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.
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.
Michelle Akers was way better than Chastain. I'd put Hamm # 1 and Akers a close # 2 (on the women's side).
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.
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.
Welcome to another Mr. 365. Hope you're having fun. 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. I'm too young to really have a good valid opinion.
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.
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.
Donovan, Adu, and Howard all have the potential to be the greatest American player ever, but it's too early to tell for all three. Best so far: 1) Claudio Reyna. While he's been slated regularly on BigSoccer, he's the type of player that you notice only when he's missing. We learned this during the Hex in 2001, and Rangers fans and Sunderland fans also discovered the same. 2) Billy Gonsalves. When Celtic toured the United States, their coach remarked that Gonsalves was the best player he had ever seen; and by all accounts he was one of the main reasons for the USA's semifinal appearance in 1930. If game film were available, he might be #1. 3) Landon Donovan. Yes, I think Landon's next. It's becoming quite obvious he can dominate any match in MLS if he wants to. A brilliant World Cup, (expected) two consecutive Player of the Year awards at age 20-21, and totally dominant in MLS when he's motivated. Honorable mentions: * Bert Patenaude, scorer of the first-ever World Cup hat trick in 1930 (disputed; the third goal may or may not have been scored by him). * Ricky Davis, who played alongside some of the world's best players for the New York Cosmos, and was quite possibly the only American player of the day who looked like he belonged on the same field as them. * Tab Ramos - who knows what he might have done had Leonardo not cracked his skull? * Marcelo Balboa, a bona fide total footballer capable of playing anywhere on the pitch, and one of the most intelligent players I've seen. * Eric Wynalda - absolutely lethal during in his prime, against any opposition. * Kasey Keller, unquestionably world-class from 1995-2001. * Brad Friedel, voted best keeper in the EPL last year and brilliant in the last World Cup. * Brian McBride, very underrated with the ball at his feet, contributes in many ways other than scoring, and has demonstrated that he can score at any level.
This is not disputed anymore. I believe it was definitively resolved--in Patenaude's favor--in 1999 or so, relying on contemporaneous game reports from Uruguay.
Fabri Salcedo I had the pleasure of seeing Bill Gonsalves play and he was one of the best of his time. However there was another great that played with Bill and his name is Fabri Salcedo. If you are interested, read the following. The gentleman that I am referring to is my father, Fabriciano Salcedo, whose soccer career extended from 1933 to 1948. He won the American Soccer League’s scoring title three times and was one of the most prolific goal scorers of his era. Hall archive records show that from 1922 to 1999, a span of 77 years, there have only been two other individuals in U.S. Professional Soccer History who have won the prestigious League Scoring Title three or more times. These individuals are Archie Stark and Giorgio Chinaglia (Stark three times and Chinaglia four times) and both have been inducted into the Hall. It has also been documented that Salcedo was not only a prolific goal scorer, he was also a great playmaker. He was very generous with the ball, often foregoing goals when he felt that a teammate had a better scoring opportunity. He is described as a lightning-fast striker, with an incredible eye for setting up plays. His career earned him three league championships with the Brooklyn Hispano and Philadelphia Americans, and two U.S. Open Cup Championships. He also played on the USA National team against Scotland and on All-Star teams against Maccabi FC of Palestine, Liverpool FC of England, Barcelona FC of Spain, Botafogo FC of Brazil and the Atalante FC of Mexico. Salcedo signed a professional contract with the Brooklyn Hispano in 1934 and remained with the Hispano for most of his career. The only exceptions were the 1938-1939 season when he played with Chicago’s Manhattan Beer, the organization that paid $500 for his professional contract, (the same dollar amount the late Tim Mara paid for the N.Y. Football Giants Franchise) and his final season 1947-1948 with the Philadelphia Americans where he played a key role in helping Philadelphia win the league championship, allowing him to end his exceptional soccer career as the true champion he was. To date, The National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. has honored more then 220 individuals by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. So if it is true that the Hall was established to honor the greats who played the game and they are not merely selecting their inductees because of their political connections, I must ask why a great player like Fabri Salcedo who has given so much to the sport, not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame? Fabri Salcedo, "The Latin from Manhattan" By