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1620
American folklore asserts that Pilgrim Fathers, upon settling at
Plymouth Rock found American Indians along the Massachusetts
coast playing a form of soccer. The Indians called it “Pasuckquakkohowog,” which means “they gather to
play football.”
1820
Many
American colleges played soccer, but there was no intercollegiate
competition. Rules were casual and changed often.
1862
The
Oneidas of Boston, the first organized soccer club in
America, was formed by
Gerritt Miller Smith. The Oneidas were
undefeated from 1862-65. A monument now stands in Boston Common,
where the Oneidas played their home matches.
1865-1876
Soccer was initiated as an organized college sport in the
USA in the years
following the Civil War. Princeton and Rutgers Universities engaged in the first
intercollegiate soccer match Nov. 6, 1876, in New Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers
won the match 6-4. The game was more similar to both rugby and
soccer than gridiron football.
1876-1880
Thousands of British immigrants arrived in the metropolitan
areas of the East, Midwest and Pacific Coast. Communities with
textile mills, shipyards, quarries or mines also had soccer teams
among its immigrant population, a pattern occurring all over the
world during the time of the Industrial Revolution.
1884
The
American Football Association was organized in Newark, N.J.,
uniting the numerous metropolitan area enclaves of the East to
maintain uniformity in the interpretation of rules and provide an
orderly and stable growth of soccer in America.
1885-1886
The
U.S. and
Canada played a
game a year against each other, representing the first
“international” soccer games to take place outside the British Isles.
1904
The
Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA) was formed in Paris on May 21. Charter members
included: France,
Belgium,
Denmark,
Netherlands,
Spain,
Sweden and
Switzerland. The
International Board, the authority over the rules and their
interpretation continued under the jurisdiction of
England,
Scotland,
Ireland and
Wales, even though they
were not affiliated with FIFA. The Olympic Games of 1904 in
St.
Louis included soccer as an official Olympic
sport where club teams competed under the national team banner. FIFA
did not become active in Olympic soccer until 1908.
1913
FIFA
became a member of the International Board, increasing their
influence on the interpretation of rules. The U.S. Football
Association (USFA) was granted provisional membership by FIFA on
Aug. 15.
1914
The
USFA was incorporated under the laws of the state of New York, May 30, and was granted full
membership in FIFA at the annual congress at Oslo, Norway, June 24.
1916
The
USFA All-American Team traveled to Norway and Sweden and became the first American
team to play in Europe. The team
played six matches on this tour, finishing 3-1-2.
1919
Bethlehem (Pa.) Steel became the first American
professional team to play in Europe when they toured
Sweden.
1921
The
original American Professional Soccer League (APSL) began.
Franchises were granted to Fall River, Mass.; Philadelphia; Jersey
City Celtics, N.J.; Todd Shipyard of Brooklyn, N.Y.; New York FC;
Falco FC of Holyoke, Mass.; and JP Coats
of Pawtucket, R.I.
1923
The
world’s first indoor soccer league with 11-a-side teams on a
full-sized field opened the winter season at the Commonwealth
Calvary Armory in Boston.
1930
The
USA was one of 13
nations to compete in the first FIFA World Cup competition in
Montevideo,
Uruguay. Bert Patenaude (Fall River, Mass.) was the third-leading
scorer in the tournament and was the first player to tally three
goals in World Cup play.
1932
At
the 10th Olympiad in Los Angeles,
soccer was eliminated due to a controversy between FIFA and the IOC
over the definition of an amateur and the reluctance of most of the
strong soccer countries to travel to California because of the expense
involved.
1933
The
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), governing body of
college athletics in the United
States, released their official rulebook
covering all intercollegiate soccer in the United
States.
1938
West
Chester State College and Salisbury College played in the first
intercollegiate soccer game under floodlights.
1941
The
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) was organized
by 10 coaches attending the annual meeting of the Intercollegiate
Soccer Football Association of America in New York.
1945
The
USFA changed its name to the U.S. Soccer Football Association
(USSFA).
1950 
Joe
Gaetjens’ goal lifts the
USA over
England 1-0 at
the World Cup in Brazil. It was called the
biggest upset ever in international soccer. The first college
bowl game was played in St.
Louis Jan. 1. Penn State University tied the University of
San Francisco
2-2. The National Soccer Hall of Fame was organized by the
Philadelphia Old-timers Association. There were 15 inaugural
inductees.
