As long stated, everyone loves lists.
Usually I'm loathe to do stuff like that, but what the hell. Let's make some subjective opinions and angry up the blood.
The genesis of today's list come from Rangers' 3-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League group stage. Generally, 'Gers can eat a bag of dicks, but since American DaMarcus Beasley tallied yet again in Europe it got me to thinking...
Currently, whom is the best American soccer professional worldwide?
This list is going to weigh heavily on current form and less on overall reputation (sorry Claudio Reyna). Honesty is also going to carry some weight. Danny Califf might be tearing up the Danish SuperLiga, but unless you're Mr. or Mrs. Califf and or have a name featuring the following characters -- ö, å, or ø -- you just don't know.
Before the list, a few possible candidates are going to be eliminated:
* Freddy Adu, Benfica (yet to start for Benefica in the league)
* Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards (best domestic American defender, just too injury prone.)
* Bobby Convey, Reading (always hurt, possibly not that good)
* Oguchi Oneywu, Standard Liege (currently playing in parts unknown, aka the Belgium Jupiler League...that Real Madrid transfer is still in the works, right?)
* Benny Feilhaber, Derby County (yet to establish himself in England)
* Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado (getting older, missing too many matches)
* Rico Clark/Chad Barrett/Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo (Dynamo trio just miss out)
* Ben Olsen, DC United (crafty, honest, excellent pro...just missed out)
* Marcus Hahnemann, Reading (a notch below other American keeper exports)
* Charlie Davies/Kamani Hill/Lee Ngyugen (too young, too unknown)
* Jonathon Spector, West Ham United (too nondescript)
Honorable mention: Jozy Altidore, RBNY -- Body of work is small, but boy can he dazzle. .. Jay DeMerit, Watford -- Stalwart might help Hornets back to the Prem, but is limited skillwise. ... Brian McBride, Fulham -- Hurt, but otherwise would have been a lock for the Top 5.
10. Frank Simek, Sheffield Wednesday -- Surprise right off the bat, right? Despite a mug that would place him front and center as a villain in an 80s high school movie, the former Arsenal trainee has been a model pro for the Owls. He's coming off years of 45 and 44 appearances in the rough-and-tumble England League Championship, which says a lot.
9. Carlos Bocanegra, Fulham -- A first choice start at Craven Cottage and now wearing the captain's armband. Can craftily get forward and contribute to the attack on set plays, yet far too often exposed defensively. Still, come a long way since moving to England in 2004 and has now racked up over 100 appearances.
8. Taylor Twellman, NE Revolution -- Take away his miserable showing in the US shirt, the "face" from New England is as steady a goalscorer as you'll find in MLS. Factor in that the Revs are continually among the top teams in the league and his 92 goals in 169 appearances and it's impossible to deny him. (Perhaps he can even help the Revs win their first trophy -- ever -- in tonight's US Open Cup final.)
7. Michael Bradley, SC Heerenveen -- From fringe, glorified practice player with the MetroStars to starter in the Dutch Eredivisie all inside of four seasons. Not bad for a guy that just turned 20.
6. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy -- Obviously a lightning rod for any American soccer fan, yet it's hard to dispute that he's been the best player in MLS this century. Probably should dock 'professionalism points' for quitting Bayer Leverkausen, but that's frankly become a moot point in my book. It was around three years ago, everyone should be able to move on by now.
5. Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96 -- In a lot of ways, the anti-Donovan. He went to Germany in 1999 and instead of sulking, pining for the beach and locking himself in his room to play video games. Instead 'Dolo took it upon himself to integrate into Der Motherland and learn the culture and language. (Granted he was 20 and had spend two years in college, while Donovan was 17.) 225 Bundesliga appearances and counting, plus the vice-captaincy and Cherundolo is in a lot of ways the model American ex-pat soccer pro.
4. Clint Dempsey, Fulham -- Small body of work, but the Deuce has already made quite and impact at Craven Cottage. His goal last year v. Liverpool likely kept Fulham in the top division and so far this year he had a streak of three straight games with a goal. The biggest knock on the man from Nogadoches, Texas is he can absolutely drift and disappear from games. If I did this list in Sept. 2008, he's the odds-on favorite for the No. 1 slot.
