9781422278307

At the first-ever World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, the US Men’s National Team lost its semifinal match 6–1 to Argentina at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo

On the international stage, however, the US game continued. As a FIFA affiliate, the United States was invited to participate in the first-ever FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930. The USA was one of 13 teams to accept, and it played surprisingly well, winning both group stage matches to win Group 4 and advance to the semifinals. Once again, the obstacle was Argentina, who dispatched the USA in definitive fashion, 6–1. The USA did finish third, however. Soccer was not contested at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles due to a dispute between FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over amateur rules in the sport, so the next major competition was the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Despite widespread economic hardship at the time, there were 32 countries that applied to participate, so the USA had to win a one match qualifier to be included. After qualifying, the Americans had an unlucky draw, pulling the host Italians in the first round, in which they were soundly beaten 7–1 and eliminated.

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