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United States of America

 
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334 vs. United States
Monday, 8 June 1953
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Celebration Match

Sponsored by British Commonwealth War Veterans Associations

United States 3 England 6 [0-1]
 
postponed 24 hours because of rain

The match was allegedly due to take place at the Empire Stadium, Wembley, but moved to the Yankee Stadium because of the Coronation.







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United States is the 28th nation visited by England
Yankee Stadium, E 161st Street, Concourse, Bronx, New York City
Kick-off (EDT): 8.00pm 1.00am BST (floodlit)
Attendance:
'7,271;'
Walt Bahr won the toss England kicked-off
  [0-1] Ivor Broadis 43
hooking home a pass from Tom Finney



[1-3] Otto Decker header 59

 looping header over Ditchburn

[2-4] George Athineos penalty 66
 
(Harry Johnstone handball)

[2-4] George Athineous shot hit crossbar
[3-4] Otto Decker 67

 
scored a rebound after Athineos' shot hit the bar whilst Ditchburn lay flattened out
[0-2] Tom Finney 48
ground shot from a Nat Lofthouse pass
[0-3] Nat Lofthouse 55
close range from a Ivor Broadis centre

[1-4] Nat Lofthouse 60
shot after a long dribble upfield




[3-5] Tom Finney 71
a fine shot after another dribble upfield
[3-6] Redfern Froggatt 80
close range
There is no Television or Radio coverage
 
"IS IT WORTH IT?" Daily Mirror
Officials United States FIFA ruling on substitutes England Party
Referee (black/white thin stripes)
Sam Max Galinsky
42 (5 November 1910), Glasgow, Scotland.
The FIFA ruling of allowing a substitute to replace an injured player prior to the 44th minute, and a goalkeeper at any time, is in place.
 
British Commonwealth ex-servicemen took part in a Coronation pageant and march past before this match. Vice-Admiral E. Rollo Mainguy, chief of the Canadian Naval Staff, was invited to take the salute.
 
This is the first International match at the Yankee Baseball Stadium, and the first England match to be played under floodlights. The pitch was only three-quarters covered with grass, the shale baseball infield occupying a large area near one goalpost.
Linesmen (according to New York Times)
Jim McLean Jim Stephenson
 
United States Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 40th to 42nd
Colours "The Americans wore white shirts [blue wing collars], blue shorts and red stockings."
Captain Walt Bahr Manager
United States Lineup
Moore, Cecil William Joseph 27
157 days
2 January 1926
in Belfast, Ireland
G New York Americans 1 6ᵍᵃ
one Ireland Appearance (vs. Wales, March 1949) only app 1953
2 Milne, Robert Storey Simpson Turnbull 32
42 days
27 April 1921
in Falkirk, Scotland
RB New York Americans 1 0
only app 1953
3 Keough, Harold Joseph 25
205 days
15 November 1927 LB St. Louis Kutis FC 8 0
4 Springthorpe, Terence Alfred 29
186 days
4 December 1923
in Draycott, Derbyshire
RHB New York Americans and Coventry City FC, England 1 0
5 Decker, Rolf Ludwig 24
105 days
23 February 1929
in Frankfurt, Germany
CHB Brooklyn Hakoah 1 0
6 Bahr, Walter A. 26
68 days
1 April 1927 LHB Philadelphia Nationals 12 1
7 Schultz, Thomas Donald, injured off 30th min. with an ankle injury. 19
194 days
26 November 1933 OR St. Louis Kutis FC 1 0
only app 1953
8 Connelly, William Walsh 24
221 days
30 October 1928
in Falkirk, Scotland
IR BrookHatton 1 0
only app 1953
9 Athineos, George Sotirios 29
174 days
 
16 December 1923
 
CF
 
Eintracht
 
1 1
Αθηναίος, Γιώργος
12th penalty against scored (22nd overall) only app 1953
        
10 McLauglin, Bernard J. 25
59 days
10 April 1928 IL Philadelphia Nationals 8 1
11 Chacurian, Efraín 29
106 days
22 February 1924
in Córdoba, Argentina
OL Swiss FC 1 0
United States Substitute
Decker, Otto F., on 30th min. for Schultz 22
262 days
19 September 1930
in Frankfurt, Germany
  Brooklyn Hakoah 1 2
only app 1953
unused substitutes: Malina, Baxter, Wolanin
team notes: This was United States first match in fourteen months.
Terry Springthorpe was still on the retained list by Coventry City. He left for New York in 1951 and had had requested naturalisation papers from the US Government. But City still held his contract.
Not since the immediate post-war era, when Scotland played seven debutants, have so many debutants took to the field.
The Decker's were brothers.
records: Otto Decker becomes the first scoring substitute against England. And the first (and last) time since Sweden in May 1949 that two players have scored on their debuts against England.
As well as the first (and last) time since Scotland in March 1873 that two players scored on their debuts against England and never played for their country again.
 
