You can’t win ’em all. In fact, sometimes you get beat pretty badly. For US Soccer, on the men’s side anyway, they haven’t always been a respectable team, and defeats were pretty common. But what is the worst loss ever for the USA soccer team?



<h2>Worst loss for USA over 70 years ago</h2>



Luckily for USMNT fans, the game in question was long before most were even born. It was actually in what you could call the dark ages for the sport in America. A time when no major professional league existed in the country, and the national team was largely a non-factor on the international scene.



On August 6, 1948, the USA were in Oslo, Norway for an international friendly. 



In front of a crowd of around 25,000 fans at the Ullevaal Stadion, Norway absolutely smashed the Americans <a href="https://www.11v11.com/matches/norway-v-usa-06-august-1948-225595/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">by a scoreline of 11-0.</a>



Odd Wang Sørensen scored five goals, Gunnar Thoresen added a hat-trick of his own, Jan Sordahl notched a brace, and a lone tally from Gunnar Dahlen rounded things out.



The thrashing was not unusual at the time. The following three matches on record were 5-0, 4-0, and 6-0 losses to Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Mexico respectively.



But there was a brief respite in the doom and gloom era on the horizon. 



The USA managed to qualify for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. There, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in international soccer history, with a famous 1-0 over England in their second group game. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived, as they finished last in the group.



<h2>What about the women?</h2>



The USA women’s team is largely a completely different story. They’ve always been one of the top sides in the world and were widely considered the best women’s national team. Despite not having a good showing in the 2023 World Cup, they hold the most World Cup titles and Olympic gold medals (four each) of any team. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="715" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20231121_WST_471803_USA_WorstLoss_USWNT.webp&amp;width=1280&amp;height=715" alt="USA women soccer worst loss" class="wp-image-471831" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/USA_WorstLoss_USWNT.jpg 1280w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/USA_WorstLoss_USWNT-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/USA_WorstLoss_USWNT-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/USA_WorstLoss_USWNT-768x429.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px"></figure><figcaption>The USA women taking a big loss is certainly unusual, but not entirely unheard of</figcaption></figure>



As one of the world’s best teams, the USWNT is often on the other side of large-margin victories.



But they have stumbled over the years, and the USA women’s biggest loss is much more recent – and in a higher-profile situation compared to the men’s biggest snafu.



In <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/china2007" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2007 at the World Cup</a> in China, the USA had once again advanced to the semifinals. There, they met up with Marta and Brazil. At the Yellow Dragon Stadium in Hangzhou, Brazil hit the US with a stinging 4-0 defeat, with Marta scoring twice. 



The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/uswnt-tv-schedule/">USWNT</a> would go on to win the third-place game 4-1 over Norway that year. Four years on, while they didn’t win the 2011 tournament (they lost to Japan in the Final), they got some revenge on Brazil in the quarterfinal round. Another Marta brace had the Brazilians on top in extra time, before a 122nd minute goal from Abby Wambach sent the game to penalties. The USA converted all five of their spot kicks to move on to the semifinals.



So there you have it, the worst loss in the record books of USA soccer. Thankfully, with the USMNT on the rise and the USWNT still a top side, these dubious matches are likely to remain the worst-ever defeats for a good long time.



Photos: Imago.

What is the worst loss for the USA national soccer team?

When has USA soccer suffered its worst loss? We've got the dubious details for both the men's and women's USA soccer teams.

What is the worst loss for the USA national soccer team? - World Soccer Talk

After years of rumors, maybes, and wishful thinking, it has finally happened. Lionel Messi is will be signing to play in <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">Major League Soccer</a>. The global icon and Argentine World Cup winner is joining David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF after leaving Paris Saint-Germain of Ligue 1.



There have been plenty of huge – even legendary – footballers who have played professionally in the US over the years. Johan Cruyff. George Best. Bobby Moore. Carlos Alberto. Zlatan. Drogba. Pirlo. Bale. The list goes on and there’s no shortage of massive names that have played in US leagues. But few, if any, can compare to Messi. Perhaps only two players can equal the historic stature of this move. The iconic Pelé, who arrived in New York with the Cosmos in 1975 and lifted soccer in the US to the mainstream. And David Beckham, Messi’s new boss, who signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007 and elevated what was then a still fledgling MLS into a new era.



<h4>One signing can change everything</h4>



It’s hard to compare these signings apples-to-apples, as they occurred in different eras with different circumstances.



Pelé stepped into US stadiums and TVs as almost a mythical figure. He was already known as the greatest soccer player ever, but something most Americans had never seen. He played his entire career to that point at Santos, so unless you happened to catch a stray World Cup highlight, you’d never seen Pelé before.