Dave Litterer spectrum@sover.net Fabri Salcedo was one of the top strikers in American Soccer during the early to mid 20th century. During his career, which extended from 1933-1948, he won the American Soccer League's scoring title three times, and was one of the most consistent scorers, as well as a fierce competitor who played with poise and intensity. This was all during the mid 20th century, a period often overlooked by sports historians due to the lack of a first division league at the time. Salcedo was a lightning-fast striker, with an incredible eye, for the fleeting open spots between him and the goal. No defender was safe; if he did not slip around them, he'd make a beeline right through them (or over them). Failing that, he inevitably found a strategically placed teammate ready to take his pass for the quick goal. He held himself and his team to very high standards, and would often ride his linemates when he felt they were slacking off. Fabri was able to capitalize on his great ability to plan plays while maintaining excellent control of the ball. His intensity sometimes got him into trouble with officials, but he was just as quick to come to an official's defense when being harassed by an unruly opponent, and his eye was always focused on upping the score, and going for the win. Fabri was very generous with the ball as well, often foregoing goals when he felt a wing or midfielder had a better scoring opportunity. Despite this, he led the ASL II in scoring an unprecedented three times (1937-38, 1940-41, 1945-46), and this for a team which often struggled in the standings. He also had a propensity for scoring hat tricks, and even four-goal games. Had there been a true 1st division pro league during his career, Fabri would certainly have shone and gotten considerably more recognition. Throughout, his earnestness and enthusiasm came through; he never missed a training session, and was often the first player to arrive and last to leave. He would take any chance to play on all-star teams when hosting foreign touring teams or playing charity matches, or even playing on the US National Team in major exhibitions. His career earned him league championships, and his Hispanos won two US Open Cup championships during his career. Fabri's career took place mostly in the second American Soccer League,which, although semi-pro for much of its existence, was from 1933-1967 the top professional soccer league in the United States. It attracted much of the top talent in the country and includes many hall of famers on its rosters. Names such as Billy Gonsalves, Bert Patenaude, Walter Bahr, Gene Olaf, Lloyd Monsen, Archie Stark, Duke Nanoski, Johnny Souza and many others have been enshrined in Oneonta NY. Fabri Salcedo, the three time scoring champion in the ASL II's history certainly deserves a place in the hall, and his career shows why. Fabriciano Salcedo was born in Santander, Spain, on May 28, 1914, the oldest of four brothers (Fabri, Cecilio, Juan, and Angel). He began to play soccer at a very young age and was already well established on youth teams when he immigrated to the United States in May 1929. He quickly got his American citizenship and signed with the Segura Club of Brooklyn , and later honed his skills at Madrid FC, and Portuguese Victoria FC. While at Portuguese, he contributed in a major way towards their Westchester County League title. Here he attracted the attention of Duncan Othen, the player-manager of Brooklyn Hispano in the second American Soccer League. Othen quickly signed him to the Hispano roster in 1934. Fabri remained with Hispano for most of his career, the only exceptions being a 1938-39 stint with Chicago's Manhattan Beer and his final season (1947-48) with the Philadelphia Americans. He started at center, eventually moving to right forward, and was 5'10" and 170 lbs. He completed high school shortly before joining Hispano, and soon headed to the factories. He worked full-time during his entire career, eventually becoming a machinist at Federal Shipyard and Drydock in Brooklyn from 1940-1946, moving on to the Engineering & Research Division of the ITT Continental Baking Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1979. Fabri married Aurora Mardaras on December 3rd, 1938, and had two children, Diane and Henry. He remained an avid fan of sports of all types, and would attend as many organized soccer games in the New York-New Jersey area as he could. He tried to organize a soccer league in his hometown in the early 1950's, and would have coached, but due to a lack of interest in soccer among local kids, the league never took off. Fabri passed away on August 25, 1985. HIS PRO CAREER Duncan Othen spotted Fabri Salcedo at an opportune time; the new American Soccer League was just getting off the ground, having completed its first season. after being formed from the ashes of the previous ASL. Teams consisted mainly of existing teams from metropolitan leagues in the New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia/Baltimore regions. Scots-Americans were the fabled Kearny Scots, whose history went back to the turn of the century, and which had previously had great success in the old National Association Soccer Football League, the precursor of