1953 
In an
agreement with the Old-timers Soccer Association, the USSFA assumed
administration of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
1958
The
American Soccer League (ASL) was granted permission from the USSFA
to create an International Soccer League (ISL), made up of top-class
European, South American and U.S. professional league teams that
would operate in the cities throughout the United
States.
1959
The
first NCAA championship tournament was held in Storrs, Conn. St. Louis defeated Bridgeport
University
5-2. The first National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics college championship was held in Slippery Rock, Pa.. Pratt Institute was victorious over Elizabethtown
College 4-3.
1960
The
International Soccer League began play under the sponsorship of
William Cox and the ASL. For more than a decade foreign teams
visited the USA to play American
teams. The new league, composed of first class European, British and
South American teams, was an attempt to test the support of American
soccer fans for a top-flight league.
1961
The
Confederation of North, Central
America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF),
the governing body of soccer in this part of the world, was
recognized by FIFA.
1967
Two
new major professional leagues made their debut in the
USA, the USSFA-sanctioned
United Soccer Association (USA) and the independent National
Professional Soccer League (NPSL). By the end of the year, the
leagues merged at the request of FIFA and the North American Soccer
League (NASL) was established.
1971
Pele retired from international
competition after Brazil tied Yugoslavia 2-2 before
150,000 at Rio de Janiero’s Maracana Stadium.
1973
Kyle
Rote, Jr., became the first rookie and first American to win the
NASL scoring title with 10 goals and 10 assists for 30 points.
1974
The
USSFA changed its name to the United States Soccer Federation
(USSF). Kyle Rote, Jr. won the first of his three victories in
ABC-TV Superstars competitions against elite athletes from other
major sports. The NASL reached a membership of 18 teams.
1975
In
April, the New York Cosmos signed Pele for
$4.5 million.
1977
The
NASL signed a seven-game contract for national television. On
October 1, Pele participated for both
sides in his farewell game at Giants Stadium between the Cosmos and
Santos, his old team from
Brazil, in front of a
crowd of 77,202.
1978
The
Chicago Sting played the Cuban National Team in an exhibition in
Havana, the first time since 1959
an American professional sports team had visited Castro’s
island. The New York Cosmos became the first NASL team to
break one million in home and away attendance.
In
September, the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) debuted with six
franchises: Cincinnati Kids, Cleveland Force, Houston Summit, New
York Arrows, Philadelphia Fever and Pittsburgh Spirit.
1981
The
U.S. Under-20 National Team competed in its first World Youth
Championship in Australia. The
U.S. team lost to
Uruguay 3-0, tied
Qatar 1-1, and
lost to Poland 4-0.
1982
The
United
States made a formal bid to host
the 1986 World Cup. The MISL season opened with 14 teams,
including three teams participating for a season from the NASL
(San Jose, Chicago and San Diego).
1983
FIFA
awarded the 1986 World Cup to Mexico, rejecting the
U.S. bid.
1984
The
United Soccer League (USL) was formed. The ASL canceled what
would have been its 50th season. Four NASL teams permanently
joined the MISL (New York, Chicago,
San Diego and Minnesota). The American
Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) was formed.
1985
The
NASL and USL ceased operations.
1986
The
Western Soccer Alliance (WSA) kicked off with seven teams. At
the UNICEF All-Star game in Pasadena,
Calif., FIFA officials suggested
the USA should bid for the
‘94 World Cup.
1988
The
ASL began play with 10 teams. On July 4, the
United States was
awarded the 1994 World Cup during the FIFA Congress in Zurich.
1989
Paul Caligiuri scored the
biggest goal in U.S. Soccer history since Gaetjens’ 1950 World Cup goal against
England. Referred to as
the “shot heard around the world,” Caligiuri’s 35-yard dipping shot found the net
in a 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago Nov. 19 in front of
35,000 red-clad Trinidadians, clinching the USA’s first
appearance in the World Cup since 1950.
The
U.S. Indoor
Five-A-Side (Futsal) Team won the bronze
medal at the inaugural FIFA World Championship in the
Netherlands.
1990
The
U.S. competed in the
World Cup for the first time in 40 years. The WSL and the ASL
merged to form the American Professional Soccer League (APSL).
