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Beware The Bust

Published

7 years ago

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The USMNT’s 10 Most Disappointing Players

With so much optimism justifiably emanating from the USMNT faithful about our crop of young talent (even US Soccer produced a video!), let’s take a stroll down a proverbial Boulevard of USMNT’s Broken Dreams and examine some past failures. Here are ten (10) USMNT players who did not pan-out as expected for our national team, and their backstories.   

Age alert: I am older than most readers, so this list stretches back. Some of these names are not known to the younger generation of fans, and that’s probably down to soccer’s lack of popularity at the time they played. But for those that do remember them – or for any I missed – please share your own views in the Comments section or take it to Twitter, where I am on @DisgruntleUSMNT.

Oh, and – as you already know – there is really only one candidate for the top spot on this list. Since the placing of spots 2-10 are relatively arbitrary, this will not be a “wait for it” reverse ranking / countdown. Let’s just go with the obvious one first. Enjoy!

1. Freddy Adu (2005-present)
Picture this: you are at a summer barbeque with extended family. You are bantering about soccer with a relative, when you are interrupted by your soccer-hating thug of a cousin. He ruins your conversation by insulting the game, intermittently sprinkling in “sissy sport” and suggests that the game be played with two balls when…….he pauses and says, “Hey, whatever happened to that, like, 15 year-old kid that was supposed to be so good? Frankie something?”

So that’s Freddy Adu, the US Soccer bust so colossal that even people outside the sport recognize his name. We will not rehash his career, as its’ unfortunate shortcomings have been penned thoroughly, and we are probably only a couple years away from a “30 for 30” episode on it. I will personalize his story only by adding that his performance in the 2011 Gold Cup Final against Mexico – a 4-2 loss – had me very encouraged that, still only aged 22, he was going to evolve into an impactful USMNT player. He was creative and dangerous on the wing against a very talented Mexican team. But after the match, Bob Bradley was fired, and Adu officially disappeared into the USMNT player pool void. The tale ends even more sadly when you consider his career has landed him in the cesspool of popular American culture, Las Vegas.

2. Jovan Kirovski (1994-2004)
The younger fans may recognize Kirovski as a commentator from BeIN Sports or in his current Technical Director role for the LA Galaxy. Some older fans who remember him may object to his being ranked so high. He did, after all, play in the Quarterfinals of Champions League in Borussia Dortmund’s 1996-97 UCL-winning season. (He was not named to the bench for either the Semifinal or Final but is technically labeled the first and only American to win the competition.) He also was capped 62 times.

But to frame his potential as a youngster, consider only this: Kirovski was at Manchester United as a teenager in 1995. (!!!) Die-hard US youth soccer fans, as I was at the time, did not dare dream of an American achieving such an elite soccer status. Saying to a friend that you hoped to one day play at Old Trafford was akin to the kid at the science fair bragging that he would discover life on Mars. Old Trafford was a far-off, ethereal soccer fiefdom where only the world’s elite players (read: not Americans) honed their trade.   

So when, one year before hosting the 1994 World Cup, and with the popularity of the sport soaring, we heard that Kirovski was at Manchester United, we wrote songs and spun yarns about him in the town pubs until the ale ran dry. Well, not really, but you get the point: more than the Next Big Thing, he was going to be the First Big Thing, the first-ever American making world-class plays alongside the global games’ biggest names: Cantona, Beckham, Scholes, Keane, etc. (Pardon us for not realizing at the time that the unforgiving grind of the UK Academy System meant most youth players there never saw the field for the senior team.) He never stepped on the pitch for United’s senior team and transferred to Dortmund in 1996, where he stayed until 2000, gathering 20 senior appearances and scoring one goal.

After Dortmund, Kirovski knocked around some lower-tier clubs in England, scoring a handful of goals but never finding a steady Starting XI role before joining MLS in 2004, after which time he never got another USMNT call-up. Even when he did wear the shirt, he was basically a non-entity; he featured in the 1999 & 2003 Confederations Cup, but never played in a World Cup, despite being healthy and available in 1998, 2002 & 2006.

3. Roy Wegerle, aka Wegs, Roy Boy & The Grand Daddy of Dual Natties (1992-98)
Some 1990’s-era USMNT supporters are probably fuming reading this name. How could I declare a striker who secured 41 USMNT caps and played in 2 World Cups “disappointing”? As with Kirovski, it’s about the expectation.

As background, the South-African born Wegerle secured his US citizenship in 1991 by marrying an American woman. At this same time, his club status was ascending rapidly: he was in the middle of a scoring binge for Queens Park Rangers in England’s top flight that would see him score 29 goals in 65 matches for the club from 1990-92. This success led to speculation about which national team program he would represent, as it was rumored at the time that he could wear the shirt for as many as five (5) countries: his native South Africa, USA, England, and (allegedly) two different countries through his parents, at least one of which was Scotland.  When he chose the US in 1992, it was a major coup for the USMNT: our first real Dual Natty with world-class talent! Certain of us believed that we had managed to snag him from a red-faced England National Team.

