33·Legends

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United States

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The 33 of United States

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88 Clint Dempsey 141 caps · 57 goals · New England Revolution, FulhamNatal, 16 June 2014: twenty-nine seconds against Ghana and Dempsey had already cut inside John Boye and driven the ball in off the far post, the fastest goal an American has scored at a World Cup. He shares the United States scoring record with Landon Donovan on 57 goals, is the only American to score at three World Cups, won the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2017, and left Fulham as their leading Premier League scorer with 50. CAM2007–17

88 Landon Donovan 157 caps · 57 goals · Bayer 04 Leverkusen, San Jose EarthquakesAltidore cut it back, Dempsey's shot was saved, and Donovan followed it in ninety-one minutes into the goalless match with Algeria on 23 June 2010, putting the United States through as group winners for the first time since 1930. Six MLS Cups and four Gold Cups sit next to 57 international goals, level with Dempsey as the American record, 136 MLS assists that still lead the league, and five World Cup goals, more than any other American. CAM1930–2010

86 Christian Pulisic 84 caps · 32 goals · Borussia Dortmund, ChelseaOn 29 November 2022 in Doha he forced the ball past Alireza Beiranvand from close range and took the goalkeeper's knee into his midriff, a goal that carried the United States into the last 16 and sent him to hospital at half time. The Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup followed with Chelsea in 2021, a German cup with Dortmund before that, three Concacaf Nations League titles and four US Soccer Player of the Year awards. CM2021–22

86 Claudio Reyna 112 caps · 8 goals · VfL Wolfsburg, RangersEight minutes into the Jeonju round of 16 against Mexico on 17 June 2002, he carried the ball down the right, cut it back across the six-yard box and left Brian McBride the finish that started Dos a Cero. He was named to the 2002 World Cup All-Star team, the first American chosen, won the Scottish league and cup double with Rangers in 2000, and captained the United States across four World Cups and 112 caps. CM2000–02

5 TH 86 Tim Howard 121 caps · New York Red Bulls, Manchester United · Hall of Fame 2024Belgium kept shooting on 1 July 2014 in Salvador and he kept saving, more than any goalkeeper in a World Cup match on record, and by full time fans had edited Wikipedia to list him as US Secretary of Defense. He won the FA Cup and League Cup at Manchester United, the Gold Cup with the United States in 2007 and 2017, and finished as his country's most capped goalkeeper on 121. GK2007–17

85 Brad Friedel 82 caps · Blackburn Rovers, Aston VillaIn Daegu on 10 June 2002 he pushed away Lee Eul-yong's penalty, then saved another against Poland four days later, the first goalkeeper since Jan Tomaszewski in 1974 to stop two spot kicks in World Cup play. He reached the 2002 quarter-finals with that side, won the League Cup with Blackburn the same year, made the PFA Team of the Year in 2003 and put together 310 consecutive Premier League appearances, the competition record. GK1974–2003

84 Brian McBride 95 caps · 30 goals · Columbus Crew, FulhamFulham renamed the sports bar at Craven Cottage McBride's in June 2009, more than a year after he left, which tells you how the ground felt about a striker who headed everything that came into the box. He was the first American to score at two World Cups, once against Iran in 1998 and twice in 2002, won the 2002 Gold Cup as its best player and top scorer, and sits in the MLS All-Time Best XI. SS1998–2009

8 EP 84 Eddie Pope 82 caps · D.C. United, New York Red BullsNinety-four minutes into the first MLS Cup, on a flooded Foxborough pitch on 20 October 1996, the 22-year-old rookie met Marco Etcheverry's corner with his head and won it for D.C. United after they had trailed 2-0. Two more MLS Cups followed at D.C. United, with two Supporters' Shields, the 1998 Concacaf Champions' Cup and Copa Interamericana, then the 2005 Gold Cup, three World Cups and a place in the MLS All-Time Best XI. CB1996–2005

9 KK 84 Kasey Keller 102 caps · Millwall, Leicester CityTen saves against Brazil at the Los Angeles Coliseum on 10 February 1998 gave the United States a 1-0 win, and Romário broke off mid-match to shake his hand, later calling it the best goalkeeping he had seen. He won the League Cup with Leicester in 1997, three Gold Cups with the United States in 2002, 2005 and 2007, three US Open Cups at Seattle, and was picked for four World Cups across 102 caps. GK1997–2007