1991 
The
U.S. Women’s National Team captured the first-ever FIFA Women’s
World Championship in China with a 2-1 win over
Norway Nov. 30. The
women qualified for the world championship by defeating its five
CONCACAF opponents by a combined score of 49-0. The U.S.
National Team won its first-ever regional championship July 7 when
it captured the CONCACAF Gold Cup by defeating Honduras 4-3 in penalty
kicks. The U.S. U-23 team won the gold medal at the Pan Am
Games in Cuba.
1992
The
U.S. National Team won the inaugural U.S. Cup ‘92 in June, defeating
Ireland 3-1 and
Portugal 1-0, and
tying three-time World Cup champion Italy 1-1. The U.S.
Indoor (Five-a-Side) Team won the silver medal at the 2nd FIFA
Indoor Five-a-Side World Championship in Hong
Kong. The M(I)SL folded
after 15 years in existence.
1993
In
February, U.S. Soccer held the first-ever Strategic Summit where more than 250 soccer leaders and
personalities met in Chicago for four days to plan the
development of soccer into the 21st Century. U.S. Cup ‘93 was
used as a dress rehearsal for World Cup organizers, officials and
volunteers, as well as the U.S. National Team. The
USA’s 2-0 defeat
of England made headlines
around the world. Attendance and media interest were high, with
286,761 people attending the tournament’s six games, and ABC-TV
broadcasting the June 13 U.S.-Germany match.
The U.S.
Under-20 National Team defeated Europe’s number one seed,
Turkey, 6-0 in
the first game of the World Youth Championship in
Australia. FIFA officials
called the trouncing one of the most extraordinary results in the
history of the tournament. The U-20s finished eighth in the world.
The NPSL
was granted status in the professional indoor division by U.S.
Soccer. The APSL was declared a Division II professional league. The
United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was given Division
III status. Plans for Major League Soccer — a Division I
league to follow the legacy of World Cup ‘94 — were presented by
U.S. Soccer President Alan Rothenberg.
1994 
U.S.
Soccer served as host national association for the 1994 FIFA World
Cup and, in conjunction with World Cup USA
1994, Inc., staged the greatest event in FIFA history. More than 3.5
million fans flocked to U.S. stadia —
breaking by more than one million the attendance record established
in Italy in 1990 — and soccer fever in the U.S. was at an all-time
high. The U.S.
team advanced beyond the first round for the first time in 64 years,
falling to eventual champion Brazil 1-0 in a July 4 round of 16
showdown at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. On June 4, 91,123
fans jammed the Rose Bowl to watch the U.S. defeat Mexico, 1-0, in its final
tune-up prior to the World Cup. Game proceeds netted $1 million in a U.S. Soccer
contribution to UNICEF/Children’s Defense Fund.
The
Women’s National Team won the Chiquita Cup, a four-team
international tournament in which the U.S. hosted Germany, China and Norway. The
U.S. went on to
successfully defend its CONCACAF championship, qualifying for the
1995 FIFA Women’s World Championship by outscoring the opposition
36-1 en route to winning all four qualification matches. Head coach
Anson Dorrance announced his resignation
and U.S. Soccer named assistant coach Tony DiCicco to succeed him.
1995
U.S.
Soccer announced in February its intention to host the 1999 Women’s
World Cup and began the formal bid process with FIFA. The
men’s national team won U.S. Cup ‘95 in June, defeating
Nigeria and
Mexico and tying
Colombia. The 4-0 victory
over Mexico
during U.S. Cup ‘95 was the most lopsided U.S.
victory in the rivalry’s 61-year history. Later that month,
the women’s team placed third in the Women’s World Cup in
Sweden, falling
to eventual champion Norway in the semifinals 1-0, then defeating China.
In July,
the men’s team made international headlines by advancing to the
semifinals of Copa America, one of the
world’s most prestigious tournaments. The U.S. scored its first-ever victory over Argentina, 3-0, and advanced via
penalty kicks (over Mexico) into the semifinals before
falling 1-0 to defending world champion Brazil. Steve
Sampson, who had served as interim national team coach since April,
was named full-time head coach in August.
1996 
The
women’s national team won the first-ever women’s soccer gold medal
at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics,
defeating China 2-1 in the
championship game. The U.S. posted a 21-1-2
overall record and won the Brazil Cup and U.S. Women’s Cup ‘96.
