Ed McIlvenny

Who was Ed McIlvenny?

Edward John "Ed" McIlvenny, also known as Eddie McIlvenny, was a Scottish-American soccer player who most notably captained the United States national team in their 1–0 upset of England in the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

He learned the game as a youth and was selected to Scottish Junior League on a tour of the North of Scotland. In 1947 he signed with the Welsh club Wrexham A.F.C., then in the Third Division North of the English Football League, but he only played seven games for them before moving to the US in 1949 to stay with his sister.

McIlvenny excelled with the Philadelphia Nationals of the American Soccer League, where he teamed up with US national team captain Walter Bahr, and was selected to join the national team during their 1950 World Cup appearance. He was given the honour of being captain for the game against England "because he was British", and in that game, it was this throw-in that led to the US goal. Although he was not a US citizen, he had declared his intention of becoming one and thus was eligible to play, according to the rules of the United States Soccer Football Association at the time.