World Cup 2010: Teams – United States
The United States of America have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This will be the 6th consecutive and 8th overall FIFA World Cup that the country competes in. The United States played in its first FIFA World Cup in 1930. They managed to reach 3rd place in that year’s competition (the best they’ve ever done in the FIFA World Cup tournament). Soccer is not the most popular sport in the United States but it has grown in popularity since the 1970s. The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The final of that year’s tournament was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The United States have competed in 4 FIFA Confederations Cup and achieved their best result in history this year. They reached the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, but lost to Brazil in the final at Coca Cola Park Stadium in Johannesburg. The United States are currently ranked at #11 on the FIFA Rankings. The country is part of CONCACAF, the North American Soccer Confederation. The team is currently coached by Bob Bradley (since 2006). Cobi Jones is the most capped player in United States soccer history. He represented his country 164 times between 1992 and 2004. Landon Donovan is the top goal scorer in United States soccer history. He’s currently still an active player and has scored 42 goals in 115 matches. Landon Donovan has been involved in US soccer since 2000. The United States National Soccer team are also referred to as “The Yanks”, “The Stars and Stripes”, “The Red, White, and Blue”. I’m sure that the United States will be one of the teams to watch in South Africa when they play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The US has really improved it’s soccer in the last few years.
