February 6 (1904)

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Raphael “Ralph” Tracey is born. Tracey, a midfielder, will spend his entire club career in St. Louis with Ben Miller and Vesper Buick. He will play on the Ben Miller team that will lose in the 1926 finals of the National Challenge Cup (today’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup) to Bethlehem Steel. He will be selected to the U.S. team for the first World Cup in 1930 and will play an unfortunate role for the USA. He will play in the USA’s opening two wins, which lift the Americans into the semifinals. Tracey will suffer s severe knee injury in the first half of the semifinals but will stay in the game until halftime with the USA down, 1-0, to Argentina before 72,886 fans at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. Under the rules at the time, teams are not allowed substitutions. The United States plays a man short for the entire second half. Argentina romps, 6-1. The semifinal appearance in 1930 remains the farthest the USA has advanced in the World Cup.