RIP Frank Borghi, USMNT Legend

Former U.S. Men’s National Team Goalkeeper Frank Borghi, who started for the United States in their 1-0 victory over England at the 1950 World Cup, has passed away. He was 89 years old.

Although Borghi had originally started out his athletic career as an outfielder in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, he eventually transitioned to the game of soccer and signed with St. Louis Simpkins-Ford. With Simpkins- Ford, Borghi was able to claim 2 National Challenge Cup titles, the predecessor to the U.S. Open Cup.

Soccer has traditionally been a very strong sport in St. Louis with over 7 clubs having claimed the National Challenge Cup/U.S. Open Cup. During this time, U.S. Soccer would traditionally scout players for national team service as it was seen as one of the top soccer regions in the country.

Borghi, as well as four of his teammates (Robert Annis, Gino Pariani, Charlie Colombo, and Frank Wallace) were all named to the 1950 USMNT World Cup squad. It was the first World Cup since the 1938 edition.

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Given that the United States had been grouped with Spain, Chile, and England very little was expected. Both England and Spain were considered to be contenders to win the entire tournament and Chile featured George Robledo who would go on to lead Newcastle to two F.A. Cups. The tournament did not start too well for Borghi and the United States as they would lose 3-1 to Spain in the first match.

However, the USMNT would have better fortunes against England. A header in the 32nd minute by Tom Finney (Preston North End’s all-time leading scorer) almost gave England the early advantage. But Borghi made a fingertip save that lifted the ball over the crossbar.

In the 37th minute, USMNT forward Joe Gaetjens finished off a shot taken by midfielder Walter Bahr to give the United States the 1-0 lead. Although the goal was impressive, Borghi’s performance over the next 53 minutes is what helped seal one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. In the 83rd minute, forward Jimmy Mullen appeared to have the equalizer, having hit a square header off of a free kick taken by defender Sir Alfred Ramsey. But Borghi would make a diving save to keep the ball out of the net and allow defender Harry Keough to make the clear.

Although the USMNT would be eliminated in the next match thanks to a 5-2 loss to Chile the England-USA match is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in football history. The match itself has gained traction in recent years as football has had a rebirth here in the United States.

But at the time the game still paled in comparison to the other major sports and was thus lost in the shuffle. After the tournament, most of the players from the USMNT went back to working 9 to 5’s (Borghi was a funeral car driver). Birghi would go on to represent the United States during qualification but would finish just 4 points shy of qualification.

In addition to his footballing career, Borghi was a medic during World War II and served in both both Europe and North Africa. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

After years of relative anonymity, Borghi and the 1950 World Cup team have been placed back into the spotlight for their efforts. In 1972, the entire team were inducted into the United States Soccer Hall of Fame. In January 2004, the five surviving members of the team (Borghi, Walter Bahr, Harry Keough, Gino Pariani and John Souza) were given the award of honorary All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

With Borghi’s passing, Walter Bahr becomes the only living member of the team.

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