From Chris Richards to Tyler Adams, more and more American soccer players are taking the Premier League by storm and asserting themselves as regular fixtures in the most widely viewed league in sport.
These youngsters are following in the footsteps of several players who have left a permanent legacy on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and enjoyed a superb career in England’s top-flight whilst also contributing to the success and stability of the US Men’s National Team.
Today, we’re taking a look at the 10 best American soccer players in the history of the Premier League.
10. Carlos Bocanegra
After winning the MLS Defender of the Year in 2002 and 2003, Carlos Bocanegra took his talents to London and joined Fulham in January 2004.
Primarily a center back, Bocanegra emerged as a fan favorite thanks to his relentless work rate and ability to deputize across the backline and midfield. He made 116 appearances and even wore the captain’s armband for the Cottagers before moving to Rennes in June 2008.
Bocanegra bounced around from Saint-Etienne, Rangers and Racing Santander before spending the final two years of his career in his home state of California with Chivas USA.
9. Jonathan Spector
Jonathan Spector was 17 when he left the Chicago area for Manchester United, where he struggled for minutes and was sent out on loan to Charlton Athletic before joining West Ham on a permanent deal in 2006.
The American right-back emerged as a key figure in West Ham's backline, racking up 115 appearances before dropping down to the second division and racking up 179 appearances for Birmingham City. Spector then spent two years at Orlando City, replacing Kaka as club captain in his second season, before retiring after a brief stint in the Scottish Premiership with Hibernian.
8. Brian McBride
After plying his trade on loan at Preston North End and Everton, Fulham purchased Brian McBride's rights from from MLS for $1.5 million in January 2004.
It didn't take long for McBride to justify their outlay, winning the club's Player of the Year award for 2005 and 2006 and earning the captain's armband. Such was his legacy that Fulham renamed a bar in Craven Cottage 'McBride's'.
He departed in 2008 after scoring 40 goals in 154 appearances, returning to his home state of Illinois and spending the final two years of his career at Chicago Fire.
7. Antonee Robinson
Out of the thousands of football clubs in England, none have forged such a strong connection with the United States national team as Fulham.
A total of 16 Americans have suited up for the Cottagers, the latest being Antonee Robinson. Born and raised in England, Robinson developed at Everton's academy and spent time at Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic before joining Fulham in 2020.
He has emerged as one of the finest left-backs in the division thanks to his pinpoint crossing and tireless running up the flanks, and he is proudly continuing the ‘Fulhamerica’ tradition under Marco Silva.
6. Brad Guzan
In 2005, Brad Guzan was selected by Chivas USA with the second pick of the MLS SuperDraft.
Guzan later made the move across the pond in 2008 and joined Aston Villa, where he would emerge as a key figure between the sticks, making 171 appearances and helping them reach the 2010 League Cup Final and the 2015 FA Cup Final.
He also enjoyed stints at Hull City and Middlesbrough before returning to the States in 2017. At nearly 41 years old, Guzan is still going strong in goal for Atlanta United and putting his world-class reflexes to good use.
5. Geoff Cameron
Geoff Cameron emerged as one of the best midfielders in Major League Soccer and guided Houston Dynamo to the 2011 MLS Cup Final before eventually taking his talents to Stoke City, where he impressed with his physical build, tenacious defending and take-no-prisoners mentality.
Delivering crunching tackles and vital interceptions and excelling across defense and in defensive midfield. The American center back made 186 appearances for Stoke City between 2012 and 2019 before spending three years at QPR, where he played 91 times, eventually closing out his career in 2022 following a swan song at Cincinnati.
4. Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller blazed the trail for future American goalkeepers when he departed the Pacific Northwest for the first time in his life and made the move to English side Millwall in 1992.
Keller racked up 57 clean sheets in 201 Premier League appearances for various clubs such as Leicester City – where he won the 1997 League Cup – as well as Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Southampton, whilst he also enjoyed success in Spain and Germany for Rayo Vallecano and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Keller returned to the States in 2009, winning three U.S. Open Cups before calling it quits on an extraordinary career.
3. Clint Dempsey
Regarded as arguably America's greatest men's soccer star of all time, Clint Dempsey delivered a spellbinding career at the club and international level.
After making the move to Fulham in 2006, Dempsey excelled at Craven Cottage and even helped them reach the UEFA Europa League Final, before taking his talents to Tottenham. Alongside the likes of Herculez Gomez and Michael Bradley, Dempsey played a pivotal role in USA’s historic 2010 World Cup, whilst he also won three Gold Cups with the Stars and Stripes.
All told, Dempsey racked up 57 goals in 218 Premier League appearances before moving to Seattle in 2013.
2. Tim Howard
Boasting the eighth-most caps (121) in the history of the United States men’s national team, Tim Howard is a verified legend for the Stars and Stripes.
He left his native New Jersey in 2003 and spent three years as a backup for Manchester United before moving to Everton, where he thrived in goal between 2006 and 2016. Howard emerged as one of the Premier League’s most reliable goalkeepers with 133 clean sheets in 399 appearances, but above all, he’ll be remembered most fondly for his record-breaking 16 saves vs. Belgium in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
1. Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel didn’t start his professional journey in MLS, but with Danish side Brondby and Turkish giants Galatasaray.
He then spent two years with the Columbus Crew before moving to England, where he would represent Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham. The peak of his career came at Blackburn Rovers (2000-2008) where he won the League Cup and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Friedel registered 132 clean sheets in 450 Premier League appearances before eventually retiring in 2015 – to this day, no North American or South American player has come close to matching his record of 450 appearances.
