<P> In the 2002 World Cup under Bruce Arena, the U.S. reached the quarterfinals, its best finish in a World Cup since 1930 . The team advanced in the group stage with a 1--1--1 record . The team started with a 3--2 upset win over Portugal, followed by a 1--1 tie with co-host and eventual semi-finalist, South Korea . The third and final match was lost 1--3 to Poland, but the team still got to the round of 16 when South Korea defeated Portugal . This set the stage for a face - off with continental rivals Mexico, the first time they met in a World Cup . The U.S. won the game 2--0 . Brian McBride opened the scoring, and Landon Donovan scored the second goal . That victory advanced the team to the quarterfinals, where it met Germany . The team lost 1--0 after being denied a penalty when Torsten Frings handled the ball to prevent a Gregg Berhalter goal . All of the U.S. games in the 2002 World Cup were played in South Korea and all their victories came wearing the white kit while their only defeats came while wearing the blue kit . </P> <P> In the 2006 World Cup, after finishing top of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group E along with the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana . The United States opened its tournament with a 3--0 loss to the Czech Republic . The team then tied 1--1 against Italy, who went on to win the World Cup . The U.S. was then knocked out of the tournament when beaten 2--1 by Ghana in its final group match, with Clint Dempsey scoring the U.S.'s only goal in the tournament--the goal against Italy had been an own goal by Italian defender Cristian Zaccardo . Following the tournament, Arena's contract was not renewed . After the national team remained dormant for the rest of 2006 while negotiating with various coaches, the federation hired former Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA manager Bob Bradley in early 2007 . </P> <P> Bradley began his competitive career with the national team with the 2007 Gold Cup . In the final, the United States beat Mexico 2--1, which qualified it for the 2009 Confederations Cup . </P> <P> The U.S. had a notable performance at the 2009 Confederations Cup . In the semifinals, the U.S. defeated Spain 2--0 . At the time, Spain was atop the FIFA World Rankings and was on a run of 35 games undefeated . With the win, the United States advanced to its first - ever final in a men's FIFA tournament . The team lost 3--2 to Brazil after leading 2--0 at half time . </P>

When was the last time the usmnt won the world cup