|
 Eric made his United States
Men's National Team debut in 1990 against Costa Rica, while he
was still a student at San Diego State University. His
drive and desire earned him a place on the United States 1990 FIFA World Cup squad.
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Personal Information |
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Class of 2004 |
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Born:
June 9, 1969 - Westlake Village, CA |
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Position:
Forward |
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Int'l
Caps: 106 |
Int'l
Goals: 34 |
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He made a total
of eight appearances in the 1990, 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups,
and was capped 106 times for the Men's National Team from 1990
through 2000. Eric also holds the team scoring record with 34
goals.
Besides playing in
three World Cups, Wynalda also played in number of other
competitions for the United States including the CONCACAF Gold
Cup (1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, and 2000) and the Copa America
(1993 and 1995). Wynalda was named to the All-Copa America team
in 1995 leading the United States to the semifinals.
Wynalda's
professional career took off with his increasing involvement
with the national team. He began his professional career
with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the American
Professional Soccer League (APSL). Wynalda then moved onto play
his professional soccer overseas in Germany. He played three
seasons in the German First Division with Saarbruken and Bochum.
Eric was the first American-born striker to make the trek to
play professionally in Europe and opened the doors for future
American soccer players who have dreams of playing professional
in Europe.
Wynalda returned to
the U.S. to play professional soccer in the newly formed Major
League Soccer (MLS). Wynalda started his MLS career with the San
Jose Clash in 1996. Eric earned a place in United States soccer
history when, on April 6, 1996, he scored the league's first goal in the inaugural
match against D.C. United. Eric was the 1996 MLS Scoring
Champion with 33 points (10 goals and 13 assists).
Eric then went onto play
with the Miami Fusion, and the New England Revolution before ending his
MLS career with the Chicago Fire in 2001. His professional
career concluded on a high note as he had one of his best MLS seasons
with the Fire when he scored ten goals and registered five
assists in 21 matches.
Eric was
named the Honda Player of the Year in 1992 and then again in
1996, which is determined by the national sports media. In 1996,
he also received the United States Male Soccer Athlete of the
Year. Eric also received Honda's Player of the Decade award in
2000.
In 2004 Eric was
hired by ABC/ESPN as a knowledgeable color match commentator for
Major League Soccer. He is
now recognized as soccer's 'Bad Boy' for his outspoken and
unvarnished opinions on the games.
U.S. National Team
Statistics |
