For U.S., a soccer upset to remember

By Fred Bowen, Washington Post

The United States men's soccer team plays England on Saturday to begin its quest for the 2010 World Cup. England is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and most soccer experts expect it to beat the United States.

The United States played England in the 1950 World Cup. That match, which was played in Brazil, is the most famous game in the history of American soccer and the greatest upset in the World Cup. Here's the story:

Sixty years ago, soccer was not played by many people in the United States. The U.S. World Cup team was not very good. The Americans had been crushed by Italy (9-0), Norway (11-0) and Scotland (4-0) in games leading up to the World Cup.

Most of the American players had other jobs and played soccer on the weekends to have fun and earn some extra money. For example, Joe Gaetjens, the team's top scorer, was an accounting student and a part-time dishwasher. The goaltender, Frank Borghi, was a former minor league baseball player who worked for his family's funeral business.

The English team, on the other hand, was loaded with professional stars from such famous teams as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. England's record in international matches was 23 wins, 4 losses and 3 ties. No one expected England to have any trouble beating the United States.

The English pros dominated the American amateurs in the early going. The English blasted six shots at the American goal in the first 12 minutes, including two that bounced off the goal posts. But none of the shots went in, and the score remained tied, 0-0.

The United States managed only one weak shot on the English goal in the first 25 minutes. The Americans' second shot, however, changed everything. Gaetjens, the American center forward, threw himself headlong at a crossing pass near the English goal. The ball nicked Gaetjens's head and flew into the net.


So the Americans led 1-0, even though England had outshot the United States 14-2 in the first half. England continued to dominate the second half but still couldn't score. Some shots sailed wide of the net. Others were blocked by the American goaltender, including one that Borghi stopped just inches from the goal line.

The United States held on to win, 1-0, and thousands of happy Brazilian fans stormed the pitch and carried Gaetjens and Borghi on their shoulders.

The Americans' magic did not continue. They lost their next game to Chile, 5-2, and were eliminated from the tournament. Uruguay won the 1950 World Cup.

Hardly anyone in America knew about the big upset. There were no television, radio or Internet reports of the game. Although more than 400 reporters from around the world attended the 1950 World Cup, only one was from the United States.

Now the World Cup is big sports news in America, and lots of soccer fans know about the 1950 upset. It's a reminder that anything can happen in a soccer game and in the World Cup.

Fred Bowen is the author of 14 kids' books that combine sports fiction and sports history. The history chapter of his book "Soccer Team Upset" is about the 1950 United States-England match.