1950 World Cup USA 1-0 England

Lore & Background

England were heavy favorites against a hastily assembled U.S. team composed of part-time players. The U.S. team had lost their last seven international matches by a combined score of 45–2. England had a post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. The odds were 3–1 that England would win the Cup, and 500–1 for the U.S. The game and the U.S. team were profiled by author Geoffrey Douglas in his book The Game of Their Lives, which was made into a film of the same name (later renamed The Miracle Match).

Reader's Guide

The match was England's World Cup debut. Both teams were in Group 2 along with Spain and Chile. England had beaten Chile 2–0, and the U.S. had lost 3–1 to Spain before this match. England had Stanley Matthews available but he did not play; the selection committee opted to stay with the team that had defeated Chile. No substitutes were allowed. The U.S. team consisted of semi-professional players, most with other jobs. The crowd initially numbered 10,000, with 3,000 tickets distributed to associates of the then-owners of the stadium. Brazilian locals mostly supported the underdog Americans.

Did You Know?

• The U.S. team had trained together only once before leaving for Brazil.
• England's Stanley Matthews watched the game with the reserves because the selection committee chose to save him for later opponents.