How Carlos Bocanegra Led the Team That ‘Lifted the Whole Country’
FRISCO, Texas - “You’ve got to be dedicated to whatever you do. You have to sacrifice. It’s hard work. You’re blessed with talent and blessed with opportunities, and you have to take those.”
This maxim helped Carlos Bocanegra build a career out of the sport he grew up playing on the fields in Alto Loma, California. And what a career it was.
The now 42-year-old was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2000 after being drafted fourth overall by the Chicago Fire. He then won back-to-back MLS Defender of the Year awards in ’02 and ’03 before making the jump to the English Premier League with Fulham. His European journey included stops in France’s Ligue 1 with Rennes and Saint-Étienne as well as Scotland with the storied Rangers FC. After a season in Spain’s Segunda División, “Boca” returned to the States to finish his career with Chivas USA.
It’s an impressive club resume, one that sets Bocanegra apart from all but the elite American-born players. But it was his time with the U.S. Men’s National Team that made him a Hall of Famer.
Bocanegra made his USMNT debut in a 2001 friendly against South Korea and a month later started five games as the U.S. won the 2002 Gold Cup. Still an inexperienced defender at the time, Bocanegra missed out on the U.S.’s run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. But he’d be back. In all, Bocanegra played 110 times for the U.S. over 11 years, tied for 11th in USMNT history. Known as a goal-scoring defender, he’s 14th in the nation’s all-time scoring charts with 14 goals.
His value to the team went beyond his trademark reliability and durability. Bocanegra routinely captained the U.S. during one of its most dominant eras. He led the team to a dramatic 2-1 win over rival Mexico in the ’07 Gold Cup final. Two years later, he captained the U.S. side to the Confederations Cup final after beating Spain – then the world’s top ranked team – in the semifinal which ended Spain’s historic 35-game unbeaten streak.
After a disappointing 2006 World Cup campaign, the U.S. and Bocanegra (serving as captain) entered the 2010 tournament with optimism. After a promising 1-1 draw with England, the U.S. had to claw back to earn a 2-2 draw with Slovenia—meaning everything was riding on the third and final group game against Algeria. Every U.S. fan knows what happened next.
“I got to lead the country out for the World Cup,” Bocanegra remembered.
“We got that last-minute goal against Algeria, and the internet wasn’t great in South Africa, so a couple days later we started seeing these fan fest videos come out and all the excitement. We were like ‘Holy cow, one game literally lifted the whole country.’”
“It was more of a relief, quite honestly. The margins are so slim, and if we don’t win that game, we’re knocked out of the tournament, but we win that game in the 90th minute and we win the group. It was more of a relief because – as the U.S. team – it would’ve been a failure if we didn’t get out of our group.”
But that dramatic Landon Donovan winner wasn’t Bocanegra’s favorite memory in a U.S jersey. He chose a more personal one that took place in a World Cup qualifier in Chicago, where his pro career first started:
“We played Honduras at Soldier Field leading up to the Confederations Cup. I was able to score a goal and since I played for the (Chicago) Fire, it was cool doing it in Soldier Field and those are some nice memories.”
To make Bocanegra’s recent induction in the National Soccer Hall of Fame even sweeter, he shared the moment with his longtime U.S. teammate, Steve Cherundolo, a member of the 2021 Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. The two played against each other while growing up in California before eventually lining up next to each in consecutive World Cups. In October 2021, they were inducted to the Hall of Fame on the same day.
“Stevie was my roommate since we were really young,” Bocanegra said. “It’s great with how things worked out, with 2020-2021 classes combined and now I get to celebrate it with my roomie. It’s cool, it’s an honor I get to celebrate it with him and in front of our families. It’s a special moment.”