The hype and energy he injected into the North American Soccer League was immense. The Cosmos, even after he retired in 1977, remained a force and a good draw with fans. And teams in places like Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Fort Lauderdale (Messi’s new home ground), had some success as well. But most other teams did not, and the league itself wasn’t sustainable. While the NASL, and Cosmos, didn’t survive, it left behind some legacy brands – and importantly an explosion in youth soccer participation. Pelé changed the game in the US forever. 



Beckham came to US shores in a time where more international soccer was available to follow in the states. In addition to being a great player, Beckham being a tabloid celebrity elevated the general public awareness factor. Like Pelé’s Cosmos, Beckham’s Galaxy packed stadiums across the country, often moving games into bigger venues.



To bring Beckham in, MLS literally bent its rules. The Designated Player rule, which allowed teams to circumvent the salary cap to sign a star player, was invented to make the signing. And it has been expanded and remains in place today. And his signing had a ripple effect. His contract came with the option to own an expansion team at the then-current $25 million price tag. Beckham, with primary owner Jorge Más, eventually exercised this option in 2014 on the franchise that would become Inter Miami CF. 



<h4>Will the Messi signing match – or eclipse – past watershed moments?</h4>



And now Messi arrives on a scene vastly different from not only the 1970s, but also the mid-2000s. MLS now has 30 teams. There are dozens of purpose-built soccer venues all across the country. Not only at the top, but in a much more robust lower division setup as well.



And international soccer is incredibly easier to watch today than it was even in 2007. Just about everyone knows who Messi is, and any soccer fan has seen him play. Whether with Barcelona, PSG, or Argentina, American sports fans have been thoroughly exposed to the player that has rightfully earned a place in the GOAT argument.



So Messi arrives not as a mysterious enigma or novelty. He’s a known quantity. But like Pelé, Beckham, and most of the other massive players who’ve signed here, he is in the twilight of his career.



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&nbsp; Make no mistake. This is a huge moment in the history of the game in the USA. Messi will sell out stadiums. He will sell truckloads of jerseys. He’ll likely drive more viewers to games (at least the ones he’s playing in) on TV and snag more subscribers for their streaming service, <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS Season Pass</a>. And some MLS season ticket holders are about to make bank on StubHub reselling their tickets for when Messi comes to town.



It will definitely give the league more credibility, or at least interest, on the international scene. Much like Ligue 1 and PSG saw a monster bump up in things like social media followers and sponsors, so will MLS and Inter Miami. But odds are it won’t be the massive “soccer fever” overnight explosion from nearly nothing to phenomenon like we saw in the 70s. There are already teams drawing 40-50,000 fans on a regular basis. American soccer is in a better place than it was 20, and 50, years ago. So the effects will likely be much more nuanced.



It will be interesting to see if the Messi signing has the lasting impact that Pelé and Beckham did. It’s tough to say whether this is a bigger event than either of those two historic signings. It feels like it is, but that may be just because we are living in the moment as it happens.



The deal <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-statement-on-lionel-messi-and-inter-miami-cf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">is not yet official</a>, so the details remain to be seen. What rules may have been bent this time? How will it effect similar signings down the line? How long will he actually play here? It’s entirely possible that Messi’s time in MLS comes to an end before the World Cup takes over the public consciousness in 2026. And that event is arguably a much bigger deal in the grand scheme of things than a single player signing. 



<h4>The next “big” signing might actually be the biggest</h4>



Messi is massive. A name that transcends sports. But signing a soon-to-be-36-year old, no matter who they are, is not the mark of a truly elite club or league.



The biggest moment will truly come when MLS can sign players of Messi’s stature (realistically a rung or two below) in their prime. Messi is going to bring more eyeballs than ever to MLS. But what will those eyeballs be seeing surrounding the legendary #10? His new club currently sits in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference and just sacked their manager. One man cannot lift the overall level of a competition on his own. MLS offers entertaining soccer, quality players, globally-known cities, good venues and great atmospheres. But it’s not the Premier League. It’s not LaLiga. It’s not even Ligue 1.



The endgame must be for American clubs to compete with the likes of Manchester, Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern for superstars that are ten years younger than Messi is. Five years from now, someone we’ve not yet heard of might turn out to be the most influential signing to ever come to America. 



Is Messi another step on the ladder to getting there? Or another retirement tour? Only time will tell. 



Photos: Imago

Messi signing in MLS is a historic moment, but is it the biggest signing we've ever seen in American soccer?

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What is the worst loss for the USA national soccer team?

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