Independence Day: The 8 Greatest Moments in US Soccer History
Soccer? Football? Before all hell breaks loose, let's just agree that we can all call it the beautiful game and enjoy Independence Day 2019!
It may not be the top sport in the United States in terms of viewership, but it's certainly on the rise, in no small part thanks to the sterling efforts of the US Women's National Team.
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Outperforming their male counterparts by some distance, they have reached a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final and are firm favourites to land their fourth title on Sunday. Should Megan Rapinoe and co to defeat the Netherlands in Lyon, it would be just the latest in a long list of notable achievements for the USA in the sport.
Here's a look at seven of the greatest moments in US soccer history, and no, Alex Morgan's tea-sipping celebration on Tuesday night is not included.
The Greatest Shock in World Cup History
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Some would have you believe that the United States only began making waves in football in the late twentieth century. Those people are wrong and need to have a little trip down memory lane.
In 1950, a band of misfits and unknowns dethroned the self-proclaimed 'Kings of Football' as England made their World Cup bow.
Amongst the Three Lions lineup was the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews, the veteran and his teammates going into this group stage clash off the back of 4-0 and 10-0 thrashings of Italy and Portugal respectively in the weeks building up to the tournament.
Miraculously, an opportunistic first-half goal from Joe Gaetjens proved enough for the USA to claim a 1-0 victory, the Americans withstanding enormous pressure to hold on to their slender lead.
Lifting Their First Trophy
1991 was a rather good year for US football as both their men's and women's teams won their first major silverware, the pair each lifting the Gold Cup.
A 2-0 victory over Mexico in the semis took the men's side to the final in Los Angeles, where a buoyant home crowd watched in nervous anticipation as Honduras held them to a 0-0 stalemate.
The resulting penalty shootout was won by the Stars and Stripes as they delivered a first trophy for the country, whilst their female compatriots sunk Norway 2-1 in their Guangzhou showdown just four months later to make it a memorable double.
Hosting the 1994 World Cup
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1994 was a seminal year for the States as they welcomed the world to their shores immediately after MLS had made its debut earlier that season.
In one of the most enjoyable tournaments to date, Roberto Baggio infamously blazed his spot-kick over the bar versus Brazil to hand the Selecao a fourth World Cup trophy.
The Ballon d'Or holder and his Italian teammates had played out a tense 0-0 draw with the South Americans - who dumped the USA out in the last-16 - in sweltering heat at the stunning Rose Bowl in Pasadena, before Baggio's dire penalty condemned the side to an agonising loss.
From this point onward, Yankee interest in soccer continued to grow, with the US audience captivated by the world's favourite sport.
Arrival of David Beckham to MLS
Superstar footballer/celebrity David Beckham signed for LA Galaxy in 2007, the former Manchester United winger's move building on the foundations laid in 1994 and further raising the profile of football in America.
'Golden Balls' was a man known by all, an individual who could single-handedly lure in new viewers. Beckham's arrival breathed new life into MLS, paving the way for the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Gerrard to finish their playing days across the pond.
Landon Donovan Sinks Algeria
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The US have a knack for embarrassing their European cousins at the World Cup. Drawn together in a group that also contained Algeria and Slovenia, the United States and England were both expected to progress, though most assumed it would be the latter who would win the pool.
Fabio Capello's stumbling side failed to beat their main rivals in their opening match of the tournament after that Rob Green mistake, but America still needed to beat the Algerians in their final fixture to make it to the knockouts.
With the game level and time almost up, confusion in the penalty area saw the ball fall at the feet of talismanic forward Landon Donovan, the ex-Everton man sweeping home to send the entire US bench - as well as all those back home - into ecstasy.
Not only did the 1-0 win mean they made it into the last-16, Donovan's score lifted them from third in the group to first, leapfrogging the English!
Kristine Lilly's Triple-Century
23 years, 352 caps, 130 goals and generations of adoring fans earned along the way - Kristine Lilly's marvelous career made her a true footballing icon, both in her native USA and across the globe.
The midfielder began her international career in 1987, claiming two Olympic gold medals and winning two World Cups before she was unsurprisingly inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015, five years after her final appearance for her country on 5 November 2010.
Her immense caps total is nearly double the record held by any male footballer and 41 more than her closest competitor from any gender. Still, she is not the only American to play over 200 matches for the Eagles - 11 others from her homeland have reached that impressive tally.
Emerging from the Group of Death
In South Africa, Bob Bradley's recruits were always likely to qualify for the next round. Four years later in Brazil, however, new coach Jurgen Klinsmann masterminded an odds-defying escape from Group G.
With Portugal, Germany and 2010 quarter-finalists Ghana for company, USA claimed second place to dump out - of all people - Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward was a bystander as his nation snatched an undeserved 2-2 draw against the Americans, but it still wasn't enough.
Jermaine Jones rifled in a jaw-dropping effort from 30 yards in that entertaining match-up, whilst Clint Dempsey and John Brooks struck at the beginning and end of their clash with Ghana to seal a 2-1 triumph, taking their side to four points and the round of 16.
USWNT Win the World Cup for the Third Time
The men have received plenty of mentions for their achievements over the past century, but they aren't a patch on the women, whose efforts far surpass anything their counterparts have done.
In 2015, a Carli Lloyd hat-trick in the final helped the Stars and Stripes to a 5-2 victory over Japan, avenging their defeat in the same fixture four years prior.
That win was the USWNT's third World Cup title, whilst they have also collected four gold medals at Olympic Games. There's no doubt who's the dominant force in female football.
