US men's national team fans love debating which players were the best in the history of the program, and now they have an official team they can reference.
US Soccer announced its US men's national team All-Time Best XI as part of its centennial celebration on Friday and a combination of players from past and present filled the squad.
Legendary players like forward Brian McBride and midfielder Claudio Reyna to current MLS stars like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey made the squad, which was voted on by a committee of soccer historians and former players, coaches, media members and adminstrators at the national team level.
The team was listed in a 4-4-2 formation and also includes long-time captain and current Chivas USA defender Carlos Bocanegra, Eric Wynalda and goalkeeper Brad Friedel - who almost had as many votes as Kasey Keller and Tim Howard combined. The other four players to make the team were Eddie Pope, Marcelo Balboa, Steve Cherundolo and Tab Ramos.
Donovan earned the most votes of any one player with 52. He and Dempsey are the only players on the list still actively contributing to the US squad.
Here is the complete All-Time Best XI (with each players' total votes) followed by the complete voting results:
Goalkeeper - Brad Friedel 1992-2004 (25 votes)
Defender - Marcelo Balboa 1988-2000 (35 votes)
Defender - Carlos Bocanegra 2001-2012 (25 votes)
Defender - Steve Cherundolo 1999-2012 (25 votes)
Defender - Eddie Pope 1996-2006 (33 votes)
Midfielder - Clint Dempsey 2004-present (25 votes)
Midfielder - Landon Donovan 2000-present (52 votes)
Midfielder - Tab Ramos 1988-2000 (42 votes)
Midfielder - Claudio Reyna 1994-2006 (45 votes)
Forward - Brian McBride 1993-2006 (45 votes)
Forward - Eric Wynalda 1990-2000 (43 votes)
Goalkeepers:
Brad Friedel 25 , Kasey Keller 14, Tim Howard 13, Tony Meola 4, Arnold Mausser 1, Frank Borghi 0, David Vanole 0
Defenders:
Marcelo Balboa 35 , Eddie Pope 33, Carlos Bocanegra 25, Steve Cherundolo 25, Thomas Dooley 20, Paul Caligiuri 18, Jeff Agoos 16, Alexi Lalas 14, Frankie Hejduk 9, Harry Keough 6, Pablo Mastroeni 3, Fernando Clavijo 2, Tony Sanneh 2, Mike Windischmann 2, Gregg Berhalter 2, Desmond Armstrong 0, Jimmy Banks, Brian Bliss 0, Mike Burns 0, John Doyle 0, Mike Lapper 0, Oguchi Onyewu 0, Werner Roth 0
Midfielders:
Landon Donovan 52 , Claudio Reyna 45, Tab Ramos 42, Clint Dempsey 25, Michael Bradley 20, Cobi Jones 12, Walter Bahr 6, John Harkes 6, Hugo Perez 3, Adolf Bachmeier 2, Rick Davis 2, John O'Brien 2, Al Trost 2, DaMarcus Beasley 1, Ed McIlvenny 1, Joe-Max Moore 1, Brian Quinn 1, Mike Sorber 1, Chris Armas 0, Chris Henderson 0, Eddie Lewis 0, Preki 0, Ed Souza 0, John Souza 0
Forwards:
Brian McBride 45 , Eric Wynalda 43, Earnie Stewart 16, Billy Gonsalves 7, Jozy Altidore 6, Peter Vermes 3, Joe Gaetjens 2, Archie Stark 2, Roy Wegerle 2, Roy Lassiter 1, Clint Mathis 1, Benny McLaughlin 1, Ed Murphy 1*, Bruce Murray 1, Kyle Rote Jr. 1, Willy Roy 1, David Brown 0, Brian Ching 0, Aldo "Buff" Donelli 0, Frank Klopas 0, Bill Looby 0, Bert Patenaude 0, Josh Wolff 0