The
U.S. men’s Olympic team
narrowly missed advancing to the quarterfinals with a 1-1-1
record. Major League Soccer was launched, providing the
United
States with its first Division I
outdoor pro league since the North American Soccer League ceased
operations in 1984. MLS averaged more than 17,000 fans per game. The
A-League and USISL merged to form a larger and stronger Division II
outdoor league.
FIFA
awarded the 1999 Women’s World Cup to the United
States and U.S. Soccer pledged it
would be the biggest and most successful women’s sporting event
ever.
1997
The
men’s national team finished off their successful World Cup
qualification process with an historic 0-0 draw in
Mexico, a 3-0 win
in Canada and a 4-2 home
victory over El Savlador. Those
performances enabled the team to clinch a spot in the 1998 World Cup
with a game to spare. The team finished their grueling 16-game
qualifying run with just two losses and their 4-1-5 final round
record was second by one point in CONCACAF.
The
women’s team continued their impressive play by winning their fourth
straight U.S Women’s Cup and going undefeated in the six-game Nike
Victory Tour, celebrating their Olympic Gold Medal a year earlier.
Women’s
World Cup Organizing Committee had awarded the ‘99 games to seven
U.S. locations:
Boston; Chicago; Los
Angeles; New York/New Jersey; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco Bay Area; and Washington, D.C.
1998
A
disappointing World Cup finished with the U.S. in last place after two
difficult match-ups against Germany and Yugoslavia, and a heart-breaking loss
to Iran. Brian McBride
scores the team’s only World Cup goal. The tournament
concludes with the resignation of head coach Steve Sampson, who is
eventually replaced on Oct. 27 by Bruce Arena, who seemingly won
every major championship he encountered with D.C. United and the
University of Virginia.
The
women’s team continued their impressive play, losing just twice in
1998 while playing in front of records crowds all across the
country.
Dr. Bob
Contiguglia took over as U.S. Soccer’s new
president, replacing Alan I. Rothenberg, who had reached the
eight-year term limit.
1999
In
front of over 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., the U.S. women won the 1999 FIFA World
Cup by defending China to a 0-0 tie
through regulation and overtime and then defeating the Chinese women
5-4 in penalty kicks. Their road to victory incites soccer
hysteria in America as the women
appear on every top news program, at the White House and on the
cover of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated. U.S.
Women’s National Team Head Coach Tony DiCicco resigned in November as the winningest coach in U.S. Soccer history with a
record of 103-8-8.
In Bruce
Arena’s first full year at the helm of the U.S. Men’s National Team,
the squad achieved a 7-4-2 mark in 13 international matches, which
includes two wins over Germany and victories over Argentina and
Chile. His team earned the bronze medal at the 1999 FIFA
Confederations Cup in Mexico.
The U-23
Men’s National Team beat Canada to earn the bronze medal at
the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, while the U-18
Women took the gold. The Under-21 Women also earned the 1999
Nordic Cup title.
The U-20s
advanced to the second round of the 1999 FIFA World Youth
Championship in April, with their only two loses coming to eventual
finalists Spain
and Japan. Taylor Twellman scored four goals to earn himself the
Bronze Boot, the first American male to ever earn a FIFA scoring
award. In November, the U-17s extended their record unbeaten
streak to 24 games, advancing to the semifinals of the World
Championships before losing in penalty kicks to Australia. In
addition to an all-time best fourth-place finish, forward Landon
Donovan and midfielder DaMarcus Beasley
earned the Gold and Silver Balls as the tournaments top two MVPs.
2000
Bruce
Arena’s squad continued to advance toward their ultimate goal of
qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. The team secured 10 out of
a possible 12 points in its last four qualifying matches — all
shutouts — to win their semifinal qualifying group and advance into
the final qualifying phase. The defense is the story of
qualification, as the Americans allowed only three goals in six
matches, while the offense exploded for 14 goals. The men also
scored an impressive win in Chile, shutout Mexico in two wins and kept the Nike
U.S. Cup title in the United States.
The
United
States women maintained the
momentum from their historic Women’s World Cup title with a record
41 matches in 2000, posting a 26-6-9 record. The U.S. won a
whopping six tournament titles in 2000, including — for the first
time in six tries — the prestigious Algarve Cup in
Portugal. The women
claimed a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, losing in
overtime to arch-rival Norway in the Gold Medal
Match.
