XX Century, the 50's

In Randall's Island, the US national team is preparing for the World Cup in Brazil. These are exciting days, a little underestimated by the rest of the country: soccer in the Fifties is an ethnic sport discipline, little space in the media, few means available. In the group of athletes led by coach Bill Jeffy there are five Italian Americans: Nicholas DiOrio, Frank Borghi, Pee Wee Wallace (real name Frank Valicenti), Gino Pariani, Charles Colombo; Gino Gardassanich is from Fiume, and played in Italy in Reggina before emigrating. DiOrio comes from Pittsburgh, and all the others come from The Hill, St. Louis's neighbourhood of Paisà: there is quite a bit of Italy in the US team!

Days of work, a few exhibition games, few expectations. In the month of June, 1950, the team leaves for Brazil; after the editions of 1930 in Uruguay and 1934 in Italy, for the US team it is the third participation in the World Cup. Not bad at all.

Surely it could have been better, since the drawing lots put them in a group with the "Mother of the Soccer", the acclaimed England team. On June 25, 1950, in Curitiba, the USA faces Spain for the debut match: they lose 3 to 1, Pariani scores.

On 29 June, 1950, at the Minerao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, the US national team plays against the great England, trained by the famous Walter Winterbottom, who lined up a marvelous team: Mortensen, Ramsey, Aston, Wright, Finney, Mannion, Matthews ... the referee is the Italian Generoso Dattilo, assisted by his fellow Italian Giovanni Galeati and the French Delasalle.

AND THE AMERICANS SEND THE ENGLAND HOME, WINNING 1 TO 0! A fairy tale passed with too much ease in the forgetfulness or indifference of the soccer world. Even David Anspaugh's 2005 beautiful film "The Game of Their Life" wasn't enough to relaunch in modern times the "miracle" of the 4 Italian American who played that match (Borghi, Pariani, Wallace and Colombo) and of the other immigrants. A page of great sport, even with fate and luck, that ended in the basements of the football world, a bit like the Etruscan artifacts at the Roma Museum of Villa Giulia...

XX Century, the 60's

The Italians of Brooklyn have had a long history of successful as a semipro soccer team. The emigrant John DeVivo started out in 1949-50, with the foundation of the Brooklyn Italians Soccer Club, a team that participated in the Metropolitan Soccer League. In the 1956-1957 season the team joined the American Soccer League and, up to half of the 60's it played good championships, often arriving in the top 3 positions. From 1964 to 1991 the team changed its name in Brooklyn Dodgers Soccer Club (with a 1969-1972 parenthesis as Palermo Football Club) to return, from 1992, to the original name. They won 2 US Open Cup.

XX Century, from the 70's to the 90's

Severino "Rino" Agostinis, born in Italy in Friuli Venezia Giulia and emigrated to Canada, played with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in NASL from 1977 to 1979.

During his career (1978-1983), Carmelo D'Anzi played as a professional in various soccer team ASL (Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York) and Tulsa in the NASL.

Ron Atanasio (originally from New York) played from 1978 to 1984 with the New York Cosmos, the Houston Hurricanes (NASL), the Detroit Express (ASL), the Charlotte Gold and the Ft. Lauderdale Sun (USL).

Giulio Bernardi from California arrives at the New York Cosmos in 1982; later he will go to play for the Georgia Generals and the Pennsylvania Stoners (ASL), the Memphis Americans, the Houston Dynamos and the Dallas Sidekicks (MILS), until the 1985-1986 season.  

Jeff Cacciatore, forward originally from St. Louis, played in the NASL for the Fort Lauderdale team from 1979 to 1981, and then went on with an important career with the St. Louis Steamers (1982-1987) in the MILS, up to his celebration in the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame.

Antonio "Tony" Meola, goalkeeper from Belleville, one of the most prominent players in the States, made his experience in Europe (he played for Brighton and Watford in England). A regular of the US team at the World Championships in 1990 and 1994, he played 100 times in the US National team during his 20 years of career (from 1988 to 2008). He is in the US Soccer Hall of Fame.

Tayt Ianni played from 1993 to the end of the century in minor leagues, with the exception of an experience as a pro with the San Jose Clash in the MLS during the 1996-97 season. He also played one match in the US national team in 1996.

At the end of the twentieth century Joe Franchino, defensive midfielder, plays in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New England Revolution. He too also played one match in the US national team.

In closing, we cannot fail to mention two other players. The first is Paul Caligiuri, who successfully played both in Europe and in the United States; in 1990 he signed with the USSF (the US Soccer Federation) who paid full-time players of the national team. Another curiosity: in 1986 he was the only North American player to be drafted for the Americas - Rest of the World match. Since 2002 Caligiuri is the coach of the Cal Poly Ponoma college team.

The other one is Bruce Arena, whose roots are in Calabria. Player from 1968 to 1976 (1 presence in the US national team) and then, from 1973 to present day, a long career as coach of college teams, pro teams, US National team Under 23 and, from 1998 to 2006 and then again from 2016 to today, of the US National team.