the original ASL. Kearny Irish, featuring the famed Archie Stark won the first championship in 1933-34. Othan's Brooklyn Hispano, coming off a mediocre first season, finished 3rd in 1934-35, having added hall of fame goalkeeper Walter Bahr, and Salcedo, who finished 6th in scoring with 11 goals. This performance was good enough to land him a spot on the USA National team in a friendly against Scotland on May 19, 1935 at the Polo Grounds in New York. In March of the following year, he turned in his first four-goal game, salvaging a tie against Brookhattan in a US Open Cup match. Later that fall, he secured his first spot for the ASL All-Stars in a match against a touring team, this time Maccabi FC of Palestine, played at Ebbetts Field. In a rematch the following year, the All-Stars were trounced 0-6. Salcedo scored in his next international touring match, as the ASL All-Stars lost to Barcelona FC of Spain at Commercial Field, Brooklyn. He had more to cheer about back with his club as Hispano won their first league championship. The 1937-38 season brought Fabri his first of an unprecedented three league scoring titles, with 17 goals in 16 games. He began to become prolific in hat tricks, including a 3/13/38 three-fer in an upset victory over Brookhattan. Salcedo's first major career move came on September 9, 1938 when his contract was bought by Chicago's Manhattan Beer for $500, a large sum in those days for a single player. His contract, one of the most lucrative at the time, guaranteed him at least $35.00 per week. His previous contract with Hispano had paid him $13.00 for each home game, $12.00 for each away game. He was also guaranteed a job at the Manhattan Brewery. Here he was teamed up for the first time with the famed Billy Gonsalves, "The Babe Ruth of American Soccer" who was just coming into his prime. They clicked immediately, culminating in a 10-0 romp over Davenport, Iowa, in which both Gonsalves and Salcedo scored four goals apiece. This highly successful season was capped by an enormously successful run in the US Open Cup tournament, capped by victories over Batrunek Slavias of Cleveland 3-2 (Salcedo scored and assisted), and Morgan-Strasser of Pittsburgh 3-1, to reach the Cup final. The victory over Morgan had been a hard fought tie until Morgan's Donelli, after being warned for pushing Salcedo, deliberately pushed Billy Gonsalves to the ground, earning a red card. Having lost their captain took the spirit out of the Strassers, as Manhattan took control for two more goals. In the final, Manhattan lost to the ASL's Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic 0-1, 1-4. The vagaries of Manhattan Beer's signing of Salcedo led to a dispute back in the ASL at the start of the 1939-40 season on September 20, when the Kearny Scots signed Salcedo to play in a game against his old team, Brooklyn Hispano. Hispano protested, claiming they still had rights to Salcedo in the ASL, whereas the Scots claimed the USFA (Now the USSF) had OK'd him as a free agent, and that he had been legitimately signed by Manhattan Beer. The League did not see it this way, awarding the game, a 3-0 Scots victory, to Hispano, and fining the Scots $25.00. Returning to Chicago, he scored during a highly touted exhibition between Manhattan Beer and Lindell Trusts of St. Louis, which started off the St. Louis league season. This game was a stunning upset over the favored Lindell team, and earned Salcedo and Gonsalves the respect of the local St. Louis fans. Despite this successful start, Salcedo signed a week later with the Danish-American club of the National Soccer League of Chicago, an unsuccessful experience shortly followed by his return to Brooklyn Hispano. In the 1940-41 season, Salcedo returned to form, scoring hat tricks in abundance as well as another four-goal game on October 7 against Passon Phillies during a 6-3 romp. Salcedo earned his second scoring title with 29 goals in 21 games, as Hispano improved to 5th in the league. By this season, Fabri Salcedo was the highest paid player in the league since its 1933 revival. On March 23, Salcedo played for the New York All-Stars in one of the most significant upsets to that point in US soccer history, a 3-1 upset of Brazilian defending champion Botafogo before 10,000 at Randall's Island, New York (now Downing Stadium). Botafogo was coming off a 4-2-0 record in their recent tour through Mexico. The hero of this game was Goalie Stan Chesney, who held the line until the All-Stars got their offense going. Earlier in February, Salcedo played for the Hispanos in the debut game of indoor soccer at Madison Square Garden. The game was fast-paced, exciting and full of fights, one newspaper describing it as "soccer blended with Fistiana". The major challenge to the game was the concrete playing surface, leading to constant slipping and the threat of injuries; hence the experiment was soon dropped. In September 1941, Salcedo's new contract paid $25.00 per game, with a $50 bonus if Hispano won the league title or the US Open Cup (then called the National Challenge Cup); $25.00 for league 2nd place or US Open Cup Eastern final, and $15.00 for each Lewis Cup or Open Cup game. Early that season he made his debut in goal, making some good saves while subbing