And Wegerle did not disappoint. He stormed on the scene in his first USMNT game, a nationally-televised 4-1 U.S. Cup win against Ireland’s first-choice team in May of 1992. On the game’s most memorable play, Wegerle bull-dozed his way through a series of defenders and flamboyantly delivered a majestic back heel pass to John Harkes, who slammed home the game’s final goal. “Wegs” or “Roy Boy” had arrived! And along with the European-based Harkes, Earnie Stewart, Eric Wynalda and Tab Ramos, our hope was that he was going to form the creative, attacking core of the USMNT team for the ensuing 5-6 years and take us to a new level.

Wegerle kind of did that; he featured for the 1994 World Cup squad and played in some big games in the 1990’s, including a memorable 4-3 friendly win over Germany. But overall, he was tepid in a USMNT shirt, scoring only 7 goals in 41 caps.

With the benefit of hindsight, Wegerle was already 28 years old by the time he played his first cap for the US and may well have been past his prime. At the club level, he was never able to replicate the spell he enjoyed with QPR from 1990-92, and he ultimately came to MLS in 1996. He made the 1998 World Cup as a member of the now-defunct Tampa Mutiny in MLS. He did not play, but most USMNT supporters would agree he had quite an impact when he (allegedly!) informed USMNT Coach Steve Sampson of the extra-marital indiscretions of a teammate who would later be left-off the roster of that tournament as a result. But that’s a story for another day.  

4. Frank Klopas (1987-1995). Perhaps Klopas’s name should be on here with an asterisk, with the attribution of his status owed to a strange relationship he apparently had with then-USMNT Manager Bora Milutinovic in 1994.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Klopas played professionally for AEK Athens in Greece, where he was born before coming to the USA as a child. In those days, Athens was consistently the best club in the Greek top flight and regularly participated in Europe’s elite Cup competitions. Because US Soccer was so out of sync with the rest of the footballing world’s calendar at the time, Klopas was rarely available to play in any USMNT friendlies. As a result, he was overlooked in for Italia ’90 in favor of guys that played professionally for the Albany Capitals and Milwaukee Wave, as well as even a few collegiate players.  

But just before the 1994 tournament, Klopas’s stock skyrocketed. He enjoyed a brilliant run of form for Athens, including a goal-scoring surge, and followed it up by scoring in a series of USMNT pre-tournament friendlies that cemented his place in the team. USMNT supporters were ecstatic to see a striker from a big global club so in-form just as the tournament was beginning. A Greek warrior would lead our attack!

Then, shockingly, Klopas never saw the pitch in USA ’94. Most curiously, he was not brought on as an attacking substitute in a 1-0 group stage loss to Romania. A draw in that match would have given the US top position in the group and would have meant they avoided Brazil in the next round. Equally head-scratching was Klopas not getting called into that Brazil game, a 1-0 loss, despite the absence of Harkes (suspension) and Ramos, who was viciously elbowed during the match and had to be substituted.

The tale of Klopas not playing has gone largely undiscussed in the annals of USMNT banter. Still, for a player in his prime during the most important soccer tournament in our country’s history, Klopas needed to will his way onto the field. He did not, despite a toothless US attack in the tournament’s two most important games.

The most diehard among USMNT faithful will point to Klopas’s swan song with the team in 1995, when he scored against Argentina in the legendary 3-0 Copa America upset, as his most crowning achievement. This was certainly a fantastic individual moment, but most USMNT from that era will recall that so more was expected of him on a much bigger stage a year earlier.

5. The American striker Leading MLS in Scoring for the Last 25 Years (1993-present). When I initially started to compile this list, it quickly ran past 10 candidates when I considered the number of consistently high-scoring MLS strikers that never turned into regular USMNT contributors. So rather than scrutinize each individual’s specific circumstances, I elected to lump them together under a collective, straightforward thesis: topping MLS in goals scored rarely leads to an effective tenure in the USMNT lineup.

Since I am not much of an MLS fan, I will leave the arguments to the more informed pundits to debate the particulars: does Wondolowski endure as the most disappointing USMNT striker ever due solely to his miss against Belgium in 2014? Does Roy Lassiter feel like more of a disappointment than Brian Ching? Should Taylor Twellman have moved to 1860 Munich when he apparently had an offer? What was lacking in Edson Buddle’s game? How come Jeff Cunningham never got a European offer? Is Teal Bunbury being overlooked right now as a result of the failure of all his predecessors?

These are not debates I care to engage in, but certainly MLS supporters will have their own personal recollections here, and their stories are welcome.  

Jonathan Spector(2) of the USA MNT during an international friendly match against Paraguay at LP Field, in Nashville, TN. on March 29, 2011.Paraguay won 1-0.