3. Brad Friedel, Blackburn Rovers -- Without question the best American export of all time. Despite just 25 sporadic games, he's theonly first American to play for one Europe's 'glamor' clubs in Liverpool (1997-2000). Since his move to Blackburn he's probably been aside from perhaps Steven Gerrard and maybe Paul Scholes, the most important player to his club. Friedel has started nearly every game for the club and his command of the area got them through some dodgy times. It's just a shame he retired from International play after the 2002 World Cup. It's also a shame he speaks with a fake English accent. Then again, no one is perfect.
2. DaMarcus Beasley, Glasgow Rangers -- Let's throw out the lost season at Manchester City. Beasley, first at PSV and now at Rangers, is the best American in the UEFA Champions League -- by a mile. He's already scored six goals in the competition, which just might be six more than the rest of our country combined. He's also the only American to reach the competition's semifinals. When his head's screwed on straight, the Beaz is probably the most technically sound Yank around. Again, the only knock is he moved to Rangers, but they are a moderately large club and are continually in the Champions League. (Commentor Fan's Attic points out Jovan Kirovski scored for Borussia Dortmund in the mid 90s in the Champions League, though it's unclear if he played enough games to garner a winner's medal.)
1. Tim Howard, Everton -- Voted by the PFA into the 2004 Best XI of the Premier League as a keeper, probably the highest non-MLS award ever for an American player. He won an FA Cup that season, too. Of course, this list isn't about the past. What pushed Howard to the top of the list was how he transformed Everton from a middle of the pack team to a solid Top Four contender when he moved to Merseyside ahead of the 2006/07 season. Yes, he's prone to the occasional blunder but still has the chance to be the most decorated American player over the next decade, as he's only 28. Earlier this season Everton locked him up until the 2012/13 season. Can't see any other American getting that kind of level of commitment.
Admittedly, this list isn't perfect and adds a lot of my own personal biases into it. Feel free to tell me what a dope I am. I'm not Greg Ryan or the USSF, I can handle criticism.
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What a crazy day in the Champions League, eh?
Inside of I think two minutes, Chelsea gets what is described as a beauty of a goal from Didier Drogba to go ahead 2-1 at Valencia, just as Mathieu Valbuena chips in a hair under the crossbar to send Olympique de Marseille to a 1-0 win at Anfield. Liverpool is in some trouble here folks. No more slip ups allowed. Voronin and Sissoko looked like crap. And Liverpool fans can't say they were unlucky in the last minutes with Yossi heading wide and Torres hitting the bar. For 90 minutes they were Snoozerpool, again.
Guess we all shoveled dirt on Chelsea too soon, bollocks.
Some other crazy results -- Werder Bremen blows a 1-0 lead at home to lose 3-1 to Olympiacos. Even mighty Real Madrid blew a 2-1 lead to draw at Lazio in Rome.
... Celtic gets their night in the spotlight with a 2-1 win over holders Milan. ... Watch out for Shakhtar Donetsk, they now lead their group with six points.
Anyone want to guess a winner of the competition now?
Usually I'm loathe to do stuff like that, but what the hell. Let's make some subjective opinions and angry up the blood.
The genesis of today's list come from Rangers' 3-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League group stage. Generally, 'Gers can eat a bag of dicks, but since American DaMarcus Beasley tallied yet again in Europe it got me to thinking...
Currently, whom is the best American soccer professional worldwide?
This list is going to weigh heavily on current form and less on overall reputation (sorry Claudio Reyna). Honesty is also going to carry some weight. Danny Califf might be tearing up the Danish SuperLiga, but unless you're Mr. or Mrs. Califf and or have a name featuring the following characters -- ö, å, or ø -- you just don't know.
Before the list, a few possible candidates are going to be eliminated:
* Freddy Adu, Benfica (yet to start for Benefica in the league)
* Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards (best domestic American defender, just too injury prone.)
* Bobby Convey, Reading (always hurt, possibly not that good)
* Oguchi Oneywu, Standard Liege (currently playing in parts unknown, aka the Belgium Jupiler League...that Real Madrid transfer is still in the works, right?)