for Gene Olaf. In March, a Brooklyn - St. Mary's matchup yielded a unique double hat trick, the feat accomplished by Salcedo and St. Mary's Duke Nanoski. Apparently not wanting to steal each other's limelight, these two future hall of famers unwittingly coordinated their scoring, with Nanoski bagging his goals within thirteen minutes in the first half while Salcedo landed his first after halftime. The game ended fittingly, in a 5-5 draw. Salcedo scored two goals in a major international friendly, in May 1942 for the Metropolitan All-Stars in a match against Mexico's Atalante club. Atalante, an 18-time MFL champion, featured three of Mexico's top players, Fernando Garcia, Leonardo Munloch and Martin Vantoira, whose combined salaries topped $100,000; the entire roster topped $300,000. That was followed by one of his several charity appearances for the USO. This fund raiser featured all-star teams from the ASL and the German-American Soccer League. Despite his impressive game performances, Salcedo finished 9th in scoring this season, partly due to missing several games due to a leg injury. The 1942-43 season was memorable; Fabri was reunited with former teammate Billy Gonsalves, and the two became a major scoring tandem, and the Hispanos immediately took control of the league table. In December, Fabri had his first hat trick of the season. This despite the fact that the field was in terrible shape; after Christmas celebrations, the temperature had tanked, the mud freezing into ridges that turned the field into a giant pinball arcade. His first goal came at the end of a slow first half off a loose ball. In the second half, Billy Gonsalves made a bad pass which took an odd bounce, and was picked up by Salcedo, who, after slipping by goalkeeper Yingling, was able to slip it in easily. His third goal was more conventional, coming off of assists by Pruha and Gonsalves. Hispano won the league title, on the strength of Olaf, Salcedo and Gonsalves. Hispano capped their league triumph with their first US Open Cup title. The road to the cup included Salcedo's two-goal performance in a 3-1 victory over Kearny Celtic, and his single goal in the 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Americans in the Eastern final. The championship game was against Morgan Strasser of Pittsburgh in a marathon. Salcedo started the scoring off an excellent pass from Enrique Quinones which he shot right past Morgan goalie Albert Dayor. The logjam couldn't be broken, and the teams remained tied through FIVE overtimes. The referee, noticing players nearing exhaustion, called the game, and they played the rematch the following week, where the Hispano were victorious 3-2. The newspapers of the time claimed this was the first "double" a team winning the league and cup titles in the same year, but subsequent research has shown this not to be true. Hispano again defeated Kearny Celtic in the Open Cup the following year, 1944, with Gonsalves, Johnny Pruha and Salcedo contributing towards a 3-0 shutout. In the final, attended by over 12,000 at the Polo Grounds, Kearny shut out Morgan Strasser 4-0. During this season, Salcedo joined a brief player walkout, but eventually crossed the line to rejoin the team. Brooklyn, having fallen to 4th place this season, would start to flounder, dropping yet again, to 8th place the following season, even as Salcedo climbed to fourth in league scoring. A major highlight of this season was his goal in a major all-star charity match between Brooklyn Hispano (as defending Open Cup champions) and an all-star team from the National League of Chicago, played at Wrigley Field. The all-star players represented more than 14 nationalities, and the game was played before 13,000, the largest soccer crowd in Chicago up to that time. On June 9, 1945, in the first soccer game at Yankee Stadium in more than a decade, Salcedo scored both goals in a victory over ASL titlist Brookhattan in a Red Cross charity match. Fabri returned to top scoring in 1945-46, a banner year for player and team. He scored three four-goal games this season, the first being a road match no less. He took his third league scoring title, with 24 goals in 20 games. The Hispanos lost the league title by a mere two points, but they took their first Lewis Cup. He closed this season with an appearance for the ASL All-Stars in a friendly against touring Liverpool FC at Ebbetts Field, in a rare night game. By this time, age and wear were beginning to have an impact. Although Hispano finished in 3rd place, Salcedo dropped to 18th in scoring, and early in the 1947-48 season, Hispano released him. He was quickly signed by the Philadelphia Americans and he scored in his first match against his former team, a game Philly won 2-1. The change of scenery rejuvenated Fabri somewhat, as he got his last hat trick in November in a 4-1 rout of Brookhattan. He led in scoring for much of the first half of the season, but finished 5th. Despite not winning an unprecedented 4th scoring title, Fabri went out in style as he played a key role in helping Philadelphia win the championship, allowing him to end his career on top. After this season, Salcedo called it quits, capping one of the most successful careers in mid 20th century American soccer.