6. Jonathan Spector (2004-present). Just like Kirovski, Spector joined Manchester United as a teenager. The key difference between the two playing ten years apart was that I could watch Spector play on television, and I did!

Most notably, his first-team debut came against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield in 2004. This symbolic match kicks-off the Premiership season by pitting the prior season’s Premiership winner against its’ FA Cup Champion. As an 18-year-old, Spector started for an injury-plagued United and did not look out of place at all against a first-choice Arsenal side. He even came close to scoring a goal when he screamed a laser inches wide of the right post after an impressive run through the midfield. Seeing this, I imagined an American scoring on his Manchester United debut as the precursor to an illustrious USMNT career.  

And his career as a USMNT was not poor by any stretch. He played brilliantly in the 2009 Confederations Cup run, was on the 2010 World Cup team despite not seeing the field, and was welcomed back into the squad in 2015 for a series of successful friendlies against top European teams. Still, going from starting for Manchester United at age 18 to never playing in a World Cup game for your country has to be seen as falling short.

One key factor in Spector’s lack of USMNT success is that he basically played only Right Back, a position Steve Cherundolo had locked down for the first half of Spector’s USMNT career. Then came a manager, Jurgen Klinsmann, who clearly did not hold English Championship players in high esteem, regularly omitting guys like Spector, Tim Ream & Eric Lichaj, even though they all played regularly. Thus, despite featuring so prominently for Birmingham in 2014, Spector was overlooked in favor of a teenage D’Andre Yedlin from MLS and a dreadfully out-of-form Timmy Chandler (more on him later) from the Bundesliga. Certainly some positional diversity would have helped Spector get more caps, but it was not meant to be.

7. Sacha Kljestan (2007-present). Most USMNT supporters over the last 10 years would agree Kljestan’s club form has well outpaced his USMNT performances. But the reason I consider him a disappointment is perhaps bizarrely personal. Let me explain:

I, like Kljestan, grew up playing soccer in New Jersey. I have played against dozens of guys like him: wiry, uncoordinated-looking, seemingly blown over by a stiff breeze. On the pitch, they display amazing footwork and creativity alongside almost needless confrontation toward opponents and even teammates. They regularly lead the team in yellow cards and almost always incur the wrath of teammates but make up for it because they have more talent that shows-up in big spots.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, they embody the rebellious counterculture. In my day, that constituted openly smoking pot – before it was trendy to do so – wearing baggy, unkempt clothes with Doc Martens shoes, and attending alternative music festivals, among other things. They were frequent targets of the “bully-boy” football player crowd, but always had something to say back. So many of these kids had talent but rarely developed it; almost none played in college despite having the tools to do so. (There were three kids on my high school team that fit this profile. 25 years later, one is a successful art entrepreneur, another has spent time in prison, and the third is an openly gay rancher in Montana. Unique for sure!)

So when I saw Sacha play for the first time –deking between defenders, scrapping with opponents, barking at teammates – I thought: one of these Jersey “punk ass bitches” – the moniker that another high school teammate of mine branded this type of player – has finally made it to the USMNT stage! Never mind that Kljestan did not actually fit this persona off the field; with his greasy, matted long hair and creepy pedophile-ish mustache, he looked like one. And that was enough; I was rooting for him!

As far as his USMNT tenure goes, his ardent supporters would argue he must have been black-balled by Klinsmann. How else could he be left out of the USMNT picture when he was starting for a UCL Quarterfinalist at Anderlecht? Neutrals like me that really wanted him to succeed would state plainly that he just did not look effective when he had his chances. He was not “positive,” as the Brits say, always passing back when he needed to dig deep for that Jersey punk attitude and take players on. His USMNT legacy will be mixed at best, but for me personally, he is uniquely unsuccessful.

David Regis, USA vs Germany, 2002.

8. David Regis (1998-2002). The disappointment of David Regis’s tenure stems from an almost mythical beginning to his USMNT career. Regis was born in France and married an American in the late 1990’s, becoming a US Citizen just weeks before the 1998 World Cup in France.

An important backdrop to his introduction was John Harkes not getting named to the US team for personal reasons, despite being miles better than most players on the roster. USMNT Manager Steve Sampson and US Soccer’s Press team needed to distract from the issue and flaunted Regis’ arrival in a genius PR stunt. It was as if they were saying: “Don’t worry about Harkes, there is this guy that was almost named to France’s squad, but who has agreed to play for the US!” I’m paraphrasing, but there was popular belief amongst willingly-persuaded US fans like myself that Regis was carefully evaluated to play alongside Deschamps, Zidane, Henry, etc. in that tournament. Never mind that he was 30, had never been called-up even for a friendly, and had been playing for a club in Germany that had just been relegated – we got him!