The
American men and women put on an impressive display for the world at
the Sydney Games, as the U.S. is the only nation
to have both its teams advance to the semifinals. The American
men are the surprise team of the tournament, winning their group and
advancing to the semis before grabbing fourth place, the men’s
highest Olympic finish.
The
American youth teams used the year to prepare for qualification into
the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships. The Under-17s again
spend most of the year in residency with head coach John Ellinger in Florida and post a 35-14-7
record. The team outscored their opponents 167-65 and had
three players net more than 20 goals on the
year. The Under-20s, coached by Wolfgang Sunholz, are impressive in their warm ups for
qualification, despite missing many of their regular players,
compiling a 16-8-10 record.
The
Under-21 Women win their third Nordic Cup title in the last four
years, showing the world the legacy of the U.S. Women’s National
Team is in good hands.
2001
The
U.S. Men qualified for a fourth straight World Cup appearance,
boosted by four wins and a draw to open the final round of CONCACAF
qualifying. For the first time in U.S. Soccer history, the Men’s
National Team clinched a spot in the World Cup at a home qualifier,
topping Jamaica 2-1 behind two
goals from Joe-Max Moore in front of 40,483 fans at the last soccer
match played at Foxboro Stadium.
The U.S.
Women play only 10 international matches in 2001 as the new Women’s
United Soccer Association begins play, with the Bay Area CyberRays winning the inaugural Founders Cup.
Mia Hamm was named the first-ever FIFA Women’s World Player of the
Year, beating out teammate Tiffeny Milbrett and Chinese superstar Sun Wen for the historic award.
The U.S.
Under-21 Women won their third straight Nordic Cup title with a 6-1
rout of Sweden in the final. The
U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team prepared for the 2002 U-19
Women’s World Championship by going undefeated in five international
matches, outscoring opponents 23-1.
The U.S.
Under-17 Men’s National Team advanced to their ninth consecutive
FIFA U-17 World Championship, but were into the Group of Death in
Trinidad & Tobago with Japan, Nigeria and France, and were
eliminated in the first round. The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team
qualified for their third straight FIFA World Youth Championship,
where the team finished second in their group in Argentina and were eliminated in the
second round by Egypt.
The
National Professional Soccer League, in existence since 1984-95,
merges with the WISL and is renamed as the Major Indoor Soccer
League.
2002
The U.S.
Men’s National Team advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2002 World
Cup in Korea/Japan, the team’s best World Cup showing since 1930.
The U.S. shocks
the world with a stunning, 3-2 opening game upset of
Portugal, and then earns
a difficult draw with the host Koreans to earn enough points for
second place in Group D. The U.S. then posts their first-ever
victory in the World Cup knockout stage, blanking CONCACAF rival
Mexico 2-0 in the Round
of 16 with goals by Brian McBride and Landon Donovan. The World Cup
run ended in the quarterfinals with a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to
Germany. Midfielder
Claudio Reyna was named to the All-Tournament Team, while Landon
Donovan earned World Cup Honorable Mentions. Prior to the World Cup,
the USA began
2002 by winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in January with a convincing
2-0 victory over Costa
Rica at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. It was the first Gold Cup
title for the U.S. since 1991.
The U.S.
Women’s National Team qualified for their fourth consecutive FIFA
Women’s World Cup, set for China 2003, after capturing the 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada at the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
In one of
the stories of the year, the U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team
topped the host Canadians 1-0 in overtime to win the inaugural FIFA
U-19 Women’s World Championship. The USA
was a perfect 6-0 in the tournament, allowing just two goals.
Forward Kelly Wilson won the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third
MVP and the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second leading scorer,
while forward Lindsay Tarpley earned the
Bronze Boot. Additionally, the U.S. Under-21 Women’s National Team
won the Nordic Cup in Finland, marking the
team’s fifth Nordic Cup title in six years. A new national team, the
Under-17 Women’s National Team, was established in October. For the
men, the U.S. Under-20 National Team qualified for their fourth
consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship, scheduled for the
United Arab
Emirates in 2003.
The U.S.
National Futsal Team played their
first-ever home matches, defeating Canada and tying Mexico in March in Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C.,
respectively. | 
