While America excels in sports like baseball, basketball, and athletics, soccer has often struggled to gain the same level of attention, despite significant efforts to grow the game domestically.
There have been moments of brilliance, like the USMNT’s memorable quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup and its seven Gold Cup titles. Yet, for the most part, soccer glory has remained just out of reach for the nation.
Still, despite the challenges, America has, especially in recent years, produced a remarkable list of soccer talent—none more remarkable than the players featured here.
25. Jozy Altidore
With just two goals in 70 games, anyone who watched Jozy Altidore during his Premier League stint with Hull City and Sunderland might understandably think he was dreadful.
The Daily Mail certainly did, naming him the worst striker in the history of England’s top flight in 2017.
On home turf, however, Altidore was a different beast.
A two-time U.S. Soccer Player of the Year winner, the hulking striker scored 79 goals in 202 MLS games for the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, and the New England Revolution, as well as 42 in 115 games for the USMNT––a figure which makes him his country's third-highest scorer of all time.
24. Jermaine Jones
Though born in Germany and having represented them internationally on three occasions, Jermaine Jones was very much American by nature—at least on the soccer pitch.
He approached every one of his 69 games for the USMNT like a battle, lunging for every ball, sprinting end-to-end, and leaving everything on the field to help his team win, with his passion often stoking the fire in those around him.
Jones' technical ability should not be overlooked either, as best demonstrated by his superb long-range strike against Portugal at the 2014 World Cup.
23. Alexi Lalas
Alexi Lalas may have been recognized for his striking appearance, but the National Soccer Hall of Famer was far more than his signature ginger goatee and mop of hair.
A fervent defender, Lalas was the first-ever American to play in Italy's Serie A, where he spent two years with Padova after the 1994 World Cup.
It was with LA Galaxy between 2001 and 2003, though, where he enjoyed the most success, winning four trophies, including the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and MLS Cup.
22. Chris Wondolowski
Chris Wondolowski's legacy is haunted by the most infamous miss in USMNT history.
During the USA's round of 16 match against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, he squandered a golden chance to score the winning goal in the dying moments, firing over the bar from six yards out.
Belgium went on to win 2-1 in extra time.
Despite that horror miss, Wondolowski, who is the MLS all-time top scorer with 171 goals, remains one of America's greatest-ever strikers.
21. Weston McKennie
Almost a decade as a regular starter in two of Europe's big five leagues should tell you all you need to know about why Weston McKennie is on this list.
After taking the German Bundesliga by storm as a baby-faced midfield dynamo with FC Schalke, McKennie secured a well-deserved move to Italian giant Juventus in 2020, where he's since gone from strength-to-strength.
We'll turn a blind eye to his disappointing loan spell at Leeds United, though.
20. Earnie Stewart
Earnie Stewart spent the majority of his career in the Netherlands, his country of birth, enjoying successful spells with VVV-Venlo, Willem II, and NAC Breda.
A pacey and intelligent forward capable of playing as either a striker or winger, Stewart's 111 goals in the Netherlands makes him the highest-scoring American in European club competitions.
19. Michael Bradley
The son of former USMNT coach Bob Bradley, Michael Bradley burst onto the MLS scene with MetroStars as a teenager in 2005, and his impressive displays at the heart of midfield quickly caught the eye of clubs from Europe.
After a two years in the Netherlands with Heerenveen, Bradley went on to play in Germany, England (albeit briefly), and Italy before returning to North America with FC Toronto in 2014, where he went on to help the club lift a first-ever MLS Cup in 2017.
Bradley also made 151 appearances for the USMNT, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup twice.
18. Gio Reyna
It may seem a little premature to put Gio Reyna on this list given that he's just 22 years old. Watch him play, however, and you'll understand exactly why he's made the cut.
Boasting a killer first touch, an acute eye for a pass, and the kind of feet that can confuse even the most astute defenders, Reyna is a joy to watch. His old Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose once described him as "a taller version of [Andres] Iniesta.'”
Sadly, however, he has gone backwards in recent years due to injuries and an ill-fated move to Nottingham Forest. But find the right club and stay fit, and he could go on to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, American soccer players of all time.
17. Eric Wynalda
Only three players in history have scored more goals for the USMNT than Eric Wynalda, who netted 34 times for the Stars and Stripes in 106 games between 1990 and 2000.
His stunning 30-yard free-kick against Switzerland at the 1994 World Cup, scored despite suffering from a bout of hives at the time, holds a special place in American soccer history.