Regis was actually pretty good at the 1998 World Cup. But of course the U.S. as a team was dreadful, finishing dead-last in the tournament’s first-ever 32-team format. Afterwards, Regis was portrayed in the media as a polarizing presence. He had drawn the ire of other players who felt his presence was undeserved. Oh, and he did not speak any English, so he was not exactly a “clubhouse guy.”

Regis improved his USMNT clubhouse posture enough to get capped an additional 24 times, including a bench spot at the 2002 World Cup.. That said, the tone set when he entered onto the USMNT stage was probably a bit unfair and set expectations of his capabilities way too high.   

9. Luis Gil (2014-present). Before there was Christian Pulisic, there was the lingering question on every USMNT supporter’s mind: “Who is the next Landon Donovan?” And I remember typing a search term like this into Google some time in 2011. I landed on a 2010 ESPN article (it’s still out there) profiling a 16 year-old Luis Gil, who had just signed a Generation Adidas contract. Reading it, I got VERY excited, as did many USMNT supporters that read articles like this about Gil in other outlets.

Perhaps this and other articles set unreasonably lofty expectations for Gil, but his hype felt warranted since so few soccer media outlets at the time – especially ESPN –wrote blustery pieces about individual USYNT players. Further, Gil kept the hype train moving by finding success with the USYNT U-17 & U-20 teams, where he displayed excellent play-making and strong leadership in big spots. There were evidently European club trials, and though none panned-out, he was firmly on the radar for the next generation of USMNT breakout players.

From there, though, I really do not know what happened, other than – like most of the other US players in his age range – Gil just never arrived. Were there injuries? Did the hype overwhelm him at too young an age? He is still only 24 but looks thoroughly out of favor, bouncing between MLS, USL & Liga MX clubs without securing regular minutes. Perhaps I am paying the ESPN article too much favor, and he was never that talented in the first place? But I was certainly not alone, which is a big reason he lands on this list.
 
10. Timothy Chandler (2011-present). I placed Chandler last on this list because he is the only mention who we can reasonably declare “too soon” to be calling a disappointment. He is 28 years old and just completed what was probably his best Bundesliga season. Most importantly for his USMNT prospects, Chandler displayed positional flexibility, showing strongly as both a defender and winger, where he scored goals and doled-out assists at the highest rate of his career.  

Now…about his attitude: Chandler has looked positively awful at times for the U.S., appearing some combination of uninterested, lost, lazy, or annoyed. His alleged comments to Bobby Wood that Wood should effectively prioritize club over country may not be true, but they at least seem like something he would say given how he has performed for the USMNT.

But Chandler can still find a USMNT renaissance that will wipe his name from this list in the future. He recently made overtures to US Soccer in public interviews, claiming he really wants a call back into the team. And if his club form continues, the new USMNT manager will be unable to ignore him. With so many unproven youngsters coming up and other seasoned players retiring or falling out of favor, the time is perfect for Chandler to seize his opportunity to be a critical asset to the 2019 Gold Cup & 2022 World Cup success. I certainly hope he takes it.

Honorable Mention: Frankie Simek, Marc Pelosi, Bobby Convey, Aron Johannsson, Mix Diskerud, Joe Gyau, Robbie Rogers, Benny Feilhaber

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The More Things Change, The More They Remain the Same

Published

5 days ago

on

April 20, 2026

By

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

In light of the recent resignation of Matt Crocker, I revisited something I wrote nearly a decade ago, an early attempt to capture what I called the “Dark Decades of US Soccer.” At the time, the piece was overly long and packed with detail—probably more than today’s audience would stick with.

But buried in that work were meaningful patterns, clear, recurring behaviors that shaped how the federation operated more than 60 years ago. What stood out most, looking back now, is how familiar some of those patterns still feel today.

So, I went back, stripped the piece down, and pulled out the most relevant sections, those that highlight the parallels between past and present. The goal isn’t to draw conclusions for you, but to put those similarities side by side and let you decide: how much has really changed?

World Cup Momentum to the First American Soccer Boom

Soccer star Pele in action during World Cup competition.

Photo of Pele at the 1966 World Cup
Photograph: AP Photo

After the success and popularity of the 1966 World Cup which saw over one million viewers of the tournament many America investors saw the vision and believed that there was the market for soccer in the United States and Canada. 

The investors moved very quickly and in 1967 there were two American professional leagues making their debuts the USSFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association (USA) and the independent National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).  

These leagues would only last one year and be merged at the request of FIFA into the North American Soccer League (NASL) kicking off in 1968 and relying on mainly on foreign talent. The American investors believed building the interest in soccer in the US would have a direct impact on the growth and performance of the US Men’s National team which and of course more money for the investors and federation.

