Joe Gaetjens place in US Soccer history was secured on 29th June 1950. His goal secured the ‘miracle on grass’ as the USA beat England, then the self-proclaimed kings of soccer. On Sunday 11th July 2010, just over sixty years to the day since Gaetjens famous striker, is it possible that another US soccer player could write his name into the history books by scoring the goal that puts the USA on top of the soccer world?
Qualification is never guaranteed but the squad currently head the group table going into the last round of matches. A 3-1 reverse in San Jose put a dent in the US’ hopes but the 4-0 thrashing handed out to their last opponents by their next opponents in August gave Bob Bradley’s boys renewed belief that securing their place for South Africa 2010 is in their own hands.
Some countries have already gained qualification to next years tournament and the list includes many familiar squads but also its fair share of surprises. Brazil carry on their record of never missing a tournament and are also joined by Paraguay from the CONCACAF rounds. Another previous winner, Argentina, is yet to find consistent form and participation is far from a given. The World crown has never left the continents of South America and Europe and the latter will also produce strong challengers. So far, they include1966 winners England, reigning European Champions Spain, and the Netherlands who are former European Champions and widely considered to be the best side never to have won the World Cup.
2002 joint hosts Japan and South Korea have both qualified as have Australia. North Korea will also take part for the first time since 1966 when they caused a major upset by beating the might Italy 1-0. Ghana are the first African representatives to successfully come through qualifying, although South Africa are already there as hosts.
The US MNT currently lie 11th on FIFA’s ranking list, lower than 3 of the above teams and with another 2-3 almost certain to join them in South Africa as a minimum. Yet form going into a World Cup is in no way a guide to the identity of the hands who will ultimately lift the trophy.
The US national team took part in the initial competitions in the 30s before appearing in the Brazilian World Cup of 1950. However, without a successful professional domestic league, coupled with soccer being somewhat of a minority sport overshadowed by the giants of the NFL, NBA and NHL, participation in what the majority of the world considers the biggest sporting event next to the Olympic Games has been far from the central consciousness of the general population. That changed in 1990 when qualification for the finals, on the back of FIFA awarding the 1994 tournament to the US in return for a promise to establish what is now the MLS, when despite losing all three group games the US raised their head above the parapet in the soccer world. Expectations for the success of the national side have been risen further after 3 subsequent qualifications for the tournaments in France, Korea/Japan and the 2006 World Cup in Germany. USA went as far as the 1/4 finals back in France ‘98 where they lose 1-0 to Germany amidst controversy.
The current batch of players to enter the national team come from leagues and competitions home and overseas. Record breaking Landon Donovan may play in the MLS for LA Galaxy alongside David Beckham but many of his international team mates ply their trade abroad.
Amongst the higher profile stars are DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson (both Fulham FC, England), Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennais, France), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Oguchi Onyewu (Milan, Italy) and former Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard who currently plays between the uprights for Everton FC also on the English Premier League. However, the list of US internationals on the rosters of foreign clubs continues to grow with representatives of the national squad also in Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Mexico to name but a further four.
With the tournament itself scheduled to take place during the South African winter, the players from North American but with European experience should find the climate to their liking. 1994 (USA) and 2002 (Japan/South Korea) apart, the tendency in more recent tournaments has been for teams from the host continent to win. The Brazil side have always been the anomaly to this trend after wins in 1994 and 2002 but the 2010 World Cup in South Africa raises the interesting question of who will be able to acclimatise best to the climate and enjoy success?
The women’s equivalent of the US national team have experienced success in the Olympics and World Cup tournaments in recent history. As the MLS increases the popularity of the game known to the rest of the globe as ‘football’, the ability of the men to step up to the plate and produce their own piece of history will only grow as more and more players register opening up soccer as a game to those athletes who would previously have been lost to track and field, basketball, baseball, hockey, football….the list goes on.
England’s national game for over a century has produced a single set of World Champions. Meanwhile an impoverished Brazil have picked up 5 separate triumphs and achieved a great reputation amongst neutral supporters worldwide. The combination of available population, facilities, ability to attract the best in the world to both play and train is present in very few nations – the US is one of those. And if all these factors come to fruition sometime, a new order may well have started in World Cup soccer.