84 Michael Bradley 151 caps · SC Heerenveen, Borussia MönchengladbachTwo down at half time to Slovenia at Ellis Park on 18 June 2010, the United States were finished until he chased Jozy Altidore's knockdown into the box and lifted the ball over Samir Handanović for 2-2. He captained Toronto to the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield double of 2017, added four Canadian Championships, won the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2017 with the Golden Ball in the second, and finished on 151 caps. CDM2007–17

84 Steve Cherundolo 87 caps · Hannover 96Fifteen seasons at Hannover 96 and 302 Bundesliga games later, fans on both sides of the Atlantic were calling him the Mayor of Hannover, and in 2010 he played all 390 of the United States' World Cup minutes at right back. He won the 2005 Gold Cup, took Hannover up as 2. Bundesliga champions in 2002, earned 87 caps across two World Cups, and entered the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021. RB2002–21

83 Carlos Bocanegra 110 caps · Chicago Fire, Stade RennaisOn 24 June 2009 he led the United States out against a Spain side unbeaten in 35 matches and walked off in Bloemfontein with a 2-0 win and a clean sheet, one of 64 nights he wore the armband. Gold Cup winner in 2002 and 2007, he finished with 110 caps and 14 goals, won two US Open Cups with Chicago, and was the first player to take MLS Defender of the Year twice. CB2002–09

13 DB 83 DaMarcus Beasley 126 caps · Chicago Fire, PueblaTwelve Champions League nights in 2004-05 brought him four goals, and when PSV met Milan in the semi-finals that spring he became the first American to play at that stage. He remains the only American man to play in four World Cups, 2002 through 2014, and he won four Gold Cups, two Eredivisie titles with PSV, two Scottish league titles with Rangers, and election to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2023. LB2002–23

14 TR 83 Tab Ramos 81 caps · 8 goals · UE Figueres, Tigres UANLOn 4 July 1994 at Stanford, Brazil's Leonardo caught Ramos with an elbow that fractured his skull and put him out of football for months; Leonardo was sent off and banned for four matches. He played at three World Cups, won 81 caps, was U.S. Soccer's Athlete of the Year in 1990, became the first player ever signed by MLS in January 1995, and entered the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005. CM1990–2005

15 WM 83 Weston McKennie 62 caps · 11 goals · Schalke 04, JuventusHe picked up a return pass from Cuadrado at Camp Nou on 8 December 2020 and hit a volley from the edge of the area, Juventus two up on Barcelona inside twenty minutes. He has won three CONCACAF Nations League titles with the United States, two Coppa Italia and the 2020 Supercoppa with Juventus, was U.S. Soccer's Male Player of the Year in 2020, and holds the USMNT record for the fastest hat-trick, thirteen minutes against Cuba. CM2020s

82 Antonee Robinson Everton, Wigan AthleticTen assists in the 2024-25 Premier League made him the most productive defender in the division and put him level with the Fulham club record Steed Malbranque set in 2003-04. He has three CONCACAF Nations League titles with the United States, promotion from the Championship in 2022, U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2024 as the first defender named since Oguchi Onyewu, and Fulham's Player of the Season a year before that. LB2003–24

17 CJ 82 Cobi Jones 164 caps · 15 goals · Coventry City, CR Vasco da GamaLatin American commentators watched the bleached dreadlocks streaming down the flank and called him Escobillón, the swab, and when he played his last Galaxy match on 21 October 2007 the club retired his number 13. His 164 caps remain the United States record, taken across the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and he won two MLS Cups, two Supporters' Shields, two Open Cups and the 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup with Los Angeles. LM1994–2007

18 EW 82 Eric Wynalda 106 caps · 34 goals · 1. FC Saarbrücken, VfL BochumOn 18 June 1994 at the Pontiac Silverdome he bent a free kick from 28 yards over the Swiss wall, the goal that saved a 1-1 draw and helped carry the hosts into the second round. Gold Cup winner in 1991, United States record scorer with 34 goals in 106 caps until Landon Donovan passed him, first American-born player at a top-flight German club, and scorer of the first goal in MLS history on 6 April 1996. SS1991–96