First Attempt at Modernizing the USMNT

Phil Woosnam, in 1977 as the commissioner of the NASL.
Photograph: AP Photo

Off the back of the success of the inaugural NASL season, the U.S. Soccer Federation appointed Phil Woosnam, fresh off leading the Atlanta Chiefs to a championship and earning Coach of the Year honors, to take charge of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Woosnam immediately shifted the structure of the program. Instead of a player pool selected by committee, he pushed decision-making toward the coaching staff, allowing selections to be based on performance and fit rather than geography or internal bias. The move was not universally welcomed, and it reportedly created friction with members of the federation’s leadership.

With professional players now more fully available, Woosnam’s approach helped assemble what was widely considered the strongest possible squad at the time. He also introduced organized training camps ahead of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers, an uncommon practice in that era, but one that clearly improved cohesion and preparation. Those changes contributed to the U.S. advancing further in World Cup qualifying than it had in previous cycles.

By early 1969, the USMNT appeared to be building real momentum toward a potential place in the 1970 World Cup. However, tensions between Woosnam and the federation began to escalate. Frustrated with compensation issues and growing interference from the USSF in team operations, Woosnam stepped away from the national team in the spring of 1969. become commissioner of the NASL.

Following his departure, assistant coach Gordon Jago took over as manager. His tenure began under difficult circumstances, with not being able to set up pre-qualifying friendlies, an important part of the progress made under Woosnam along with interference from USSF board members as it related to roster selection which created instability and morale issues on the field. The USMNT struggled in qualifying and ultimately fell short, losing both matches to Haiti, a team they had previously been competitive with in a series of friendlies in 1968.

The Crocker Era: Coaching Chaos and Course Corrections

Photo of Cindy Parlow Cone, Gregg Berhalter, Matt Crocker and JT Batson
Photograph: AP Photo/Lucas Peliter

It’s been roughly three years since the Matt Crocker era began at U.S. Soccer, when he stepped in as Sporting Director, replacing Earnie Stewart.

One of Crocker’s first major responsibilities was hiring the next U.S. Men’s National Team manager. In the previous cycle, the federation had reportedly operated with a narrow set of internal criteria, preferences widely believed to favor English-speaking and American candidates, which significantly limited the coaching pool and shaped the direction of the search.

Roughly two months later, during the Concacaf Nations League semifinal window, it was announced that Gregg Berhalter would be reappointed as USMNT head coach. The decision caught many around the program and in the media off guard, raising questions about how the process had ultimately unfolded.

More recently, in an interview with GiveMeSport, Jesse Marsch stated he was effectively told he was set to become the next USMNT head coach in the late spring of 2023, only for that opportunity to be withdrawn at the last moment, a shift that reportedly had ripple effects on a potential move to Leicester City that was nearing completion.

The abrupt reversal and eventual rehiring of Berhalter has been widely attributed to a mix of factors, including rumored influence from within the player pool, with U.S. Soccer ultimately reversing course. Roughly a year later, after a disappointing Copa América campaign on home soil, Berhalter was dismissed.

Crocker’s second opportunity to reset the program took a different direction. He first secured the high-profile appointment of Emma Hayes, one of the most accomplished managers in women’s football, to lead the USWNT. That move was followed by the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino for the USMNT, a tenure that has delivered mixed early results and will ultimately be judged through the lens of the 2026 World Cup on home soil but truly disappointed that Crocker wouldn’t see through what he helped build, and you have to ask yourself why?

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The No. 9 Timeline: A Historical Look at USMNT Strikers

Published

2 weeks ago

on

April 10, 2026

By

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Each generation of soccer can be understood through overlapping eras, each one feeding into the next. Some produce deeper pools of talent, while others rely on a handful of standout players. In a recent piece, I looked back at past USMNT goalkeepers and their impact on World Cup teams. That led to a natural follow-up: a deeper dive into the history of USMNT strikers.

For this article, I’ve divided that history into three distinct eras, focusing strictly on past strikers rather than the current pool. I’ll wrap up, however, with some thoughts on where today’s active strikers fit into that broader timeline. For each era I will spotlight four strikers.

According to their media guide, the modern era of the USMNT begins with the 1990 World Cup cycle. While that framing makes some sense, it does gloss over some of the program’s more challenging decades. For the purposes of this, though, we’ll start there as well, especially considering that from 1974 to 1986, the USMNT averaged fewer than 20 matches per cycle and scored less than a goal per game across those four cycles.

Trailblazers: The Early Era of USMNT Strikers

The story of USMNT strikers stretches back nearly 40 years, to a time when goals were often hard to come by, but a handful of players still managed to leave a lasting impression. This was an era defined less by consistent production and more by moments, flashes of quality that stood out during a formative period for the program.

Players like Chris Sullivan, Eric Eichmann, Frank Klopas, and Roy Wegerle all played roles in at least one World Cup cycle and delivered important goals along the way. However, consistency and longevity at the international level proved elusive, reflecting the broader challenges the USMNT faced during this period.

Even so, these players helped lay the groundwork for future generations, establishing the foundation for what the striker position would eventually become.


