As American soccer fans look ahead to the sport’s future in the United States, it’s worth revisiting four often overlooked moments — and one famous kick — that helped shape its past.
The last time the US hosted the men’s World Cup, in 1994, many Americans still viewed soccer as a Saturday morning kids’ game rather than the world’s most beloved sport. Thirty-two years later, the game has exploded in popularity, and the USA has become a regular presence at the tournament. Yet few realize that the US World Cup history stretches all the way back to the very first tournament, where the American men achieved their best-ever finish by reaching the semifinals.
The stories of those connected to the early US teams are often grim, but they are also far richer and more deeply rooted than commonly recognized. With US soccer fans now focused on the future, we revisit four overlooked chapters — and one widely celebrated kick — from the USA’s early World Cup days.
1930 and 2006: Grisly injuries and a posthumous hat-trick
Six of the 16-man US squad that traveled to Uruguay for the first World Cup were British, but all played club football in the United States — a sign of the domestic league’s strength at the time. A 3-0 win over Belgium in the opening match (which, along with France vs. Mexico, shared the honor of being the first-ever World Cup game) was followed by a 3-0 win over Paraguay. In that match, Bert Patenaude scored the first World Cup hat-trick — though the disputed second of his three goals was not officially confirmed as scored by the Fall River striker until November 2006, 32 years after his death.
Substitutions weren’t introduced to the World Cup until 1970, so injuries could drastically affect a game, reducing a team to 10 men or fewer. The USA suffered badly in their semifinal against Argentina. Goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas played on with a twisted knee, midfielder Ralph Tracy missed the entire second half after fracturing his right leg, and Andy Auld was temporarily blinded when physio Jack Coll dropped a bottle of chloroform while treating the forward’s split lip. Despite battling gamely, the USA conceded three late goals and lost 6-1.
1934 and 1953: Donelli’s glory and a brutal murder
The USA entered the 1934 tournament late and were fortunate that FIFA allowed them to play a qualifier against Mexico in Italy just before the first round. The US won 4-2 in front of 10,000 spectators in Rome, with all goals scored by Aldo “Buff” Donelli, who later became an NFL coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Rams. Mexico blamed their loss on the 15-day journey to Italy, while the US managed the Atlantic crossing in just nine days. In the first round, the USA lost 7-1 to eventual champions Italy. If the trip hardly seemed worth it for just two games, they were at least better off than poor Mexico, who went straight home after the qualifying defeat.
The US team manager in Italy was Elmer Schroeder, who had also been part of the backroom staff in 1930. In 1932, he was elected as the first US-born president of the United States Football Association (now US Soccer). Although he did not seek re-election in 1934, his…