View Full Version : Who is the best American Soccer player ever?
soccerchick584
05 Sep 2003, 04:53 PM
Just like the post says... who is the best American Soccer player of all time?
mpruitt
06 Sep 2003, 10:20 AM
I'll vote Tab Ramos.
DavidP
07 Sep 2003, 02:31 PM
Too bad we don't have any film of Billy Gonsalves. He was supposed to have been the American Pele, way before Pele started. As for modern players, Tab's a good choice.
FLAJAX
11 Sep 2003, 02:46 PM
A bit difficult because of the limited history at world level, but Gonsalves definitely comes to mind from what I heard, and of players that I actually watched it's probably Brad Friedel, because of his performance in WC 2002, and the EPL last season, being voted the best GK.
jamison
11 Sep 2003, 09:59 PM
According to Paul Garner it's Hugo Perez, though I didn't get to see him.
ruudboy
16 Sep 2003, 03:35 PM
Hamm and Chastain, They've won a WC.
For men, it's gotta be one of our Keepers, Fridel or Keller.
jamison
16 Sep 2003, 05:21 PM
Michelle Akers was way better than Chastain. I'd put Hamm # 1 and Akers a close # 2 (on the women's side).
Eindhovuh
17 Sep 2003, 02:05 PM
I don't know much about American soccer but I heard Freddy Adu is a very good player
mike_united
19 Sep 2003, 09:54 AM
the two players i think are brilliant is
cobi jones and ben olsen
coramdeo_10036
19 Sep 2003, 12:40 PM
Clearly, US Goalkeepers have fared far better than our field players over the last 30 some-odd years. So among the field players...
Over the past 30 years (i'm only 30, so can't really comment on the era beforehand- we don't have film for soccer like we do for NBA and NFL on ESPN Classic)- the best field player the US has produced is Claudio Reyna. I caught the tail end of Hugo Perez- not a chance- Paul Gardner is off his rocker on that one. I would put Tab Ramos as #2- they obviously play different positions and have different styles/strengths, but overall he's number 2.
Claudio's impact on the US National Team cannot be overstated. He is the only US Player over the last 30 years who can "hold" the ball in the midfield and play intelligent, non-obvious 1-touch passes. His soccer IQ is off the charts, and if he was a little bit more durable, he'd be the best by far. When he's on the field, the US is just a different team. There's also no question he was our MVP in the 2002 world cup.
I sincerely hope that Freddy Adu surpasses him, but Freddy's game relies on speed/quickness, and that may or may not be ahead of his peers over the next 15 years. Cobi Jones is a nice, solid but one-dimensional player. I can name 20 guys today that are more productive than Ben Olson.
Chizzy
21 Sep 2003, 11:56 AM
Eric Wynalda, Claudio Reyna, Tab Ramos.
Fah Que
21 Sep 2003, 06:17 PM
Eric Wynalda no doubt. He was absolutely brilliant in his prime. He scored more goals in national team jersey than anyone else.
Second best ever wearing national team jersey is Tab ramos.
Reyna very rarely has good games playing for US.
mr red
22 Sep 2003, 10:39 AM
None of them,they are all rubbish and aint worth a carrott! (apart from tim howard,so far).
elainemichelle
23 Sep 2003, 07:41 PM
I'm partial to JOB. He's good but he's not the best and with less educated folk I'd attempt to convince them that he is the best.
Funny no one mentions LD after all the post WC hoopla. :D
I'm too young to really have a good valid opinion.
FormerGermanGuy
23 Sep 2003, 08:09 PM
Waldo, Reyna, Ramos.
Steve Holroyd
24 Sep 2003, 08:46 PM
Billy Gonsalves
http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/gonsalves.html
GoHawks4
24 Sep 2003, 11:21 PM
Originally posted by maxim-1
I'll vote Tab Ramos.
Bingo.
BenReilly
25 Sep 2003, 06:51 AM
http://images.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/cup2002/_photos/2002-06-10-mathis-v.jpg
Arturo
09 Oct 2003, 08:40 PM
I never saw the other dudes mentioned here, but I spent many Saturdays (and drank quite a few beers) at the Universitario watching Tab Ramos when he wore the TIGRES jersey...
Personally, I think the best American player ever is Landon Donovan, why? he is singlehandedly the AMERICAN player who has contributed (and keeps contributing, hopefully for a long long time) the most to the development of the sport in the USA in terms of excellent play (maybe not the best possible playing ever, but still excellent, with nice gamesmanship to go along with it), excellent PR and he brings people to the stadium who probably wouldn't bother unless they had an All-American "hero" (sort of a Joe Montana without a helmet) to cheer for.
Next in line is Freddy :)
Cheers,
Arturo
PD. Coby Jones isn't a bad choice either.
Excape Goat
10 Oct 2003, 11:18 PM
In 5 years, I will vote Donovan. He has the talents to surpress everybody, but he needs to earn the title. He is too young yet.
Right now, I will say Tab Ramos. The second place will be between Wynalda or Reyna. Hugo Perez perhaps belonged there. He was so much better than everybody during his time, but I ranked him very low on the internationally. I never saw anybody before Perez.
Air Jordan was named after Jordan Older. So he must be good. :)
Two Italian Americans were capped by Italy before the Second World War. Italy was one of the best three teams in Europe. So they must be good. I just wanted to make a footnote because I do not think they count as the best American soccer player ever.