GOAL celebrates the Black men and women trailblazers that defined U.S. national teams
American soccer is filled with stories, even if the history of soccer in this country is still very much being written. For all of the big moments this game has had, the American game is still somewhat in its infancy, with most of soccer's great moments coming within the last decades.
Even so, there are plenty of stories to tell. Stories of success and failure, of winning and losing. There are stories of heroes and icons and legends, all of whom have played some part in making this game what it is today.
And, as the country celebrates Black History Month, it's important to remember that the story of American soccer could not be written without the contributions of so many Black players. From the very beginning, Black players have made the biggest of contributions to both the U.S. men's and women's national team, solidifying their place as legends and trailblazers.
Let's make one thing clear: those stories weren't always defined by fairness or equality. Soccer, and society, has come a long way, for sure, with so many Black men and women playing their part. There's still so much to do, though. There are so many stories left to be written as the game grows more and more.
GOAL looks back at some of the game's icons, their stories and their legacies, while also taking a glimpse into the stories still being written by the new faces of the USMNT and USWNT:
The great Gaetjens
He was at the center of arguably the USMNT's biggest-ever win. At the 1950 World Cup, the U.S. defeated England 1-0 to seal one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. The man who scored the goal? Joe Gaetjens.
Born in Haiti, Gaetjens was one of the first people of color to appear for the USMNT. He wasn't an American citizen, as rules back then required players to only sign a declaration of intent to play for a national team. He never got that citizenship, either, nor a U.S. passport, but that didn't stop Gaetjens from etching his name in American soccer history.
Gaetjens' story, though, ended in tragedy. A member of a political family in Haiti, Gaetjens was arrested by the country's secret police and taken to prison in 1964. That prison, Fort Dimanche, was notorious for its brutality and, after being jailed, Gaetjens was never seen again.
Gaetjens' legacy hasn't been lost, though. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 alongside the rest of that World Cup team. To this day, the USMNT's win over England is still seen as one of the biggest upsets in this sport's history. Gaetjens was at the center of it, having scored one of the biggest goals this country has ever seen.
AdvertisementHawkins breaks through with USMNT
Eddie Hawkins' isn't the most famous player to ever represent the USMNT. He isn't the most decorated nor the most successful, either. But he is among the most important, as he blazed the trail that so many after him have walked down.
Prior to December 2, 1984, no African-American man had ever represented the USMNT; that was until Hawkins took the field against Ecuador in the Miami Cup. On that day, Hawkins made history, and the craziest part is that he didn't even realize it at the time. It would be five years before Hawkins even realized he had been the first U.S.-born Black player to represent the USMNT, as he didn't realize the magnitude of his achievement until years later.
“When you’re out there listening to the National Anthem, you wish you could just thank all of them at the same time,” Hawkins told U.S. Soccer. “Everybody’s little bit that went into it kind of came together. It makes you grateful for all the people that were behind you helping you get there.”
During Hawkins' rise to the USMNT, he didn't have many players to look up to that looked like him. Growing up in Washingtonville, N.Y., Hawkins fell in love with the game thanks to the work of Tony Martelli, an Italian coach that turned the small local community into a soccer hotbed. Among his best talents? Hawkins and his brothers, with the future USMNT midfielder soon realizing that soccer could be his best chance at a college scholarship.
After playing at Hartwick College, Hawkins earned his first USMNT call-up in 1984, joining the team for two friendlies against Ecuador for one solitary cap that would end up changing his life and those of many others.
After his career came to a close, Hawkins founded the Zen Soccer School near Chicago, a program that is focused on offering a diverse group of players the chance to forge their own path in soccer, just as Hawkins did in his youth.
Getty ImagesCrabbe & Gordon help define the USWNT
At the time of Hawkins' initial USMNT camp, the USWNT was still several months away from existence. The team didn't play its first match until August 1985, setting the stage for four decades of dominance that would follow.
In that same year, Kim Crabbe (pictured) was helping lead George Mason to the 1985 NCAA Championship. In that match, Crabbe and co. defeated future USWNT head coach Anson Dorrance, who would eventually spearhead the efforts that led the U.S. to their triumph in the first-ever Women's World Cup.
Impressed by what he saw in the NCAA Tournament, Dorrance called Crabbe up to the USWNT a few months later, making her the first black woman to be called into the national team.
“I understood how life-changing this could be," Crabbe told U.S. Soccer, "not only for my personal soccer career, but more importantly for women’s soccer.”
Crabbe didn't see the field during that initial call-up, so, while she did pave the way with the USWNT, it was Sandi Gordon who has the honor of being the first African-American female to see the field for the USWNT. Unlike Crabbe, Gordon did not play in college soccer. Instead, she was spotted during her time as an amateur, impressing Dorrance enough to earn a call-up and a debut against Sweden in July 1987.
“I have always been proud of who I am, but at the time I never thought of myself as being anything other than a player representing my country,” Gordon told U.S. Soccer. “I am a huge fan of our current USWNT as every one of them has earned their positions through fair competition and hard work. I hope the way I played was an inspiration to all young women across the spectrum and showed them that they can achieve any goal no matter what their background.”
Gordon went on to make seven total appearances for the U.S., with six coming in 1987. As for Crabbe, U.S. Soccer created the Kim Crabbe Game Changers award in 2022, honoring her contributions to the game. The award is given to a member of the soccer community who makes contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, which Crabbe and Gordon both represented during those initial days of the USWNT.
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Getty ImagesJones inspires a generation
For an entire generation of kids, Cobi Jones was their introduction to soccer. That wasn't just for Black kids, either. Whatever race or background, if you followed American soccer, Jones was your superhero.
After starring for the U.S. in the years following his 1992 debut, Jones really rose to prominence, like many of his teammates, at the 1994 World Cup. With his distinct dreadlocks and all-action style in midfield, the U.S. fell in love with Jones immediately.
"You feel that you are different, but you also feel that you have a responsibility to hold yourself in a certain way," Jones told MLSsoccer.com. "I always wanted to make sure that I carried myself with a certain amount of self-respect that was evident.
"I was never the type to say 'Look at me! I'm your role model.' But I always had a sense of what I was representing. I wanted others to see what I was doing and know that they could do it as well."
On the club level, Jones is a legitimate MLS legend, one of the biggest and most important players the league has ever seen. During his 11 seasons with the LA Galaxy, Jones won two MLS Cups, two U.S. Open Cups, two Supporters; Shields and a CONCACAF Champions Cup, solidifying his place among the league's best.
Internationally, he remains the USMNT's all-time cap leader with 164, having represented his country at three different World Cups. These days, Jones is a member of 's coverage of MLS, keeping him in the spotlight all these years after he became one of the first true faces of American soccer.