Such a fun idea for a thread, thanks to OP for taking the effort to post. My two cents: 1) Hejduk for sure. Demerit and McBride are strong runners up, but Frankie was an absolute machine out there. He embodied the American spirit and worksmanship that earned the US team its reputation over the years. I still remember him being brought on in Qualifying for the 2014 cycle purely as a cheerleader he was that much of a presence, literally dancing with fans after I believe the 2-0 victory over Mexico in C-bus. The dude wasn’t even on the team anymore and he was literally the mascot. Not sure how anyone else takes this category aside from Frankie. He was the man. 2) This is a tough one when selecting through the lens of injured coulda-beens, because so many have faltered on the way to the top. O’Brien was my obvious one, due to his early ascendency and his trajectory to be outperform anyone of his era. Davies and Holden are both great picks, too. My hipster pick, though, would be Cory Gibbs—a Bundesliga and Eredivisie (and MLS) defender slated to be our starting LB for the 2006 Cup before suffering a (knee?) injury. He was subsequently sold to EPL side Charleton but never played due to O’Brien-esque string of bad injury luck. Gibbs, though versatile across the backline and even DCM, had the chance to be the best USMNT LB of our modern era if not for injuries derailing his career. That alone merits mention. 3) Speaking of LB’s... how about Jonathan Bornstein? I actually softened on him after his move to Liga MX, but for years I was infuriated by his constant inclusion. He was just such a hapless character, like Zardes but responsible for conceding goals. Honorable mentions go to fellow defenders Chris Albright, Greg Vanney, and Daniel Lovitz, all of whom I found to be incredibly frustrating to watch on the ball. Agreed that Agoos had his moments but was for so long such a solid player for us. No one was worse than JB in his “prime” though. I knew a guy who hated him so much he customized a US jersey to read “Not Bornstein” on the back. That’s infamy.
What a fun exercise! I tried to think of some names that haven't come up yet, as I agree with many of the previous posts (esp. about Hejduk): 1. Jimmy Conrad 2. Brian Ching 3. Julian Green
LOL on Chandler. Why not Nagbe who admitted he didn't give a f*** and actually turned down call ups after being eligible.
Because even if he was disinterested at the time I don't think Nagbe was as bad as Chandler in competitive games. Chandler's competitive debut for the U.S. remains maybe the most notable deer-in-headlights moments I've seen for the NT. I don't think he was at all prepared or even aware of the challenges CONCACAF can present.
So he's on your list because he's amongst the worst players not because of commitment issues. you are of course welcome to your opinion but the first cap for a 22 year old who was asked to fly from 30 degree germany and then play his first cap in 80 degree Honduras with two-days of prep and another first time player right next to him isn't the best setup for a player. I guess ARobinson is also on your potential worst player ever list for his stinker vs. Jamaica. Nagbe was awful in his last game where we lost to an already eliminated TnT that cost us WC qualification.
I'll consider those players if a longer list is asked for. Thanks for welcoming my opinion! You're a friendly guy.
shrug. Chandler was nowhere near the worst player to play for the USMNT. It's a laughable perspective. Others have made the point about Chandler's commitment so I assumed that was what was being referred to and I merely pointed out that Nagbe actually said he simply didn't care. He also was a big part of the midfield in our most disappointing loss in memory.
since i've critiqued others, I'd go with: 1. Claudio - composed himself both on and off the field as the well deserved moniker Captain America 2. Holden - he was looking like a great player right before his injury 3. I'm in line with Bajoro and respect all who wear the jersey. Outside of players, it would be Arena 2.0 for his truly un-american statements that he backed up with action.