USA vs Brazil
The United States men's national soccer team, a founding member of CONCACAF, has achieved a third-place finish in the 1930 World Cup and won 10 CONCACAF continental titles.
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), designated as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international soccer, which is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The team has been an affiliate member of FIFA since 1914 and is a founding member of CONCACAF, which was founded in 1961. Regionally, it is an affiliate member of NAFU in the North American Zone. From 1946 to 1961, it was a member of NAFC, the former governing soccer body in North America and a predecessor confederation of CONCACAF, and also a member of PFC, the former unified confederation of the Americas.
Quick Facts
- Continental divide
- CONCACAF (USA) vs CONMEBOL (Brazil)
- Rivalry character
- Aspirational 'giant vs. challenger' rather than a caustic regional derby
Lore & Background
The United States has qualified for the FIFA World Cup twelve times. It is one of five CONCACAF teams to have advanced to the knockout stage, finishing in third place in 1930, reaching the quarterfinals in 2002, and also reaching the round of 16 in 7 editions, 6 of them since 1994. Their third place finish in Uruguay 1930 is the best result by a CONCACAF team in the competition and is the only non-European or South American team to achieve a World Cup podium finish.
They returned in 1934 and 1950, defeating England 1–0 in the latter, but did not qualify again until 1990. As host in 1994, the U.S. received an automatic berth and lost to Brazil in the round of 16. They qualified for the next five World Cups, a feat shared with only seven other nations. The United States have hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Mexico and Canada as co-hosts.
It has qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup four times, finishing as runners-up in 2009, defeating top ranked European champions Spain 2–0 in the semifinal and losing to Brazil in the final, and also finishing in third place twice.
Reader's Guide
The United States has participated twenty times in CONCACAF's premier continental competition. It is the second most successful team in its confederation, winning 10 CONCACAF continental titles (seven CONCACAF Gold Cup titles and three CONCACAF Nations League titles). It has participated five times in the Copa América; hosting the 2016 and 2024 editions, and finished fourth place twice in 1995 and 2016. In defunct regional competitions, the team finished as runners-up in the NAFC Championship in 1949, and also finished as runners-up in the North American Nations Cup as hosts in 1991.
Did You Know?
- The U.S. earned both silver and bronze medals in the men's tournament at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, though FIFA does not endorse tournaments held before 1908.
- The U.S. played its first official international match on August 20, 1916, defeating Sweden 3–2 at Stockholm Olympic Stadium.
- Bert Patenaude scored the first hat-trick in World Cup history against Paraguay in 1930.
- The U.S. defeated England 1–0 in the 1950 World Cup, a match called 'The Miracle on Grass'.
- The U.S. qualified for the 1990 World Cup after a 40-year absence, with a 1–0 win against Trinidad and Tobago.
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