Bruce Murray (1985 – 1993)
85 Caps, 21 goals, 11 assists

A quick, opportunistic forward known for his movement and ability to capitalize on chances, Bruce Murray was the type of striker the USMNT hadn’t truly seen before. He filled that role throughout the 1990 cycle and into the lead-up to 1994, emerging as the team’s leading scorer during that stretch and helping guide the U.S. to its first World Cup appearance since 1950. At the 1990 World Cup, Murray contributed a goal and an assist, highlighting his impact on the international stage.

Despite his contributions, Murray was ultimately left off the 1994 World Cup squad, one of the final cuts as the program began to turn toward younger options and players competing in Europe at the time.

Eric Wynalda (1990 – 2000)
106 Caps, 34 goals, 17 assists

The premier striker of this era for the USMNT, Eric Wynalda featured in three consecutive World Cups. A dynamic and confident forward, he combined technical ability with a powerful shot, making him a constant goal threat and the focal point of the U.S. attack.

His iconic set-piece goal against Switzerland in the USMNT’s opening match of the 1994 FIFA World Cup remains one of the greatest in tournament history and stands among the best goals ever scored by the USMNT. Wynalda not only delivered in defining moments but also set the tone and standard for the strikers who followed.

Earnie Stewart (1990 – 2004)
101 Caps, 17 goals, 10 assists

Earnie Stewart was a key attacking figure for the USMNT throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, bringing a blend of technical quality, intelligence, and consistency to the squad. Comfortable as both a striker and a second forward, his versatility allowed him to influence matches in multiple ways while effectively linking midfield and attack.

While not a traditional No. 9, Stewart’s movement, awareness, and all-around contributions helped shape the evolution of the USMNT’s forward line during a critical period of growth for the program. He appeared in three World Cups—the 1994 FIFA World Cup, 1998 FIFA World Cup, and 2002 FIFA World Cup—and delivered one of the most iconic moments in U.S. soccer history, scoring the game-winning goal against heavily favored Colombia on home soil in 1994.

Second Generation USMNT Strikers (1996-2010)

The next era of USMNT strikers following the 1994 World Cup produced a tough, hard-nosed group. Several featured in one or more World Cup cycles, led by Josh Wolff, who made both the 2002 and 2006 squads.

Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson were also key figures, earning spots on the 2006 roster, with some arguing they were overlooked later in their careers. Other notable names from that period include Casey Coner, Ante Razov, and Taylor Twellman, players who all had opportunities with the USMNT, but whose form and timing didn’t quite align with World Cup selection. Twellman, in particular, still believes he should have been part of the 2006 squad.

Joe-Max Moore (1992 – 2002)
100 Caps, 24 goals, 14 assists

This was always a bit of a sneaky one for me. Joe-Max Moore was a consistently reliable attacking option for the USMNT during this era, even if he didn’t always get the spotlight. Currently ranked seventh all-time in USMNT goals, Moore contributed across three World Cup cycles and remained a steady presence in the attack.

He’s also one of just five USMNT players to score four goals in a single match, a standout performance that came against El Salvador in 1993. Despite his overall production and longevity, however, Moore was never able to find the back of the net on the World Cup (1994, 1998 and 2002) stage.

Brian McBride (1993 – 2006)
95 Caps, 30 goals, 11 assists

A traditional No. 9, Brian McBride was physical, relentless, and dependable, with a dominant aerial presence in the biggest moments. He put everything on the line for the USMNT, scoring in multiple World Cups (1998 and 2002) and cementing himself as a fixture at the striker position.

One of his most iconic moments came at the 2006 World Cup, when he was elbowed in the face by Italy’s Daniele De Rossi, leaving him bloodied and in need of stitches, yet he still played the full 90 minutes.

Clint Mathis (1998 – 2005)
46 Caps, 12 goals, 9 assists

While Clint Mathis had a relatively brief run with the USMNT, his impact on the attacking position was undeniable. Often deployed as a second striker behind Brian McBride, Mathis was anything but traditional—he thrived as a free-roaming attacker capable of changing a match in an instant, highlighted by his ability to score spectacular long-range goals.

He played a key role for the U.S. at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring a memorable goal against South Korea in the group stage and adding an assist, helping power the team’s historic run.

The Evolving Striker Pool (2009 – 2018)

The striker pool from this generation is an interesting mix, some players were only involved with the USMNT for brief stretches, while others carried over from the previous era and overlapped with this group.

Strikers like Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez, both part of the 2010 World Cup roster, had limited opportunities and production at the international level. Their inclusion was shaped in part by circumstance, as Charlie Davies’ recovery from his car accident less than a year before the tournament ultimately ruled him out of contention.

Looking ahead to 2014, Aron Jóhannsson and Chris Wondolowski earned World Cup roster spots but struggled to make a lasting impact in the biggest matches against top-tier opponents, which limited their long-term roles with the national team.