2-3-5 Moore -
Milne, Keogh -
Springthorpe,
R.Dekker, Bahr -
Schultz (O.Dekker), Connelly, Athineos, McLaughlin, Chachurian
Averages: (starting)
(finishing)
Age 26 years 239 days
26 years 345 days
Appearances/Goals 3.3 0.2
least experienced opposing post-war team so far
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th
Colours The 1952 away uniform - Red collared jerseys, white shorts, red socks.
P second of two, W 2 - D 0 - L 0 - F 9 - A 5.
Captain Billy Wright
Manager Walter Winterbottom, 40 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
record 36th of 90 W 22 - D 7 - L 7 - F 90 - A 46. Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) P 54th of 139h, W 35 - D 11 - L 8 - F 160 - A 65, inc. one abandoned.
  ³ Party chosen by Selection Committee headed by Harold Shentall, on Monday, 13 April. Team chosen on Saturday, 6 June.
England Lineup
  three changes to the previous match (Ditchburn & Froggatts>Merrick, Taylor & Berry) league position (FINAL) (13 April>2 May)  
  Ditchburn, Edwin G. 31
227 days
24 October 1921 G Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 10th>=) 3 6ᵍᵃ
16th keeper to face a penalty kick
     
2 Ramsey, Alfred E. 33
137 days
22 January 1920 RB Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 10th>=) 30 1
sixth, oldest and quickest so far to the 30-app milestone
3 Eckersley, William 27
327 days
16 July 1925 LB Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 8th>9th) 13 0
4 Wright, William A. 29
122 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL TOP>3rd) 51 3
most apps 1952-53
5 Johnston, Harry 33
255 days
26 September 1919 CHB Blackpool FC (FL 7th>=) 7 0
6 Dickinson, James W. 28
45 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL 13th>15th) 28 0
7
Finney, Thomas 31
64 days
5 April 1922 OR Preston North End FC (FL 2nd>RU) 47 23
the 166th (33rd post-war) brace scored
8
Broadis, Ivan A. 30
172 days
18 December 1922 IR Manchester City FC (FL 18th>20th) 8 4
9
Lofthouse, Nathaniel 27
285 days
27 August 1925 CF Bolton Wanderers FC (FL 12th>14th) 16 17
the 165th (32nd post-war) brace scored oldest youngest player so far
10
Froggatt, Redfern 28
289 days
23 August 1924 IL Sheffield Wednesday FC (FL 20th>18th) 4 2
final app 1952-53
11 Froggatt, Jack 30
203 days
17 November 1922 OL Portsmouth FC (FL 13th>15th) 13 2
final app 1949-53
unused substitutes: Gil Merrick (Birmingham City FC (FL2 9th>6th)), Tommy Garrett (Blackpool FC (FL 7th>=)), Malcolm Barrass (Bolton Wanderers FC (FL 12th>14th)), Ray Barlow (West Bromwich Albion FC (FL 5th>4th)), Roy Bentley (Chelsea FC (FL 21st>19th)), Tommy Taylor & Johnny Berry (both Manchester United FC (FL 8th>=)).
team notes: Redfern and Jack Froggatt are cousins.
The crew of the RMS Queen Mary were in attendance, and carried the players from the pitch shoulder-high.
Billy Wright was not only an old team-mate of US' Terry Springthorpe, but they shared lodgings together before he came to the States.
appearance notes: Nat Lofthouse is again the youngest player of the eleven starting the match, for a fourth match this season, thus breaking a record he set in April, by 51 days. Lofthouse is currently the oldest youngest player that has played for any England team.
goalscoring records: Nat Lofthouse, for the second successive season, ends the season as top goalscorer, scoring eight goals in eight matches.
 
