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American soccer has a lot of moving parts right now. It's a World Cup year, putting all of the team's past and present players under the spotlight. But above that, the United States' finest players—Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley—have chosen the MLS over the more difficult, but infinitely more glorious path to European Champions League soccer.
That issue will be hotly discussed as the World Cup approaches, so enough of that. Today, we look back at the history of not only the United States Men's National Team, but the Women's Team as well. After all, it is Donovan's 32nd birthday, making the high-flying kid who nearly single-handedly took down Germany at the 2002 World Cup a well-worn veteran on the national side. He's now accomplished a decade's worth of goals, and is one of the United States' most decorated players, but is he the GOAT of American soccer? Mia Hamm and Clint Dempsey might have something to say about that. Check out The 15 Greatest American Soccer Players of All Time.
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15. Tim Howard
Career years: 1997-Present
Clubs: North Jersey Imperials, MetroStars, Manchester United, Everton
Accolades: U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 2003-2004 PFA Premier League Team of the Year, 2x MLS Best XI, 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, 2008 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
Of all the great players on this list, Tim Howard has the potential to move up the most. He's 34 years old, but if Brad Fridel can be policing Premiership sticks into his 40s, Howard's career should know no end (not literally, but you get it: he's going to play another decade). He's well on his way to becoming the United States' most accomplished goalkeeper, and one of the best players in Everton's history.
14. Joy Fawcett
Career years: 1987-2004
Clubs: Ajax, San Diego Spirit
Accolades: National Soccer Hall of Fame member
Sometimes an overlooked player on that 1999 women's team, Joy Fawcett's 239 appearances makes her the 5th most capped players in the team's history. Her contributions in the heart of the USWNT's defense literally made her an indispensable part—she was the only women's national team member to play every single minute of the 1995, 1999, and 2003 World Cup, as well as the 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams. That's greatness.
13. Eddie Pope
Career years: 1996-2007
Clubs: D.C. United, MetroStars, Real Salt Lake
Accolades: 4x MLS Best XI, 1997 MLS Defender of the Year, National Soccer Hall of Fame member
Eddie Pope remains one of the most respected defenders in USMNT history. He started every match he ever played with them (82)—not something that any other player with his level of experience at the American international level can say. His finest moment came during that 2002 World Cup run, where he started all five matches. He carried his World Cup form into the mid-2000s, being named to the MLS Best XI in 2003 and 2004.
From former UNC walk-on to the World Cup, Pope's career was one of quick growth and a combative attitude, and he'll always be remembered as one of the United States' greatest defenders.
12. Briana Scurry
Career years: 1994-2010
Clubs: Atlanta Beat, Washington Freedom
Accolades: 1999 World Cup Best Goalkeeper Award, 2003 WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year
The goalkeeper on two Olympic gold medal teams and one World Cup champion team, Briana Scurry—with apologies to Hope Solo—is the best keeper the American women's game has ever seen. Her 173 international caps is the most among female goalkeepers, and she recorded 71 shutouts in her 159 international starts. Her greatest performance came at the 1999 World Cup, where she played every minute, and only allowed three goals across six matches, keeping four clean sheets en route to winning the whole damn thing. That's stonewall.
11. Marcelo Balboa
Career years: 1987-2002
Clubs: San Diego Nomads, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, Colorado Foxes, León, Colorado Rapids, MetroStars
Accolades: 2x U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, National Soccer Hall of Fame member
When the USSF announced its All-Time XI in 2013, Marcelo Balboa was the leading vote getter out of all defenders, cementing his place in USMNT history. Balboa never tested his talents in Europe, preferring to stay an MLS man through and through (bar one season in Mexico). Although he was a centreback, he was never short of technical ability. Known for his bicycle kick attempts, this outrageous bicycle was the MLS Goal of the Year in 2000
Balboa was the anchor of the USMNT defense in the 1990s, becoming the most capped player in the nation's history at one point. For a decade, he was basically the first name on the teamsheet, which is never a distinction to be taken lightly.
10. Tab Ramos
Career years: 1988-2002
Clubs: New Jersey Eagles, Miami Sharks, Figueres, Real Betis, UANL Tigres, MetroStars
Accolades: 1990 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 1994 CONCACAF Player of the Year, National Soccer Hall of Fame member
The current coach of the United States U-20 team, Tab Ramos was one of the country's best players in the 1990s. The Uruguayan-born midfielder was a creative force for the USMNT, and has the distinction of being the first player to sign with the MLS. Abroad, he helped Real Betis earn promotion to La Liga, but never got to play in the Spanish top flight—a skull fracture sustained during the 1994 World Cup kept him sidelined for over a year, robbing Ramos of what likely would've been his best professional season in Europe.