Players like Jordan Morris, Jesús Ferreira, and Gyasi Zardes emerged and saw increased opportunities following the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It’s easy to imagine that at least some of that younger group could have factored into the roster had the U.S. made it to Russia.

Clint Dempsey (2004 – 2017)
141 Caps, 57 goals, 19 assists

Clint Dempsey delivered some of the most iconic striker moments in USMNT history, big goals, clutch performances, and a relentless ability to show up when it mattered most. While he wasn’t a traditional target striker, his movement, instincts, and technical ability made him one of the most dangerous attacking players the U.S. has ever had.

He scored against top-tier opponents like Spain and Brazil at the 2009 Confederations Cup, found the net against England at the 2010 World Cup to help secure a crucial draw, and famously opened the scoring just seconds into the 2014 World Cup. He also delivered in the 2016 Copa América, with key goals against Ecuador in the quarterfinal and Paraguay in the group stage.

Dempsey wasn’t just a scorer, he was a moment-maker. Whether it was a scrappy finish, a composed strike, or stepping up in the biggest matches, he consistently delivered when the U.S. needed him most.

Jozy Altidore (2007 – 2019)
115 Caps, 42 goals, 14 assists

Jozy Altidore had a unique USMNT career, less about highlight-reel volume and more about physical presence, hold-up play, and stepping up in key moments. At his best, he was the focal point of the attack and a difference-maker. Jozy’s work ethic seemed to impact later stages of his club and USMNT career and impacted him becoming the all-time leading scorer in USMNT history.

Bobby Wood (2013 – 2018)
43 Caps, 13 goals, 3 assists

If it weren’t for Jürgen Klinsmann’s support after Bobby Wood secured a new club in Germany, it’s unclear whether his international career would have continued. While his peak was relatively brief at both club and national level, Wood made his mark with clutch moments, most memorably scoring game-winning goals in back-to-back 2015 friendlies: a 4–3 comeback victory over the Netherlands and a 2–1 win against Germany.

The Next Generation: Assessing the Future of USMNT Strikers

The current USMNT striker pool remains very unsettled. At the moment, Ricardo Pepi is the only regular forward to reach double-digit goals, with 13. He’s followed by Folarin Balogun with eight and Haji Wright with seven. Other notable names in the mix include Josh Sargent and Patrick Agyemang, each of whom has contributed five goals at the international level. However, Agyemang suffered an Achilles injury and has been ruled out of the World Cup, a significant setback given his recent form. For the USMNT to be successful at the 2026 FIFA World Cup their strikers will be a key role and contributing to the teams’ goals scored.

From a club perspective at the time of the article, Balogun is in excellent form, and the hope is that continues through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At this point, it feels clear that Balogun and Pepi have established themselves as the top two striker options. The bigger question, though, is who else will step up to provide the depth and quality needed to sustain the position in this cycle and beyond.

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USMNT

Entry into US Men’s National Fandom

Published

3 months ago

on

January 31, 2026

By

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Every soccer fan has a player or a moment or signature win that pulls them into the game and binds them to a team, no matter how high or low the journey becomes.

For me, that moment was tied to the U.S. Men’s National Team hosting the 1994 World Cup, along with my own recent introduction to the sport as the starting goalkeeper for my school team. Tony Meola, in particular, stood out as one of many important icons and trailblazers for the USMNT during that era.

I imagine there are countless young fans around the world who have already had, or will soon have, that defining moment over the last few years: discovering their first international team and the players they’ll root for and follow for years to come.

Before the 1990 World Cup cycle, those moments were rare for the USMNT. The United States hadn’t even reached the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. Their closest opportunity came during the 1986 cycle, when all the U.S. needed was a draw at home against Costa Rica, a result they had achieved just five days earlier on the road in Costa Rica.

In the 1980s, the USMNT qualified for the Olympics three times, once automatically as the host nation in 1984 and twice through the qualifying tournament. It’s also worth noting that Mexico was disqualified during both the 1980 and 1988 qualifying cycles.

Despite qualifying, the U.S. withdrew from the 1980 Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In the tournaments they did play (1984 and 1988), the USMNT struggled to make an impact, failing to advance out of the group stage and managing just one combined win across both competitions.

USMNT on the Rise (1988-1998)

This generation of trailblazers put the U.S. Men’s National Team back on the map—ending a 40-year World Cup drought, hosting the 1994 World Cup, and advancing further than the world expected.

1989 WCQ neutral side in Honduras vs El Salvador

A rare win away from home soil keeps US in hunt to qualify for 1990 World Cup. 

1989 – Qualification at Trinidad & Tobago

The win in Port of Spain sends the US to its first World Cup since 1950.

1990 – Return to the World Cup (Italy)

Results were tough, but simply qualifying restarted the program on the world stage.

