One of the most famous victories in United States soccer history took place during the summer of 1950 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The setting was the World Cup, and the United States was scheduled to take on England during the group stages.
With no existing professional league, the U.S. team was made up of part-time players and included a number of new immigrants. At the time, the city of St. Louis was a hot spot for soccer in the country and a large number of team USA came from the St. Louis area.
England and the United States drawn into group 2 along with Spain and Chile. England won their first match 2-0 over Chile, while the US was easily beaten by Spain 3–1 to Spain.
To say that England were the favorites would be an understatement. They were considered one of the best teams in the world, while the U.S. came into the match with no pedigree.
The American team included high school teacher Walter Bahr, funeral home worker Frank Borghi. Ben McLaughlin was supposed to be a member of the team but was unable to head to the tournament as he couldn’t get time off from work.
The team was so haphazardly put together that it only had time to train together once before heading off for Brazil.
As expected, England dominated possession and shots on goal, but the match remained scoreless until the 37th minute. A Bahr shot from distance was met by the head of Haitian born New Yorker Joe Gaetjens and sent to the back of the England net.
The quality of U.S. play improved as they maintained their lead in the second half. The team’s confidence increased as the minutes ticked away. Against all odds the U.S. kept England off the scoreboard and the Americans walked away with a famous victory.
Somewhat lost in the win is the story of goal scorer Gaetjens. The forward was born in Haiti and came to New York City in 1947 to study accounting at Columbia University. While attending school, Gaetjens played three seasons for Brookhattan of the American Soccer League.
Here’s a shocker. While today’s superstar players earn incredible salaries, Gaetjeans made $25 a game while also attending college and working for the Brookhattan owner's restaurant.
After the World Cup, Gaetjens left New York for France where he played for Division 1 side Racing Club Paris and Division 2 club Olympique Ales.
He later returned to Haiti where he spent the rest of his life.
If you’re interested in learning more about this match, there’s a book and a film entitled, The Game of Their Lives.