, England couldn’t score one goal. This is considered one of the best upsets in the history of U.S. soccer and sports in general.
5. U.S. vs Colombia and Switzerland
In 1994, the United States finished third in its group after beating Colombia and ending the match with Switzerland in a draw.
At the time, Bora Milutinovic was the manager. He helped the team become the third-best 3rd-place team. Thanks to their performance, the USMNT reached the knockout stage. Although they didn’t last long in the knockout round, the ranking was spectacular and made fans respect the United States team.
Final Thoughts
There were many great moments for the USMNT at the World Cup. Although they didn’t always win, they were able to succeed in unexpected moments and take over strong opponents. In the future, fans hope to see the United States team take the cup home.