The goal secured a 1-1 draw, earning the USMNT their first World Cup point since 1950 and helping them advance to the round of 16.
16. Kasey Keller
Leicester City fans will fondly remember Kasey Keller as the young, American buck whose stellar performances between the sticks helped their club win the League Cup in 1997.
Seattle Sounders fans, other the hand, will recall him as the sturdy veteran who captained the team during its early days in MLS, guiding it to three consecutive U.S. Open Cups and helping establish it as one of the division's major franchises.
For the USMNT, meanwhile, Keller will always be the man who shut out Brazil in the semifinals of the 1998 Gold Cup with a display described by the legendary Romario as "greatest performance by a goalkeeper I have ever seen."
15. Brian McBride
Brian McBride can lay claim to having one of the best, and funniest, nicknames in soccer history: "McHead."
Why, you ask, was McBride called that? Well, his surname is McBride, and he was really, really, good at heading the ball.
Simple.
The first player picked in the inaugural MLS draft in 1996, McBride not only enjoyed success on home soil and with the USMNT, but also in the Premier League with Everton and, most notably, Fulham, where he scored 41 goals in four-and-a-half seasons.
So revered was he at Craven Cottage, that, before the ground was recently renovated, he had a bar named after him inside the stadium. Anybody for a McPint?
14. John O'Brien
John O'Brien was one of the first Americans to earn a starting spot with a major European team, making 83 appearances and winning two league titles for none other than the mighty Ajax between 1999 and 2005.
Injuries, however, sadly cut short what could have been a truly brilliant career for the midfielder, who possessed exceptional technical ability, vision, and composure on the ball, qualities that made him a standout for both club and country.
At his apex in 2006, Landon Donovan called him the “best soccer player in the USA.”
13. Steve Cherundolo
Steve Cherundolo is a rare case of a USMNT legend who never played in MLS, instead spending his entire professional career in Germany—a path that has become increasingly common in recent years—with Hannover 96.
Nicknamed "The Mayor of Hannover," Cherundolo played a pivotal role in helping the club gain promotion to the Bundesliga in 2002, marking their return to the top flight for the first time since the 1980s. He went on to set a club record with 302 Bundesliga appearances before retiring in 2014.
Fluent in German and cherished by Hannover's fans, the Illinois-born defender was a trailblazer both on and off the pitch.
12. Carlos Bocanegra
While Landon Donovan was the headline-grabbing attacking star of the USA team that ascended onto the world stage in the noughties, Carlos Bocanegra was steady and reliable stalwart that kept things watertight at the back.
The longest-serving captain in USMNT history, Bocanegra was both quick and strong in the air, but also possessed the sort of positional awareness that allowed him to thrive domestically in Europe in a period when other American outfielders had struggled to do so.
11. Tim Howard
"It will take a nation of millions to hold me back," wrote an 18-year-old Tim Howard in his high school year book back in 1997.
What was a clear homage to one of his favorite rap groups, Public Enemy, later turned out to be an eerie foreshadowing of things to come for Howard—specifically his stunning performance for the USMNT against Belgium in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, when he made a record-breaking 16 saves.
Belgium, a nation with nearly 12 million people, went on to win the game, but Howard's performance remains one of the best in World Cup history, and proved that it really would take an entire country to best him.
More than just a one-game wonder, Howard is a Premier League legend who valiantly manned the goal for both Manchester United and Everton on almost 500 occasions.
10. DaMarcus Beasley
DaMarcus Beasley essentially had two distinct careers.
In his first, he excelled as a winger, using his blistering pace and ability to torment defenders to win league titles with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Rangers in Scotland, while also representing the USMNT at three World Cups.
The second phase of his career came thanks to a stroke of tactical genius from former USA coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who transitioned Beasley to a full-back.
The switch not only allowed Beasley to extend his domestic career by nearly a decade, but also earned him the distinction of being the only player in USMNT history to play at four World Cups.
9. Marcelo Balboa
Alexi Lalas often takes all the plaudits when it comes to American soccer players with great hair-and-facial-hair combos, but we think Marcelo Balboa, with his glorious mullet and thick mustache, could give him a real run for his money.
He wasn't a bad player, either.
The first player to earn 100 caps for the USMNT, Balboa was ahead of his time in many ways, valuing technical ability and composure on the ball over brute strength and physicality.
8. Tab Ramos
Tab Ramos's career, though relatively short due to a series of brutal injuries, was undeniably impactful.
A fleet-footed midfield maestro, the Uruguayan-born star first made a name for himself in Spain with Figueres and Real Betis before becoming Major League Soccer's first-ever signing in 1995, joining the MetroStars.
