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Top 10 Greatest USA Soccer players of All Time

The United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) have given the football world some exceptional players and here we learn about the top 10 greatest USA soccer players of all time. 

10. Damarcus Beasley

Damarcus Beasley (Credit: en.as.com)
Damarcus Beasley (Credit: en.as.com)

Beasley, unlike most of the players I’ve highlighted, is a left-winger, neither a midfielder nor a striker. Beasley is the fifth most capped player in the USMNT’s history, with 126 games and 17 goals.

Beasley has scored more goals in the Champions League than any other American player in his professional career. He began his career with the Chicago Fire, where he scored 14 goals in 98 games. Then he joined PSV Eindhoven, where he scored four goals in the UEFA Champions League in 2004–2005. After that, he played for Manchester City and Rangers in the Scottish Premier League before returning to the United States. Beasley has 427 appearances and 46 goals in his senior season.

9. Cobi Jones

Cobi Jones (Credit: uk.sports.yahoo.com)
Cobi Jones (Credit: uk.sports.yahoo.com)

Cobi Jones was a combative, tough, goal-scoring midfielder who became a legend with the LA Galaxy. He was the most capped player for the United States national team.

Jones was one of the first players to return to America after the MLS was founded in 1996, spending 11 years with the Galaxy and winning two MLS Cups. For the Galaxy, he scored 70 goals in 306 games, including a memorable 1998 season in which he scored 19 goals in 24 games.

8. Tab Ramos

Tab Ramos (Credit: si.com)
Tab Ramos (Credit: si.com)

Ramos’ ability to effortlessly dribble past opponents wins him a spot on this list. Ramos, a silky-smooth striker, may not have had the best goal-scoring record in the league, but his ability to set up his teammates was unrivalled.

He played five years in the Spanish league before returning to the MetroStars to participate in over 120 games. The United States made its first World Cup berth in 40 years thanks to Ramos’ assist on Paul Caliguiri’s goal against Trinidad and Tobago in 1989.

7. Eric Wynalda

Eric Wynalda (Credit: ussoccerplayers.com)
Eric Wynalda (Credit: ussoccerplayers.com)

Wynalda is regarded as an American football pioneer. Until Michael Donovan came along, he was the all-time leading goal scorer for the national team, with 34 goals and 106 appearances. The attacker created history when he became the first American to play in the Bundesliga in 1992.

He spent two years with FB Saarbrücken, making 61 games and scoring 21 goals. Before retiring and becoming a pundit, he spent the second part of his career in America, where he played for clubs such as the Miami Fusion, Chicago Fire, and Bakersfield Brigade. Wynalada has 220 games and 64 goals in his senior career.

6. Brian McBride

Brian McBride (Credit: SkySports)
Brian McBride (Credit: SkySports)

Forward Brian McBride is the sixth all-time goal scorer for the United States Men’s National Team, with 96 caps and 30 goals. He participated in three World Cups and even came out of retirement to lead the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 417 appearances for his club, he scored 137 goals and created 137 goals. He briefly played for a number of European clubs without particularly striking out until joining Fulham, where his performances improved year after year.

McBride scored 33 goals in his four years as a member of the team. He is one of the club’s most well-liked players, and a Fulham pub was even named for him.

5. Tim Howard

Tim Howard (Credit: IMDB)
Tim Howard (Credit: IMDB)

Tim Howard is the most famous goalie in the United States. “Secretary of Defence” was his moniker. His finest performance came during the 2014 World Cup, when he saved 16 goals for the USMNT against Belgium, surpassing the record for most saves in a World Cup match.

He has the most caps of any goalie in the history of the USMNT. Manchester United signed him in 2004, but his performances were inconsistent, so he was loaned to Everton in 2006, where he made a name for himself. He spent most of his career with this club, making 414 appearances before returning to the United States to conclude his career.

4. Michael Bradley

Michael Bradley (Credit: MLS)
Michael Bradley (Credit: MLS)

Bradley’s lung-busting efforts as a box-to-box midfielder gained him unanimous plaudits and lots of European experience. He is America’s third-highest capped player with 151 matches for the national team.

He made over 60 games in Holland, Germany, and Italy before joining Toronto FC, where he has made over 200 appearances and won the MLS Cup in 2017.

3. Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic (Credit: sportingnews.com)
Christian Pulisic (Credit: sportingnews.com)

Christian is, without a doubt, the finest American football player on the planet right now. He is an offensive midfielder who plays as a winger. He joined Borussia Dortmund when he was only 16 years old.

His accomplishments with the U17 squad were so excellent that he was called up to the main team almost immediately. In January 2019, he joined Chelsea FC of the English Premier League. His move cost 71.3 million dollars, making him one of the most expensive American athletes ever.

He was only 18 when he was first called up to the USMNT and has since scored 14 goals. Pulisic is only 23 years old, yet he is already widely regarded as the finest American player of his generation, with a bright future ahead of him.

2. Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey (Credit: en.as.com)
Clint Dempsey (Credit: en.as.com)

The track record of Dempsey speaks for itself. Dempsey, a fearless, relentless, attack-minded player with a killer eye for goal, shares the record for most goals scored by the US men’s team with 57.

In each of his three FIFA World Cup appearances, he scored, including the fifth-fastest goal in tournament history against Ghana in 2014. Dempsey earned his reputation in the Premier League with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, and he is Fulham’s all-time leading scorer in the top division with 50 goals.

1. Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan (Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Landon Donovan (Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Landon Donovan, a six-time MLS Cup champion, also holds the record for most assists in league history (136). Donovan began his career in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, then moved on loan to the San Jose Earthquakes before signing with the LA Galaxy and returning to the United States permanently. He went on loan to Bayern Munich and Everton, where he rapidly established himself as a fan favourite.

With the United States Men’s Soccer Team, Donovan holds the record for most assists and goals. He is also the only player in the history of his country to score 50 goals and assist 50 times. Donovan is unrivalled among his American counterparts as a visionary midfielder with a demonstrated ability to score goals.

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