A Brief History Of USMNT Wins At The FIFA World Cup

BusinessSportsMoneyA Brief History Of USMNT Wins At The FIFA World CupByMichael Lewis,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. U.S. men's national team and soccerFollow AuthorJun 14, 2026, 03:51pm EDTLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates scoring his team's third goal with Chris Richards #3 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)John Dorton/USSFIRVINE, Calif. - World Cup wins are sweet.For the U.S. Men's National Team, they may be sweeter because they have been so rare.Since competing in the very first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, the Americans have recorded 10 victories in 38 matches. So, that makes Friday night's 4-1 triumph over Paraguay even that much sweeter.Here is a quick look at the 10 World Cup wins that the USA has accrued in the past 96 years.1. U.S. 3, Belgium 0 (1930, Uruguay) In their World Cup debut, the Americans, nicknamed "shot putters" by the French due to the size of several players, rolled over the Belgians on July 13. Bart McGhee, Thomas Florie, and Bert Patenaude tallied as goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas notched the first clean sheet in the team's World Cup history.2. U.S. 3, Paraguay 0 (1930, Uruguay)The squad registered another win by the same score on July 17. Patenaude, a 21-year-old French-Canadian born in Massachusetts, was credited with two goals, although teammates claimed he had three, which would have been the first World Cup hat-trick. For decades, Argentinian Guillermo Stabile was credited as the first player to score a World Cup hat-trick, in a 6-3 win against Mexico. However, research by then U.S. Soccer historian Colin Jose discovered that Patenaude did not get credit for a goal, and FIFA gave the American proper recognition in 2006. This result boosted the Red, White, a...