Ramos went on to play seven seasons for the club—now known as the New York Red Bulls—earning MLS All-Star honors in 1996, 1998, and 1999.
In addition to representing the USMNT at three World Cups, Ramos was named to the CONCACAF Team of the Century in 1998, cementing his place as a US soccer legend.
7. Cobi Jones
No player in USMNT history has stepped out wearing the famous white and red (and occasionally denim) jersey more than Cobi Jones, who earned 164 caps between 1992 and 2004.
Though slight in stature, Jones was combative and tenacious in nature. He was also highly versatile, capable of playing across the midfield or even as a forward for both the national team and LA Galaxy, where he is again the record appearance maker.
6. Eddie Pope
Quiet and unassuming, but athletic, intelligent, and with technical ability aplenty, Eddie Pope was heralded as one of the most complete defenders America has ever produced during his playing days, which were spent entirely in MLS.
A three time MLS Cup winner with DC United, Pope was he named an MLS All-Star on four occasions, and was also named in the division's All-Time Best XI in 2005.
Meanwhile for the USMNT, he started each of 82 games he played between 1996 and 2006, playing a key role as Bruce Arena's side enjoyed an historic run to the last eight at the 2002 World Cup.
Pope's legacy may have been even greater had to taken one of the many opportunities he had to go and play in Europe, but he has no regrets.
“I don’t feel I missed anything by not going to Europe,” he told the New York Times upon retiring in 2007. “Sitting on the bench over there was not for me."
On the bench? We doubt it, Eddie.
5. Claudio Reyna
One of the first-ever American outfield players to have a successful career abroad, Claudio Reyna was a smooth operator in midfield who, perhaps thanks to being born and raised in Argentina, had flair and technical quality in abundance.
Alongside solid spells in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, England with Sunderland and Manchester City, and Scotland with Rangers, Reyna was also a star his country.
He played as three World Cups for the USMNT, including during their run to quarterfinals in 2002, when he was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Miroslav Klose.
4. Brad Friedel
As you would have surmised from this list, America has an impressive track record of producing great goalkeepers.
Brad Friedel is, or at least was, the best of the bunch.
A Premier League legend, no player in the division's history has ever made as many consecutive appearances as Friedel, who played 310 in a row for Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur between August 2004 and October 2012.
He also kept playing until he was an astonishing 42 years old. To play that often, for that long, you have to be pretty darn good.
3. Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan was the face of the USMNT and MLS for over a decade, serving as a poster boy for the growth of soccer in America with achievements that remain unmatched.
For the USMNT, he's the all-time assist leader with 58 and joint all-time top scorer with 57 goals. A four-time Gold Cup winner, he is also his country's second most-capped player with 158 appearances, trailing only Cobi Jones.
In MLS, Donovan won a record six MLS Cups with the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy, earned 13 All-Star selections, and holds the league record for most assists (136).
The only blemish on Donovan's illustrious resume was his inability to replicate his domestic success abroad during spells with Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Everton.
2. Clint Dempsey
Clint Dempsey is a perfect example of a Premier League player the "streets won't forget"—an overlooked baller who never quite reached superstardom but still left an indelible mark on the division, regularly making fans rise to their feet week after week.
Known for his flair, grit, and a knack for scoring spectacular goals, Dempsey played a pivotal role in transforming Fulham from relegation battlers to Europa League finalists and a stable top-half Premier League side, netting 60 goals—most from the left wing—across six remarkable seasons.
Among those goals, none was more iconic than his audacious chip in a 4-1 win over Juventus in the 2010 Europa League. From the edge of the area, Dempsey lofted the ball over Antonio Chimenti, a strike that epitomized both his own and Fulham's quintessentially American boldness and defiance.
1. Christian Pulisic
It's difficult to argue that Christian Pulisic doesn’t deserve the number one spot on this list.
Despite being just 25 years old, the aptly nicknamed "Captain America" has already surpassed the club-level achievements of any American soccer player before him.
He's played for and won trophies with three of Europe's biggest clubs—Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and AC Milan—most notably capturing the Champions League title with the Blues in 2021.
Pulisic is also the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick for Chelsea and is already the highest-scoring American in Serie A history.
For the USMNT, his legacy is firmly cemented, too. He's inspired the team to three CONCACAF Nations League titles and broken numerous records, including becoming the youngest captain in the national team's history in 2018 at just 20 years old.
Simply the best there's ever been and there's plenty more to come.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking The 25 Best American Soccer Players Of All Time.