82 Jermaine Jones Eintracht Frankfurt, Eintracht Frankfurt IIA clearance dropped to him 30 yards out in Manaus on 22 June 2014, and he cut onto his right foot and bent the shot past Beto into the far corner to level the game against Portugal in the 64th minute. He won the DFB-Pokal with Schalke in 2011 and the German Supercup the same year, reached the 2011 Gold Cup final and the 2014 MLS Cup final, and finished with 69 caps and four goals. CDM2011–14

20 MB 82 Marcelo Balboa 127 caps · San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, Club LeónIn the 2-1 win over Colombia at the Rose Bowl on 22 June 1994, he turned his back to goal and somersaulted into an overhead kick that missed by inches, and Americans have been replaying it since. He was the first American to reach 100 caps, finished on 127 across three World Cups, won the 1991 Gold Cup, was U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1994, and made the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. CB1991–94

21 ES 81 Earnie Stewart 101 caps · 17 goals · VVV-Venlo, Willem IITab Ramos slipped the ball through and Stewart met it in the 52nd minute at the Rose Bowl on 22 June 1994, the goal that beat Colombia and gave the United States its first World Cup win since 1950. MLS Cup with D.C. United in 2004, US Soccer athlete of the year in 2001, 101 caps and 17 goals across three World Cups, and 115 goals in 427 Dutch league games for VVV, Willem II and NAC Breda. RM1950–2004

22 JH 81 John Harkes 90 caps · 6 goals · Sheffield Wednesday, Derby CountyFrom 35 yards at the Baseball Ground on 12 December 1990 he beat Peter Shilton, and the strike that put Derby County out of the League Cup was voted England's goal of the season. Wednesday won that cup at Wembley in April 1991, with Harkes the first American in a major final there, and he later scored in the 1993 League Cup final, took MLS Cup in 1996 and 1997 with D.C. United, and earned 90 caps. LM1990–97

81 Oguchi Onyewu 69 caps · R.A.A. Louviéroise, Standard LiègeA header in extra time against Honduras carried the United States into the 2005 Gold Cup final, the first international goal from a centre back who at 6ft 4in remains the second-tallest outfield player the country has capped. He lifted that Gold Cup, took back-to-back Belgian titles with Standard Liège in 2008 and 2009, played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2006. CB2005–10

24 AL 80 Alexi Lalas 96 caps · Calcio Padova, New England RevolutionPadova signed him straight out of the 1994 World Cup and he played 33 Serie A games that season as the first American in the Italian league, scoring from set pieces against both Milan and Internazionale. MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield with the LA Galaxy in 2002, a CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2000, a US Open Cup in 2001, US Soccer athlete of the year in 1995, and 96 caps including four starts at the 1994 World Cup. CB1994–2002

25 GC 80 Geoff Cameron Rhode Island Stingrays, Houston DynamoStoke signed him in 2012 as a centre-back and Tony Pulis put him at right-back, where he played in all 38 Premier League matches of his first season in England. The round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup was his high point with the United States, followed by fourth place at the Copa América Centenario in 2016, an MLS Best XI place in 2009, the 2011 MLS Cup final with Houston, six seasons at Stoke, and 55 caps. CB2009–16

80 Jozy Altidore 110 caps · 41 goals · New York Red Bulls, Hull City A.F.C.Bloemfontein, 24 June 2009: Clint Dempsey slid him the ball and he scored the goal that broke Spain's 35-match unbeaten run at the Confederations Cup, aged nineteen. He won the 2017 Gold Cup, scored 42 goals in 115 caps across two World Cups, hit 23 Eredivisie goals for AZ in 2012-13, and opened the 2017 MLS Cup final for Toronto before being named its most valuable player. ST2009–17

