# Who is the best player in the United States national team history?

> American soccer has evolved from scrappy underdog stories to producing genuine world-class talent. From Gold Cup warriors to Champions League stars, who is the USMNT's greatest ever?

*By YPB Team · Published May 22, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-player-in-the-united-states-national-team-history*

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## Current results (1 vote)

1. **Christian Pulisic** — score 1000/1000
   Chelsea and AC Milan attacking midfielder, America's current standard-bearer and the most technically gifted and globally prominent US player of the modern era.
2. **DaMarcus Beasley** — score 733/1000
   Speedy, fearless left-back and winger who played in four World Cups across 16 years of international football, setting a record for American outfield players.
3. **Michael Bradley** — score 733/1000
   Hardworking, intelligent defensive midfielder who was a dependable fixture for the USMNT across four World Cups, embodying the steady professional ethos of the modern era.
4. **Weston McKennie** — score 733/1000
   Dynamic, box-to-box midfielder who has thrived at Juventus and Leeds United, bringing an aggressive pressing style and goals from midfield that make him one of America's most complete players.
5. **Landon Donovan** — score 600/1000
   The greatest American soccer player of his generation, a two-way forward of rare quality who scored in a World Cup and won multiple MLS Cups and Gold Cups.
6. **Clint Dempsey** — score 600/1000
   Combative, fiercely competitive attacking midfielder who became the first American to score in three World Cups and thrived at Fulham, Tottenham, and Seattle Sounders.
7. **Brad Friedel** — score 600/1000
   World-class goalkeeper who starred at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, setting Premier League records for consecutive appearances and earning a generation of American fans across England.
8. **Tab Ramos** — score 600/1000
   Talented, technically polished playmaker of the 1990s who was arguably the most gifted pure footballer the US produced before the modern era, earning stints in La Liga.
9. **Tim Howard** — score 428/1000
   Legendary goalkeeper who became a national hero with his record 15 saves against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, one of the best keepers in Premier League history at his peak.
10. **Cobi Jones** — score 428/1000
   USA's record cap-holder for many years, a dynamic, tricky winger who embodied the 1990s US soccer renaissance and was a fixture across three World Cups.
11. **Alexi Lalas** — score 428/1000
   Iconic, flamboyant centre-back of the 1990s whose red beard and rock-star persona made him the most recognizable face of American soccer's first global wave.
12. **Tyler Adams** — score 428/1000
   Tenacious, quick-thinking defensive midfielder who captained the USA at the 2022 World Cup and excels at pressing, intercepting, and distributing for RB Leipzig and Bournemouth.
13. **Claudio Reyna** — score 428/1000
   Technically gifted captain and creative midfielder who played at Bayer Leverkusen, Rangers, Sunderland, and Manchester City and remains a respected ambassador for US soccer.
14. **Gio Reyna** — score 428/1000
   Borussia Dortmund's prodigiously talented attacking midfielder, son of Claudio Reyna, whose combination of technical brilliance and creativity has made him America's most exciting emerging talent.

Tags: usa, sports, soccer, football, players, national teams