The Greatest American Soccer Players Ever

Believe it or not, there have been some seriously successful soccer players to come out of America in the past few decades, especially several who have thrived in Europe or torn up Major League Soccer in the U.S.

Who are these wonders? Let’s have a look at the top 5 greatest players of all time and maybe they’ll give you a little insight into choices when you bet online.

1. Christian Pulisic

We’d call Christian Pulistic one of the top young American soccer players of all time. Dubbed “Captain America,” he has been capped for the USMNT no less than 44 times at the youth level and scored a whopping 22 goals. In 2019, at the age of just 22, he helped USMNT reach the finals of the Gold Cup and he’s a multi-time winner of the US Soccer Player of the Year title. He’s also the most expensive North American player ever, having moved to Chelsea for $73 million.

2. Landon Donovan

While Landon Donovan is now retired, he made American football history as the best all-time scorer and most assists. He’s been capped 157 times, scored 200 goals within an international career and he’s played for known clubs like Bayern Munich and Everton. Back in the U.S. he predominantly played for LA Galaxy and is the club’s second-most capped player of all time.

3. Michael Bradley

When it comes to USMNT history, Michael Bradley is one of the most capped players in history, having played more than 150 times for his country. He’s also been referred to as the best box-to-box midfielder with an incredible ability to dictate the tempo of games in his energetic and intelligent style of play. Within the USMNT, Bradley scooped the Gold Cup in both 2007 and 2017, he was named 2009 runner-up in the FIFA Confederations Cup and 2015 Male US Soccer Player of the year.

4. Brian McBride

As a forward, Brian McBride has been capped 96 times and scored 30 goals, making him the fifth all-time USMNT goal scorer. He’s participated in three world cups and came out of retirement specially to serve as captain and play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
As for club players, McBride scored 137 goals and appeared no less than 417 times. He played on and off for several European clubs, but his career really took off when he joined Fulham, with his performance soaring year on year.
In the four years that he spent at Fulham, McBride scored 33 goals, making him one of the most revered Fulham players with a bar in the area even named after him.

5. Brad Friedel

Friedel is a standout player for us for several reasons. Firstly, he spent most of his career outside of the U.S., with just one year spent as a goalkeeper in the American soccer league.

That aside, Friedel is still one of the top male American soccer players of all time and his time spent in one of the best leagues in the world doesn’t go unnoticed. Friedel holds the record for most consecutive appearances in the European Premier League, was voted into the PFA Team of the Year back in 2003 and won the 2002 League Cup.

As if all that’s not enough to make our top list of greatest ever American soccer players, Friedel also represented the American male national soccer team in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. He was especially noted during the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stages when he saved a penalty against the South Korean team and the Polish team. In fact, it was this that earned him the record as the first-ever goalkeeper to save two penalties within regular time during the tournament.