famous american soccer players
10 Famous American Soccer Players
The U.S. doesn't have a glorious footballing past to match other giants of the sport, but it has produced good soccer players fairly regularly. With the U.S. men's national team capturing the nation's attention with a strong performance in the 2014 World Cup, here's a list of the greatest soccer players USA has ever produced.
Did You Know?
An American, Bert Patenaude, scored the first ever hat trick in the FIFA World Cup. Patenaude scored three against Paraguay in USA's first match in the 1930 World Cup, on July 17, 1930. Weirdly, the record wasn't accredited to him until 2006, since his second goal had been dubious when it had been scored.Greatest American Soccer Players Ever
Landon Donovan
Birth: March 4, 1982, in Ontario, California
Position: Forward/Winger
Clubs: Bayer Leverkusen, San Jose Earthquakes (loan), Los Angeles Galaxy, Bayern Munich (loan), Everton (loan)
Active for USMNT: 2000-present
Appearances for USMNT: 156 (57 goals)
Considered by many as the greatest American soccer player ever, Donovan is a living legend in American soccer. He has been playing for the U.S. national team since 2000, and is the team's all time leader in goals scored and assists. He is the first and, as yet, only player to score and assist more than 50 goals each for the U.S. team. He won the 'Best Young Player' award in the 2002 World Cup, where he scored 3 goals. He is one of only three Americans to score in more than one World Cup.Clint Dempsey
Birth: March 9, 1983, in Nacogdoches, Texas
Position: Winger/Attacking Mid
Clubs: New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham, Seattle Sounders
Active for USMNT: 2004-present
Appearances for USMNT: 109 (39 goals)
Dempsey is the current captain of the U.S. national team and, certainly, its best player. He holds the league scoring record for Fulham, and is one of the very few Americans to have consistently excelled in a major European league. He holds the American record for scoring the quickest goal in competitive action, scoring after just 30 seconds in USA's match against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup. He has also scored the next two fastest goals in American history. He is known for his dribbling and shooting skills, and his high scoring ratio despite very rarely being deployed as a conventional striker.Claudio Reyna
Birth: July 20, 1973, Livingston, New Jersey
Position: Center Mid
Clubs: Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg (loan), Rangers, Sunderland, Manchester City, New York Red Bulls
Active for USMNT: 1994-2006
Appearances for USMNT: 111 (8 goals)
Reyna was the preeminent American footballer before the emergence of Landon Donovan. His career, albeit hampered by injuries, was a trendsetting one for American players, and he also holds the record of having been the first American to captain a foreign club. He was a mainstay in all of his clubs, and captained the USA in the 2006 World Cup. He retired after the latter tournament. He was named in the Team of the Tournament in the 2002 World Cup, only the third time an American had claimed that honor.Tim Howard
Birth: March 6, 1979, North Brunswick, New Jersey
Position: Goalkeeper
Clubs: North Jersey Imperials, MetroStars, MLS Pro-40 (loan), Manchester United, Everton
Active for USMNT: 2002-present
Appearances for USMNT: 104
The hero of USA's 2014 World Cup campaign, Tim Howard has been a consistent and reliable custodian for Premier League club Everton for the last 7 years, and is revered on Merseyside as one of Everton's most important players. He is one of a long line of excellent goalkeepers born in the States, following in the footsteps of Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel. Howard suffers from Tourette syndrome, a condition which he channels to enhance his reflexes by learning to control his muscles better. He is known to play through pain; he has played on after dislocating a finger and breaking two bones in his back.Brian McBride
Birth: June 19, 1972, Arlington, Illinois
Position: Striker
Clubs: Milwaukee Rampage, Wolfsburg, Columbus Crew, Preston North End (loan), Everton (loan), Fulham, Chicago Fire
Active for USMNT: 1993-2006
Appearances for USMNT: 96 (30 goals)
Gangly striker Brian McBride was, like compatriot Claudio Reyna, one of the first American players to succeed in a major European league. He was particularly successful at Fulham, whose fans really took to him and renamed the bar at their home ground McBride's. He was team captain at Fulham, another rare achievement for an American. He scored for the USMNT in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, making him the first American to score in two World Cup tournaments, a feat later equaled by both Donovan and Dempsey. Like Claudio Reyna, McBride retired in the aftermath of the 2006 World Cup.Brad Friedel
Birth: May 18, 1971, Lakewood, Ohio
Position: Goalkeeper
Clubs: Newcastle United, Brondby, Galatasaray, Columbus Crew, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur
Active for USMNT: 1992-2005
Appearances for USMNT: 82
This Dexter Morgan and John McClane look-alike has been one of the most famously consistent and reliable performers in the world of sports. Appearing for some of England's biggest clubs, Friedel firmly established himself as one of EPL's best goalkeepers in the noughties, turning out an astounding 310 consecutive Premier League appearances spread out between Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa (Friedel was an ever-present for three straight seasons at Villa), and Tottenham (where he is still active, albeit now in a backup role). Friedel was a crucial part of USA's spirited display at the 2002 World Cup; he became the first goalkeeper since 1974 to save two penalties in a World Cup tournament, excluding penalty shootouts. He is undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper the U.S. has ever produced.Eric Wynalda
Birth: June 9, 1969, Fullerton, California
Position: Striker
Clubs: San Diego Nomads, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, 1. FC Saarbrücken, VfL Bochum, San Jose Clash, León, Miami Fusion, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire, Bakersfield Brigade
Active for USMNT: 1990-2000
Appearances for USMNT: 107 (34 goals)
Wynalda was USA's premier player during the 1990s, a period when the national team was languishing in obscurity. Like Reyna and McBride, Wynalda was among the first to play and star in major European leagues. He was the national team's all-time top scorer at the time of his retirement, and his record would remain unbroken until 2008. He is one of very few Americans to play in three World Cup tournaments. He was famous for his dribbling and finishing.Marcelo Balboa
Birth: August 8, 1967, Chicago, Illinois
Position: Defender
Clubs: San Diego Nomads, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, Colorado Foxes, León, Colorado Rapid, MetroStars
Active for USMNT: 1988-2000
Appearances for USMNT: 128 (13 goals)
Balboa was one of the best defenders in the MLS in the 1990s. He allied excellent defensive talent with a knack for the spectacular; he was particularly famous for his bicycle kicks. One of his bicycle kicks even won the Goal of the Year award in 2000. He was an irreplaceable part of the U.S. team in the 1990s, captaining it for some period and, at one point, becoming its all-time record holder for most appearances.Kasey Keller
Birth: November 27, 1969, in Olympia, Washington
Position: Goalkeeper
Clubs: Portland Timbers, Millwall, Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fulham, Seattle Sounders
Active for USMNT: 1990-2007
Appearances for USMNT: 101
One of three goalkeepers in this list, Keller was the national team's first-choice goalkeeper, until Brad Friedel took over. Keller had a fruitful career in Europe, appearing for some of Europe's historically most successful and prestigious clubs. Along with Claudio Reyna, Keller is one of the first two Americans named in the squad for 4 World Cups, being in the team in 1990, 1998, 2002, and 2006.Eddie Pope
Birth: December 24, 1973, Greensboro, North Carolina
Position: Defender
Clubs: D. C. United, MetroStars, Real Salt Lake
Active for USMNT: 1996-2006
Appearances for USMNT: 82 (8 goals)
Eddie Pope never moved outside the MLS, and, as a consequence, lacks the fame that some of his compatriots gained due to their moves to European clubs, but he was a defensive mainstay during his time with the USMNT. He holds the relatively rare record of having made all of his appearances from the start, which shows how important he was to the team. He played for the national team in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups.