The best US football players of all time

The United States are a fast-growing footballing nation, currently experiencing somewhat of a golden generation.

Football is finally starting to fight back against some of the more popular sports, such as basketball and American football.

As FIFA World Cup regulars, the United States qualified seven times in a row; a feat spanning from Italia 1990 to Brazil 2014, before narrowly missing out on Russia 2018.

This huge nation boasts an abundance of talent across Europe, such as Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest, who currently play for Chelsea and Barcelona respectively.

This article will discuss the top 5 football players from the US, counting down to the best of the best!

5. Tim Howard

Caps: 121

This legendary Everton and Manchester United shot stopper is the USA’s most capped goalkeeper of all time. He was ever-reliable in between the sticks throughout four World Cup campaigns.

In the USA’s last World Cup appearance in 2014, Howard set a record for the most saves in a match against Belgium. This led to him being dubbed the “Secretary of defence”.

Unsurprisingly, Howard never recorded a goal for the national team, but he did score for the Toffees when a routine clearance found its way into the net against Bolton Wanderers.

4. Brian McBride

Caps: 95

Goals: 30

Brian McBride is an iconic name in American footballing history, as the star of their 2002 World Cup. At this event, the US shocked Portugal in a 3-2 win that culminated in a Quarter Final appearance.

McBride was a prolific goal scorer and currently stands at fifth place in USA’s all time goal scoring records.

The forward was also a big name in English football, earning legendary status at Fulham, where he found the net 33 times in 140 appearances.

3. Brad Friedel

Caps: 82

The USA certainly do not struggle to produce top-quality goalkeepers, and that is why this shot stopper also makes the list!

Brad Friedel was a Premier League icon, lining up for Liverpool, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Blackburn during his career.

Friedel holds the record for most consecutive league appearances, which stands at 310. This was an incredible feat, in addition to his ranking of 8th in all time Premier League clean sheets.

The American goalkeeper started off the modern cohort of American players making an impact in Europe, and he was renowned for his strong reflexes and reliability in commanding his area.

2. Clint Dempsey

Caps: 141

Goals: 57

It is clear from Clint Dempsey’s international record why he is regarded so highly by US football fans.

With 57 goals for the U.S. men’s team, Dempsey co-holds the record for most goals ever scored for the national tea.

He is a fiery and tenacious attack-minded player, as determined off the ball as on it, and always working hard for his team whether they were in possession or under pressure.

In all three FIFA World Cups he attended, he found the net- notably against Ghana in 2014 when he scored the fifth-fastest goal in tournament history.

Dempsey established himself in the Premier League at both Fulham and Tottenham, and with 50 goals overall, he still holds the record for Fulham’s most goals in the league.

Dempsey is also an icon at Craven Cottage and he played a huge part in their run to the Europa League final in 2009, which they unfortunately lost against Juventus in Vilnius.

The attacking midfielder is also another American who had a huge influence in Europe and paved the way for future stars to make the jump to Premier League football.

1. Landon Donovan

Caps: 157

Goals: 57

Donovan shares the record for the most goals for the USA, and he also holds the record for the most assists at 58. He remains the only player to exceed 50 goals and 50 assists for his country.

Donovan is also the second most capped player for his country, only bettered by Kobi Jones.

Donovan holds the record for most MLS assists at 136, and he also endured many spells in Europe, on loan at Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, as well as a couple of spells at Goodison Park where he quickly become a fan favourite amongst Everton fans.

The Californian-born player was a versatile forward whose contributions for the national team are unmatched. Similar to Dempsey and Friedel, he played a big part in inspiring the next generation.

The highlights of his national career were in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, where he scored in the comeback against Slovenia, as well as netting in the dying moments against Algeria on matchday three.

He earned the USA their first ever group stage first place finish.

His long time international and club manager Bruce Arena once stated that the sole problem with Landon was that he was the best player at so many positions that he never knew where to put him!