* Benny Feilhaber, Derby County (yet to establish himself in England)
* Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado (getting older, missing too many matches)
* Rico Clark/Chad Barrett/Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo (Dynamo trio just miss out)
* Ben Olsen, DC United (crafty, honest, excellent pro...just missed out)
* Marcus Hahnemann, Reading (a notch below other American keeper exports)
* Charlie Davies/Kamani Hill/Lee Ngyugen (too young, too unknown)
* Jonathon Spector, West Ham United (too nondescript)
Honorable mention: Jozy Altidore, RBNY -- Body of work is small, but boy can he dazzle. .. Jay DeMerit, Watford -- Stalwart might help Hornets back to the Prem, but is limited skillwise. ... Brian McBride, Fulham -- Hurt, but otherwise would have been a lock for the Top 5.
10. Frank Simek, Sheffield Wednesday -- Surprise right off the bat, right? Despite a mug that would place him front and center as a villain in an 80s high school movie, the former Arsenal trainee has been a model pro for the Owls. He's coming off years of 45 and 44 appearances in the rough-and-tumble England League Championship, which says a lot.
9. Carlos Bocanegra, Fulham -- A first choice start at Craven Cottage and now wearing the captain's armband. Can craftily get forward and contribute to the attack on set plays, yet far too often exposed defensively. Still, come a long way since moving to England in 2004 and has now racked up over 100 appearances.
8. Taylor Twellman, NE Revolution -- Take away his miserable showing in the US shirt, the "face" from New England is as steady a goalscorer as you'll find in MLS. Factor in that the Revs are continually among the top teams in the league and his 92 goals in 169 appearances and it's impossible to deny him. (Perhaps he can even help the Revs win their first trophy -- ever -- in tonight's US Open Cup final.)
7. Michael Bradley, SC Heerenveen -- From fringe, glorified practice player with the MetroStars to starter in the Dutch Eredivisie all inside of four seasons. Not bad for a guy that just turned 20.
6. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy -- Obviously a lightning rod for any American soccer fan, yet it's hard to dispute that he's been the best player in MLS this century. Probably should dock 'professionalism points' for quitting Bayer Leverkausen, but that's frankly become a moot point in my book. It was around three years ago, everyone should be able to move on by now.
5. Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96 -- In a lot of ways, the anti-Donovan. He went to Germany in 1999 and instead of sulking, pining for the beach and locking himself in his room to play video games. Instead 'Dolo took it upon himself to integrate into Der Motherland and learn the culture and language. (Granted he was 20 and had spend two years in college, while Donovan was 17.) 225 Bundesliga appearances and counting, plus the vice-captaincy and Cherundolo is in a lot of ways the model American ex-pat soccer pro.
4. Clint Dempsey, Fulham -- Small body of work, but the Deuce has already made quite and impact at Craven Cottage. His goal last year v. Liverpool likely kept Fulham in the top division and so far this year he had a streak of three straight games with a goal. The biggest knock on the man from Nogadoches, Texas is he can absolutely drift and disappear from games. If I did this list in Sept. 2008, he's the odds-on favorite for the No. 1 slot.
3. Brad Friedel, Blackburn Rovers -- Without question the best American export of all time. Despite just 25 sporadic games, he's the
2. DaMarcus Beasley, Glasgow Rangers -- Let's throw out the lost season at Manchester City. Beasley, first at PSV and now at Rangers, is the best American in the UEFA Champions League -- by a mile. He's already scored six goals in the competition, which just might be six more than the rest of our country combined. He's also the only American to reach the competition's semifinals. When his head's screwed on straight, the Beaz is probably the most technically sound Yank around. Again, the only knock is he moved to Rangers, but they are a moderately large club and are continually in the Champions League. (Commentor Fan's Attic points out Jovan Kirovski scored for Borussia Dortmund in the mid 90s in the Champions League, though it's unclear if he played enough games to garner a winner's medal.)
