USMNT All-Time XI: Does Christian Pulisic make the minimize?

The Summer time of Stars is in full swing on FOX with the European Championship in Germany and the United States-hosted Copa América. Each tournaments function the world’s greatest soccer gamers, however what number of of them are all-time nice gamers for his or her respective nations?

To reply that query, FOX Sports activities has put collectively 11 all-time worldwide groups. Up subsequent is the United States.

*All-time stats and data for people talked about under seek advice from males’s nationwide group solely

GK: Brad Friedel

Caps: 82
Notable golf equipment: Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur

It is exhausting to not go together with Tim Howard, the People’ all-time caps chief in aim who made a World Cup file 15 saves within the 2014 spherical of 16 loss to Belgium. However with all respect to Howard, Friedel was essentially the most proficient in an extended line of elite USMNT keepers. In 2002, he backstopped essentially the most profitable U.S. group of the trendy period, saving two penalty kicks within the group stage — together with one in an important 1-1 tie with World Cup co-host South Korea — because the U.S. reached the quarterfinals. Friedel retired from the nationwide group a yr earlier than Germany 2006 however continued to excel within the English Premier League into his 40s. He nonetheless holds the Prem file for consecutive video games performed, with 310. 

DEF: Sergiño Dest

Caps: 32
Notable golf equipment: Ajax, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven

As strong a servant as Steve Cherundolo was because the USMNT’s No. 1 proper again for greater than a decade, Dest is essentially the most gifted proper again in program historical past. Born and raised within the Netherlands to a Dutch mom and American serviceman dad, he rejected the advances of then-Oranje supervisor Ronald Koeman and dedicated his worldwide future to the U.S. in 2019.  Simply 23, he is already suited up for Ajax, Barcelona, AC Milan and present membership PSV — groups with 17 European titles between them. Dest was a standout on the 2022 World Cup, beginning all for video games and offering the game-winning help to Christian Pulisic within the 1-0 group stage win over Iran — a victory that put the U.S. into the knockout stage. 

DEF: Eddie Pope

Caps: 82
Notable golf equipment: D.C. United, Actual Salt Lake

Extensively thought-about the very best U.S. defender of all time regardless of spending his complete skilled profession in Main League Soccer, Pope backstopped his nation to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002 and was a first-choice starter in 1998 and 2006, too. His elegant type on the sphere and low-key method off of it belied his bodily dominance, notably within the air. The College of North Carolina product was additionally excellent at membership stage, main D.C. United to a few MLS Cups, two Supporters Shields and Concacaf, Intercontinental and U.S. Open Cup titles within the late Nineties. 

DEF: Carlos Bocanegra

Caps: 110
Notable golf equipment: Chicago Hearth, Fulham, Rangers

A starter on the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Bocanegra captained the USMNT on the latter and on the 2009 Confederations Cup, the place the U.S. surprised all-conquering Spain within the semis earlier than falling 3-2 to Brazil within the ultimate. The UCLA product additionally wore the armband for Fulham within the Premier League and for Rangers in Scotland. Along with his management and lockdown defending, Bocanegra additionally had a penchant for scoring in huge moments. His 14 targets are essentially the most of any U.S. middle again, and he was Fulham’s second prime marksman through the 2006-07 season, trailing solely fellow American Brian McBride. 

Caps: 41
Notable golf equipment: Fulham

For many years, the USMNT’s left again depth chart was so shallow {that a} parade of proper backs or transformed wingers — Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Lewis and  DaMarcus Beasley amongst them — ended up manning the hard-to-fill spot. However pure lefty and famous Star Wars fan Robinson has made the place his personal. England born and raised, the lightning fast two-way fullback was one of many prime American performers on the 2022 World Cup, serving to shut down right-sided Three Lions stars Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka in a scoreless draw with England in Qatar. He is solely gotten higher since, rising as the most effective left backs within the Premier League in 2023-24 and profitable the Cottagers’ participant of the season award.

Caps: 51
Notable golf equipment: FC Schalke 04, Juventus

It isn’t simply that McKennie has been an computerized starter ever since making his U.S. debut — and scoring — towards Portugal in 2017, when he was nonetheless simply a youngster.  Now 25, the hard-running Texan was one of many prime midfielders in all of Italy’s Serie A final season. In Might, McKennie helped Juventus win the Italian Cup, his second since arriving in Turin in 2020. He is performed within the UEFA Champions League with each Juve and German membership Schalke, which signed the six-foot, box-to-box midfielder out of the FC Dallas academy in 2016. McKennie was voted U.S. Soccer’s Male Participant of the 12 months in 2020 and he was named the  Concacaf Nations League finals MVP a yr later. He began all 4 video games for the U.S. on the 2022 World Cup and in addition helped the USMNT retain their Nations League crown in 2023 and 2024, taking part in all 210 minutes on this yr’s finals because the People topped Jamaica within the semis and Mexico within the title decider.  

