The Haitian trailblazer who made World Cup history with the United States

The World Cup is a month away and the USMNT has a chance to make history on their home soil. Guys like Christian Pulisic and Johnny Cardoso can cement their legacy in the United States by putting on a good show for the home fans this summer, much like Joseph Gaetjens did almost a century ago.

From Haiti to the world stage

It´s been over 75 years, but the legend of Joseph Gaetjens still lives on in US soccer folklore. He was responsible for one of the most famous goals ever scored by an American in a World Cup, but very few fans know about the legend of Gaetjens in Brazil back in 1950.

The US team was paired in what would only be seen now as a Group of Death. After falling into a group that consisted of England, Spain and Chile, hope was far from high in the US camp heading down to Brazil. There would be no surprise deep run through the knock out rounds, but there would be a historic win against a legendary opponent.

After losing their opening match to Spain 3-1 the US went into their second match against England, desperate for a win to stay alive on the final match day of group stages. They did indeed beat The Three Lions and the lone goal came from Joseph Gaetjens in the 38th minute.

Tragic end to legendary life

Gaetjens’ story was particularly special because he wasn’t born in the United States. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and started playing professionally as early as 14. He was signed to Etoile Haitienne and he became famous for his skills in the air. He was a remarkable header of the ball and that helped his club win titles in 1942 and 1944.

Not only was he a stand out player, but he was also a stand out student. He earned a scholarship to study accounting at Ivy League school Columbia University. While there he played for Brookhattan Football Club and would become the top scorer of the American Soccer League.

He caught the eye of the national team and was a part of the squad that went down to Brazil in 1950. He scored the lone goal in the lone win for the US and it just happened to come against the inventors of the sport. The win came over a massively favored England club and in trademark fashion he scored the winner with his head. The BBC still calls this loss to the US, “One of the biggest shocks in World Cup history happened.” The U.S. would go on to lose against Chile and get knocked out of the tournament in the group stages while Uruguay went on to lift the World Cup.

Gaetjens spent some time playing in France before returning back to Haiti. Not long after his return Francois Duvalier won the presidency and eventually named himself “president for life.” Duvalier was racing against Joe’s great grandfather Thomas in the 1957 election, and the family quickly came in the crosshairs of the new regime. His family fled, but Gaetjens stayed in Haiti where he was eventually arrested and presumed killed by secret police who were led by Duvalier.

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