1991 – USA 2–0 Mexico (Gold Cup)

The USMNT’s first “Dos a Cero” win against Mexico to advance to the first Gold Cup Final.

1993 – USA 2-0 England (U.S. Cup)

The USMNT first win against England since the 1950 World Cup.

1994 – USA 2–1 Colombia (World Cup)

One of the biggest upsets in World Cup history; launched U.S. soccer into the mainstream.

1995 – USA 3-0 Argentina (Copa America)

The apex win for this generation of USMNT trailblazers.

1998 – USA 1-0 Brazil (Gold Cup)

The USMNT only win over Brazil to date.

Earning Respect from the World (1999-2010)

After a disappointing performance at the 1998 World Cup, the USMNT reset by hiring American coach Bruce Arena. That decision, combined with the emergence of impactful young players, helped restore credibility and earn growing respect on the global stage—culminating in a deep and memorable run at the 2002 World Cup.

1999 – 2-0 Win over Germany (Confederations Cup)

USMNT second win over Germany in 1999.

2001 – First “Dos a Cero” vs Mexico in Columbus (World Cup Qualifier)

A rivalry-defining moment and a psychological turning point.

2002 – USA 3–2 Portugal (World Cup)

The world took notice. One of the greatest performances in USMNT history.

2002 – USA 2–0 Mexico (World Cup Round of 16)

Dominance over rival Mexico on the biggest stage.

2002 – World Cup Quarterfinal run (loss 1–0 to Germany)

Even in a loss the USMNT deepest World Cup run got attention from most.

2005 – USA 2-0 Mexico in Columbus (World Cup Qualifier)

USMNT WCQ win over Mexico qualified them for the World Cup.

2007 – Gold Cup Final: USA 2–1 Mexico (Gold Cup)

A signature win in Chicago with a classic Donovan goal.

2009 – USA 2–0 Spain (Confederations Cup)

Ends Spain’s 35-match unbeaten streak in a historic semifinal upset.

2010 – Donovan vs Algeria (90+1’)

The most iconic goal in USMNT history; dramatic group-stage escape.

The Klinsmann Era (2011-2017)

When Jürgen Klinsmann was hired to replace Bob Bradley, he introduced a new mindset for the USMNT, challenging players to compete at higher levels with their clubs. The opponents he scheduled during his tenure reflected that philosophy, consistently pushing the team against stronger international competition.

2012 – USA 1-0 Italy (Friendly)

A key road win for the USMNT under Klinsmann.

2012 – USA 1-0 Mexico (Friendly)

The Americans first ever win at Azteca in Mexico.

2013 – USA 4-3 Germany (Centennial Match)

Celebrating their centennial match in style with a win.

2013 – USA 4-3 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Friendly)

A comeback road win against the 13th ranked Bosnia-Herzegovina.

2013 – USA 2-0 Mexico (World Cup Qualifier)

Nothing better than Dos a Cero that qualifies you for the World Cup.

2014 – USA 2–1 Ghana (World Cup)

Revenge at last, with a clutch John Brooks header helping to advance from Group of Death.

2015 – USA 4-3 Netherlands (Friendly)

A thrilling comeback victory on the road against the Netherlands.

2015 – USA 2-1 Germany (Friendly)

Days after beating the Netherlands, the USMNT topped Germany in a hard-fought match.

2016 – USA 2-1 Ecuador (Copa America)

A quarter-final win for the Americans who advance to the semi-finals of Copa America.

The Rise of a New Generation (2018-Current)

After the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the USMNT landscape began to shift. A greater emphasis was placed on integrating younger players into the national team, even as it became increasingly difficult for the U.S. to schedule friendlies against top-level opponents from Europe and South America.

2021 – USA 3-2 Mexico (Nations League)

This extra-time win sparked a period of dominance over Mexico.

2022 – USA 3-0 Morocco (Friendly)

A victory over the eventual fourth-place finisher at the 2022 World Cup.

2022 – USA 1-0 Iran (World Cup)

A first-half strike from Christian Pulisic propels the U.S. into the knockout stage.

2023 – USA 3-0 Mexico (Nations League)

A dominant semifinal win preceded Gregg Berhalter’s rehiring.

2024 -USA 2-0 Mexico (Nations League)

Another victory over El Tri, extending the unbeaten run to seven matches.

A Chance to Win will bring in New Believers Ahead of 2026

The USMNT has a prime opportunity to build momentum and attract new supporters ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with upcoming friendlies against European powers Belgium, Portugal, and Germany, along with AFCON champions Senegal. These high-profile matchups offer a rare spotlight and a chance to measure themselves against the world’s best.

A deep World Cup run, reaching the quarterfinals or beyond, would go a long way toward winning and retaining new fans. But to truly grow the fanbase, success must be consistent, with fewer lapses and a standard of performance that reinforces belief long after the tournament ends.

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