It may surprise some of the newer fans of the U.S. men’s national team that its history with the World Cup actually stretches back to the very first edition of soccer’s most prestigious tournament.Â
The U.S. was one of 13 teams who participated in the inaugural event in 1930 in Uruguay. A second appearance occurred in 1950, but then a 40-year drought saw the U.S. not return to soccer’s biggest stage until 1990.
Leading these World Cup squads were managers who made their mark on American soccer. From a surprise semifinal run to breaking a decades-long drought, to reaching quarterfinals and building golden generations, the men who have stood on the USA sideline have written the story of a program still chasing its ceiling.Â
Let’s look at the managers who have led the U.S. men’s team at the World Cup:
USA Manager Tenure: 1928-1930
The first coach to lead the U.S. men’s national team to a World Cup was the Scottish-born Millar, who moved to the United States in 1911. He played with some of the earliest created soccer clubs in New York and Philadelphia and even played two matches for the national team in 1928 before retiring as player. But Millar’s greatest contribution to the game was taking over as manager of the U.S. for the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. Two surprise wins in their group stage against Belgium and Paraguay led to a surprise appearance in the semifinals, where the Americans lost to Argentina. It’s still the best finish for the men’s team in history.Â
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USA Manager Tenure: 1950
After the 1930 appearance, the U.S. missed out in the next two editions with the tournament also being on pause during World War II. When the tournament was held in 1950 in Brazil, it was another Scottish-American who was in charge this time. Jeffrey moved to the United States at an early age, growing up in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He became coach of Penn State’s soccer team in 1926, a position that he would hold for 27 years. The U.S. Soccer Federation asked Jeffrey to take over managerial duties for the 1950 World Cup. It was at that tournament in Brazil where the U.S. famously beat England, 1-0, in what was considered one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.Â
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USA Manager Tenure: 1989-1991
Gansler is a Hungarian-born American coach who led the U.S. national team at the 1990 World Cup. This was the team’s first appearance at the tournament since 1950. His defining moment came before the tournament even began. The high point of his tenure was the upset victory in Trinidad on November 19, 1989, that sent the United States into the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. He took a team made up primarily of college and amateur players, as the United States did not have a top division outdoor soccer league at the time as the North American Soccer League folded in 1985. At the club level, Gansler coached both the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer and the Milwaukee Rampage of the A-League to league titles, and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2000.
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USA Manager Tenure: 1991-1995
Velibor “Bora” MilutinoviÄ is famous for coaching five different national teams in five straight FIFA World Cup tournaments â Mexico in 1986, Costa Rica in 1990, the United States in 1994, Nigeria in 1998, and China in 2002 â earning him the nickname “Miracle Worker.” With the USA, MilutinoviÄ coached the U.S. at the 1994 World Cup hosted in the United States, where the team recorded its first World Cup win since 1950 and progressed to the knockout round for the first time since the 1930s. His preparation was equally remarkable. MilutinoviÄ combed through the U.S. college system, extended central contracts to 30 players, and set up residency in Southern California, devising a schedule of 91 friendlies to give his newly assembl