1. Tim Howard, Everton -- Voted by the PFA into the 2004 Best XI of the Premier League as a keeper, probably the highest non-MLS award ever for an American player. He won an FA Cup that season, too. Of course, this list isn't about the past. What pushed Howard to the top of the list was how he transformed Everton from a middle of the pack team to a solid Top Four contender when he moved to Merseyside ahead of the 2006/07 season. Yes, he's prone to the occasional blunder but still has the chance to be the most decorated American player over the next decade, as he's only 28. Earlier this season Everton locked him up until the 2012/13 season. Can't see any other American getting that kind of level of commitment.
Admittedly, this list isn't perfect and adds a lot of my own personal biases into it. Feel free to tell me what a dope I am. I'm not Greg Ryan or the USSF, I can handle criticism.
What a crazy day in the Champions League, eh?
Inside of I think two minutes, Chelsea gets what is described as a beauty of a goal from Didier Drogba to go ahead 2-1 at Valencia, just as Mathieu Valbuena chips in a hair under the crossbar to send Olympique de Marseille to a 1-0 win at Anfield. Liverpool is in some trouble here folks. No more slip ups allowed. Voronin and Sissoko looked like crap. And Liverpool fans can't say they were unlucky in the last minutes with Yossi heading wide and Torres hitting the bar. For 90 minutes they were Snoozerpool, again.
Guess we all shoveled dirt on Chelsea too soon, bollocks.
Some other crazy results -- Werder Bremen blows a 1-0 lead at home to lose 3-1 to Olympiacos. Even mighty Real Madrid blew a 2-1 lead to draw at Lazio in Rome.
... Celtic gets their night in the spotlight with a 2-1 win over holders Milan. ... Watch out for Shakhtar Donetsk, they now lead their group with six points.
Anyone want to guess a winner of the competition now?
Labels: DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, lists, Soccer, USMNT
I have no problem with that list. Carry on.
nice top 10, i think beasley wouldve been my #1.
Nice to see some love for #8 and #10 though, i went to high school with them both and love to cheer for them in any competition
Jovan Kirovski was the first American to score in the CL. He also won the Euro Cup with Borussia Dortmund. Granted, he didn't play much, but he did beat Beasley to those milestones a decade ago.
Benfica, not "Benefica."
good catch on kirovski...but did he appear enough in the competition to gain a winner's medal? otherwise, if he only played a game or two he it likely doesn't count.
no love for eddie johnson on the list...even for the throwaways?
Did you mean Friedel was the FIRST yank to play for a Euro "glamour club"? I think Howard has a pretty strong claim to sharing that distinction for his early success at Manchester United.
This is a bit of nit-picking, but Friedel wasn't the only American to play for a 'glamour' club, unless Man U is not considered one. Tim Howard played there when he won the FA Cup and was named to the Best XI in 04.
Overall, a good list. Beasley has dazzled in UEFA play...but I would put him lower considering his disappointing performances with the National team.
Kasey Keller? Anyone?
What constitutes a European "glamor" club? Both Howard and Spector played for ManU, after all.
What constitutes a European glamour club? Howard and Spector both suited up for Man U after all. And didn't Karbassyion get a few games for Arsenal?
meant to say with friedel, FIRST to play at a glamor club. guess you could also count claudio reyna going to rangers in 1999 as a glamor team, but fuck the 'Gers.
it's hard to tell about kirovski. everything i read said he is the first american-born player to win the champions league. i don't know what the requirements are to earn a medal.
Here's a link to the 1997 Champions League final. Nary a mention of Kirovski. Since he only played seven games all year for Borrussia, it seems doubtful. Kind of splitting hairs at this point, but save to say he wasn't really a factor on them winning.
According to his Rapids
bio he won it, but who knows.
I agree with Sam - seriously how could you not put Kasey Keller on this list
The list is based on current form. Kasey, even with a shutout against Chelsea hasn't been good. He was fortunate between 4-5 times that the Blues players fired wide.
The Soccer Source links to this, and likes it, but disagrees with Twellman being in it:
http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2007/10/is-tim-howard-best-american-soccer.html
Check out this blog by Jimmy Conrad (US national Team player) This dude is funny as hell http://www.athletixnation.com/blogs/JimmyC/214. I think he will be blogging here regularly