He returned to the MLS in 1996 to help launch the MetroStars franchise, and was a three-time All-Star for them, even though a laundry list of long-term injuries never allowed him to reach his full potential and another move to Europe.
9. Eric Wynalda
Career years: 1988-2008
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
Accolades: Honda US Player of the Decade for the 1990s, CONCACAF All-Decade Team of the 1990s, National Soccer Hall of Fame member
Eric Wynalda may get a lot of shit for his blasé analysis on Fox Soccer Channel, but at one point, he was the best player on an American World Cup team. When he retired from the national team in 2000, he was its all-time leading scorer (a record that stood until 2008), and was one of only three Americans to play in three World Cups. The 1990s were a dry time for the United States in international soccer for sure, but Wynalda spent five productive years in Germany, never letting the lowly status of American soccer stop him from seeking out opportunities abroad.
8. Brad Friedel
Career years: 1992-Present
Clubs: Newcastle United, Brøndby, Galatasaray, Columbus Crew, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur
Accolades: 1997 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, 2002 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 2002-2003 PFA Premier League Team of the Year, Alan Hardaker Trophy Winner
The MLS has never seemed to interest Brad Friedel much. The greatest American goalkeeper played a lone season for the Columbus Crew, and won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Since coming back to England for the 1998 season with Liverpool, he's stayed around and played for some of the English Premier League's best sides.
Friedel's the EPL's Iron Man too—his 310 consecutive games played is a league record achieved from 2004 to 2012. The 42-year-old is still doing the damn thing in the EPL to this day (albeit in a back-up role for Tottenham), and is Tottenham and Aston Villa's oldest player ever. Friedel may be best remembered for his performances with that iconic 2002 World Cup team, but to EPL fans the world over, the grumpy-looking bald-headed keeper is an omnipresent figure in the English game.
7. Abby Wambach
Career years: 2002-Present
Clubs: Washington Freedom, magicJack, Western New York Flash
Accolades: 6x U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year
When Mia Hamm retired in 2004, Abby Wambach took the torch from her as the USWNT's leading striker. In 2012, she was awarded with the FIFA World Player of the Year honor, becoming the first American woman since Hamm in 2002 to win the award, which symbolically served as Wambach stepping out of Hamm's shadow. Her 165 international goals makes her the all-time international goal scorer for both male and female footballers, a record previously held by Hamm.
Wambach has carved her own legend in recent years, with her 122nd minute diving header against Brazil in the 2011 World Cup winning an ESPY for Best Play of the Year. The header forced the quarterfinal match to penalty kicks, which the United States won on, and later progress to the finals (they lost to Japan). The most accomplished American woman in a post-Hamm landscape, Wambach remains an unplayable physical and aerial force in the women's game.
If there's a centreback to bully and header to win in the box, Wambach is almost always getting the best of the defense and scoring.
6. Claudio Reyna
Career years: 1994-2008
Clubs: Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, Rangers, Sunderland, Manchester City, New York Red Bulls
Accolades: FIFA World Cup All Star Team, Scottish Premier League Champion
Claudio Reyna is a true rarity when it comes to Americans beginning their professional soccer careers—he started out in Europe, and came to the MLS at the very end. Usually, European stints for Americans are sandwiched between life in the MLS. At VfL Wolfsburg, he became the first American to captain a European club, but it was with Scottish club Rangers where he became one of the most versatile and effective American soccer players ever. Reyna played all over the pitch, from the No. 10 position, to the No. 6, and even as a fullback—he had the technical ability and skillset to adapt and thrive wherever.
Reyna's career, however, was constantly besieged by leg injuries. He always had the talent to play at a high level for some of the best teams in the world, but he only made 30+ club appearances in four seasons across his career. Thanks to injuries, his career remains a bit of a "what if?" in American soccer, but he was so damn good when he did play that the former USMNT captain will always be held in only the highest regard in American soccer circles.
5. Mia Hamm
Career years: 1987-2004
Clubs: Washington Freedom
Accolades: 2x FIFA World Player of the Year, 1997 Sportswoman of the Year, 5x Soccer USA's Female Athlete of the Year, 1995 World Cup MVP, FIFA 100 member, National Soccer Hall of Fame member
Mia Hamm was, and still is, the face of women's soccer in America. The influence she wields over women's sports is immense, and she continues to be perhaps the most recognized professional women's athlete in the world. Hamm's importance transcends nationality and gender—she's simply a soccer legend. Her talent and accomplishments back up her star too. She's the USWNT's leader in assists, is second in goals, and at one time was the all-time leader in international goals scored across men and women with 158.