MID: John O’Brien

Caps: 32
Notable golf equipment: Ajax

Accidents minimize quick his ascendant profession, but it surely’s no coincidence that O’Brien was a key determine on the 2 most profitable U.S. males’s groups of the trendy period. The cerebral, technically sensible, two-way central midfielder logged each minute of the People’ run to the semifinals of the 2000 Olympics and the quarters on the 2002 World Cup, the place he scored the opening aim within the 3-1 group stage upset of Portugal. 

“When he is on the sphere, he makes us so a lot better,” U.S. captain Claudia Reyna stated on the time of O’Brien, who left his native California for Ajax’s famed academy at 16 and went on to assist the Amsterdam membership win two Dutch titles and attain the final eight of the Champions League. His final skilled match got here in 2006 on the age of 28. 

MID: Tab Ramos

Caps: 87
Notable golf equipment: Actual Betis, MetroStars

Arguably essentially the most skillful attacking expertise in program historical past, Ramos was the piano participant on U.S. squads dominated by piano carriers on the 1990, ’94 and ’98 World Cups. Born in Uruguay, Ramos moved to New Jersey at 11 and shortly discovered himself on the identical youth group as fellow future Nationwide Soccer Corridor of Fame inductee John Harkes. He was drafted by the New York Cosmos of the previous North American Soccer League whereas nonetheless in highschool, and although he accepted a university scholarship as an alternative, Ramos went on to play for Spain’s Actual Betis (who he helped get promoted to La Liga) and Tigres of Mexico earlier than coming house to assist launch MLS in 1996 as the brand new league’s first signing. A yr after being named Concacaf’s greatest participant, in 1994, he helped the U.S. attain the semifinals of the Copa América — a run that included a shocking 3-0 group stage win over Argentina. 

Caps: 66
Notable golf equipment: Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea FC, AC Milan

Nonetheless simply 25, Pulisic is effectively on his approach towards turning into the very best American males’s participant ever. He was the primary U.S. participant to look in and win the UEFA Champions League when he helped former membership Chelsea to the European title in 2021. He is acquired 4 U.S. Soccer Participant of the 12 months awards already, tied with Landon Donovan for essentially the most all-time, and he scored the game-winner over Iran to ship the USMNT to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup. Pulisic is barely enhancing as his prime approaches. In his first season with Italian titan AC Milan in 2023-24, Pulisic set profession highs in targets (15), video games (50) and minutes performed (3,617). His subsequent strike for the U.S. will pull him even with Brian McBride for fifth on the USMNT’s all-time scoring chart and simply two shy of fourth-place Eric Wynalda. 

FW: Clint Dempsey

Caps: 141
Notable golf equipment: New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Seattle Sounders FC

The one American to search out the web at three completely different World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014), Dempsey can also be the joint-top scorer for the nationwide group together with Donovan — although “Deuce” bagged his 57 profession U.S. targets in 16 fewer video games. The rangy Texan would absolutely stand alone if not for a coronary heart ailment that sidelined him for elements of 2016 and ’17. Dempsey can also be nonetheless Fulham’s all-time main scorer in England’s Premier League, with 50 Prem targets for the London membership between 2006-12. He tallied one other 47 instances for the Seattle Sounders and gained an MLS Cup earlier than calling it a profession halfway by way of the 2018 season. 

FW: Landon Donovan

Caps: 157
Notable golf equipment: San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy, Bayern Munich, Everton

Donovan burst on the scene on the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the place the Southern Californian gained the Golden Ball because the match’s greatest participant and led the People to the semifinals. Three years later, he scored twice on the foremost occasion in Japan/Korea because the U.S. narrowly misplaced to Germany within the quarters. (Donovan was named the highest teenager on the 2002 World Cup afterward.) He had three targets in 4 video games in South Africa in 2010, and he gained a file six MLS Cups between stints with topflight European golf equipment Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Everton. With 58 profession assists, Donovan trails solely Brazilian nice Neymar for essentially the most helpers ever on the worldwide stage. 

Honorable point out

Tim Howard, Marcelo Balboa, DaMarcus Beasley, Claudio Reyna, Michael Bradley 

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports activities. Earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities and he has lined the United States males’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Comply with him at @ByDougMcIntyre.

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