2-3-5 Ditchburn -
Ramsey, Eckersley -
Wright, Johnston, Dickinson -
Finney, Broadis, Lofthouse,
R.Froggatt, J.Froggatt.
Averages: Age 30 years 94 days Appearances/Goals 20.0 4.2
oldest post-war team so far most experienced post war team so far
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

The last match of England's 1953 summer tour was scheduled to be played on Sunday the 7th of June but due to a spell of torrential rain, the game was postponed. It was rearranged for the following night and was played under the floodlights of the Yankee Stadium. This was a new experience for the England players and may have something to do with the fact that they took so long to break down a stubborn home defence.

There were shades of the infamous 1950 World Cup game between the two sides as England, always far superior in technique and skills, missed chance after chance. Goalkeeper Moore worked overtime and the American goal led a charmed life. Finally though with two minutes of the first-half left Ivor Broadis broke the deadlock by hooking home a pass from Tom Finney.

The second half was a different story as England relaxed to play some controlled football. Within minutes of the restart Nat Lofthouse scored number two and Finney quickly added a third to build up a commanding lead. The Americans gamely fought on and their side, which included several players who had had English League experience, pulled a goal back when the lively substitute O.Decker, who came on for the injured Schultz, shot past Ted Ditchburn. That goal came in the 61st minute but a minute later Lofthouse scored again to quash the fightback, or at least, so England thought.

To everyone's astonishment the referee then gave the USA another chance by awarding them a penalty for a highly dubious handball against Harry Johnstone. Atheneos converted the gift and three minutes later O. Decker scored again to really set the game alight.

But England were in no mood to allow a repeat of that 1950 fiasco and they quickly regained control. Finney, who had been much more direct in this half, scored England's fifth goal and with ten minutes to go Redfern Froggatt sealed victory with number six.

The tour of the Americas had certainly been an eventful trip with many things learned. It was an experience that the players would never forget.
    

              Match Report by Norman Giller

This first full soccer international staged in New York was arranged to mark the Queen's Coronation six days earlier. It was the first international match that England had ever played under floodlights  The freak rain followed England from South America and a storm forced a 24-hour postponement. Then, under the floodlights at the Yankee Stadium, England - with Tom Finney running riot - avenged the 1-0 World Cup defeat with a comfortable victory in front of a 7,271 crowd. England missed a shoal of chances before Ivor Broadis gave them the lead two minutes before half-time. They quickly went 3-0 clear with goals early in the second half from Finney and Lofthouse. The Americans battled back with the help of a dubious penalty, but another goal each from Lofthouse and Finney followed by a sixth goal from Redfern Froggat underlined England's supremacy in a match in which they could and should have reached double figures. At last, Billy Wright exorcised the ghosts that had haunted him ever since England's humiliating 1-0 World Cup defeat by the USA in Brazil in 1950. He played like a man possessed, determined not to suffer the same embarrassment. This time England outshone the Yankee Stadium floodlights, and Billy's beam at the final whistle signalled his great satisfaction. The press described England as avenging their World Cup defeat by the USA, but it was empty revenge because it was a pretty meaningless match that attracted very little interest in New York. There was a ghostly atmosphere in the Yankee Stadium with the seven thousands fans 'lost' in that vast arena. Terry Springthorpe, who had played for Wolves under Billy Wright's captaincy when winning the 1949 FA Cup final, was in defence for the USA.
  

              Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1953-54, page 24

One of the smallest crowds ever to watch an England International side stood thinly around the huge Yankee Stadium in New York for the last match of the tour against U.S.A. Playing under floodlights and perhaps over-anxious to avenge their sensational defeat at Belo Horizonte in the World Cup in 1950, the England players missed many chances before Broadis eventually found the net two minutes before half-time. After the interval the games came freely; Finney (2), Lofthouse (2) and Froggatt (R.) scoring. For the U.S.A., Dekker (2) and Atheneos replied.
  

              In Other News....
It was on 8 June 1953 that Scotland Yard requested that the River Thames be drained between Teddington Lock and Richmond Weir in an attempt to find clothing and a weapon, following the murders of two teenage girls, Christine Reed and Barbara Songhurst, just over a week earlier. 22-year-old Alfred Whiteway was hanged, six months later, for the vicious rape and murder of the girls on the towpath.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Official matchday programme
The Complete Book of the British Charts
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame
Cris Freddi
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