Hamm was one of only two Americans to be named to the FIFA 100, thanks in large part to her catalytic impact at the 1999 World Cup. Hamm is an icon, a philanthropist, and a celebrity, but above all, she was one of the finest American soccer players ever.
4. Brian McBride
Career years: 1994-2012
Clubs: Milwaukee Rampage, VfL Wolfsburg, Columbus Crew, Preston North End, Everton, Fulham, Chicago Fire, Wembley
Accolades: 2x Fulham Player of the Year, U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame member, 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP
Along with Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride was one of the most effective American players in Europe in the early-2000s. In many respects, the duo paved the way for more American players to seek employment overseas—they were trailblazers, but not because of their nationality alone. McBride, in particular, was simply a successful European striker. He was playing regularly in the English Premier League when many of the United States' best outfield players were still unable to attract top-flight European suitors.
But most of all, McBride was beloved. As Fulham's captain, scored 33 goals in 140 appearances, and is still revered in southwest London. No other American player garners as much European adoration as McBride still does. McBride's currently the USMNT's third all-time leading scorer with 30 goals, making him one of the greatest American footballers for club and country.
3. Michelle Akers
Career years: 1985-2000
Clubs: Tyresö FF
Accolades: 1991 World Cup Golden Boot Winner, National Soccer Hall of Fame member, FIFA Female Player of the Century, FIFA 100 member
Mia Hamm may have all of the fame and name recognition amongst sports fans, but Michelle Akers is the greatest American women's player. The leading scorer at the 1991 World Cup, which the USWNT won, Akers was also a leader on that legendary 1999 World Cup winning team, and was named to the 1999 World Cup All-Star team as the only American midfielder.
But if there's one accomplishment that points to her status not only over Hamm, but all women's soccer players, it's her FIFA Female Player of the Century award. Akers is not only GOAT for American women, but for women's professional soccer in general—105 goals in 153 international caps, two World Cup winner's medals, and an unprecedented reputation for toughness and physicality will do just that.
2. Clint Dempsey
Career years: 2004-Present
Clubs: New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Seattle Sounders
Accolades: 3x U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, 2x Fulham Player of the Season, 2x MLS Best XI
Clint Dempsey's soccer upbringing was far less prestigious than many of his contemporaries. While the best American soccer players are whisked away at an early age to train and develop in youth academies, Dempsey played at Furman University, and had his first taste of professional soccer through the MLS SuperDraft. His unpredictable, swashbuckling, erratic playing style seems befitting of his career arc—it's full of uncertainty, but things have a way of working out for him.
After scoring 26 goals across three seasons for the New England Revolution, Fulham paid $4 million—an American transfer record at the time—for his services. At Fulham, Dempsey slowly, but surely, became one of England's most prolific attacking midfielders. Handed a full-time striker role at the end of his Fulham career, he enjoyed a 23-goal season for them in 2011-2012, scoring three goals in their remarkable Europa League run.
Dempsey's returned to the MLS after seven years playing in the English Premier League—a curious choice, as he could start for any number of Champions League sides—but one that undoubtedly helps to raise the profile of the MLS. The most successful American player in Europe in recent history, Dempsey's star should only continue to ascend, even if he has returned home.
1. Landon Donovan
Career years: 1999-Present
Clubs: Bayer Leverkusen II, San Jose Earthquakes, Bayer Leverkusen, Los Angeles Galaxy, Bayern Munich, Everton
Accolades: 5x MLS Cup Winner, 4x U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, 2002 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player of the Tournament, 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP, 2009 MLS MVP, 2008 MLS Golden Boot Winner, USMNT All-Time goal scorer (57) and assists leader (57).
Even from his professional beginnings, Landon Donovan was always the best American player. Leading the pack from the famous IMG Academy Class of 1999, which also produced DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, and Oguchi Onyewu, Donovan is by far the most talented player in United States soccer history, if not the most internationally successful. Dempsey, McBride, and Reyna have accomplished more for European club teams, and Donovan's spells in Germany are widely regarded as stains on his resume (even if his impactful Everton spells are sometimes forgotten). Yet Donovan's European missions have never been a prerogative in his career, as he's been comfortable with dominating the MLS and being a leading force on the national team.
"Greatest" is a subjective term, and "Landycakes" will continue to take flak for what's been perceived as "disloyalty" to the USMNT following his self-imposed 2013 sabbatical, but that episode shouldn't discredit his achievements. For anyone who doubts Donovan's status in American soccer lore: He's the highest scoring American in World Cup history, and the national team's all-time leading goal scorer and assister. Those numbers, and his talent, are undeniable.