World Cup's 101 Most Memorable Moments: U.S. pull off massive upset vs. England
Editor's note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we'll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with United States' unthinkable win vs. England at the 1950 World Cup.
To say that the United States was a heavy underdog going into its World Cup meeting with England at the 1950 World Cup doesn’t do justice to the mismatch it was. England, competing in the tournament for the first time, was arguably the best team in Brazil and one of the favorites to lift the trophy after trouncing defending champion Italy 4-0 weeks before the competition began.
The members of the U.S. squad, on the other hand, weren’t even full-time professionals. The Americans arrived in Brazil having played just seven international games over the previous 16 years (in part because of World War II), getting outscored 45-2. The Yanks were going to lose. The only question was by how much.
Except they didn’t. In one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, the U.S. stunned the Three Lions 1-0 in Belo Horizonte on Joe Gaetjens’s first half goal. England was eliminated after also dropping its next match, to Spain. Same for the U.S., who were knocked out following a 5-2 defeat to Chile. The Americans wouldn’t qualify for another World Cup for 40 years.
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The semi-pro U.S. men's national team stunned the English giants.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.