27 P 80 Preki 28 caps · 4 goals · Tacoma Stars, St. Louis StormAt 40 he was voted most valuable player in Major League Soccer for a second time in 2003, then at 42 he scored in the 90th minute of the last game of 2005, the oldest goalscorer the league has had. Two MLS MVP awards and two scoring titles, MLS Cup with Kansas City in 2000, a Yugoslav championship with Red Star Belgrade in 1984, a record 270 career points, and 28 caps after he became an American citizen in 1996. ST1984–2005

28 JM 79 Joe-Max Moore 100 caps · 24 goals · 1. FC Nürnberg, New England RevolutionOn 7 October 2001 at Foxboro, with a World Cup place on the line, Moore scored both goals against Jamaica to send the United States to Korea and Japan. He finished with 100 caps and 24 goals, played at three World Cups, spent three seasons at Everton in the Premier League, and joined the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2013. ST2001–13

79 Pablo Mastroeni 65 caps · Miami Fusion, Colorado RapidsColorado retired the number 25 in 2021, the first shirt the club ever took out of circulation, for a midfielder who spent a decade breaking up play in front of their back four. He captained the Rapids to the 2010 MLS Cup, won three CONCACAF Gold Cups with the United States in 2002, 2005 and 2007, took a Supporters' Shield with Miami Fusion in 2001, and collected 65 caps across two World Cups. CDM2001–21

78 DeAndre Yedlin Sound, Tottenham HotspurKlinsmann sent him on in the 72nd minute against Portugal in Manaus on 22 June 2014, a 20-year-old with one MLS season behind him, and by the Belgium tie he was starting. Eighty-one caps followed, the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, the Championship title at Newcastle in 2017, the Leagues Cup and Supporters' Shield at Inter Miami, and the distinction of being the only American to appear at both the 2014 and 2022 World Cups. RB2014–22

78 Gio Reyna Borussia Dortmund, Nottingham ForestTwenty-six passes and seventy seconds after Paraguay lost the ball, Reyna curled Alex Freeman's pass in with the outside of his right boot, eight minutes into stoppage time on 12 June 2026, for 4-1 in the United States' opening game of the home World Cup. Three CONCACAF Nations League titles, the 2021 DFB-Pokal with Dortmund, and a record still his: youngest scorer in German Cup history, seventeen against Werder Bremen in February 2020. CAM2020–26

32 PC 78 Paul Caligiuri 110 caps · 5 goals · SV Meppen, Columbus CrewOn 19 November 1989 in Port of Spain, half an hour into a qualifier the United States had to win, he took Bruce Murray's bouncing pass, cut inside a defender and looped a left-footed shot over Michael Maurice from outside the box. That one goal carried the Americans to the 1990 World Cup after a 40-year absence; he then played at Italia 90 and USA 94, won the 1991 Gold Cup and finished with 110 caps. RM1989–91

33 JS 77 Josh Sargent SV Werder Bremen, Norwich CityHis first touch in the Bundesliga was a goal: on 7 December 2018 he came on for Werder Bremen against Düsseldorf and hit the net inside two minutes, six months after doing the same on his United States debut. Sixteen Championship goals in 2023-24 and fifteen the next season made him Norwich's Player of the Season and an EFL Team of the Season pick; he holds a 2021 Concacaf Nations League medal and played at the 2022 World Cup. ST2018–23

About this XI

The three highest rated names in United States's pool are Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Christian Pulisic. The 33 covers 3 goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 14 midfielders and 6 forwards. Clint Dempsey leads the pool at 88 overall. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.

Who is the greatest United States footballer of all time?

In the 33 Legends editorial ranking, Clint Dempsey leads United States with an overall rating of 88. The editorial top five: Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, Claudio Reyna, Tim Howard. The people's ranking on this page moves with every duel vote and can disagree.

How were these 33 United States players chosen?

The pool covers every position across United States's football history. Ratings weigh peak level, longevity, honours and historical standing, then the full methodology page explains the tiers. Fan votes in the duels build a second, independent ranking.

Which United States players reach the Immortal tier or higher?

None yet. Clint Dempsey leads the United States pool at 88, in the Legend tier.

Can I build and share my own United States all-time XI?

Yes. Pick one of eight formations, drag any of the 33 onto the pitch, and export your lineup as a PNG. There is no account and no sign-up.