Carlos Bocanegra

Wearing the captain’s armband 64 times for the United States Men’s National Team, Bocanegra was selected for each of the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups where he appeared in six total matches. Tied for 10th all-time in U.S. Soccer history with 110 caps, he scored an impressive 14 goals during his international career. Bocanegra helped lead the USMNT to two Gold Cup victories in 2002 and 2007 and was captain during the U.S. victory against No. 1-ranked Spain at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Bocanegra retired from play in 2014 after a 15-year career that included more than 200 career appearances in England, France, Scotland and the United States. A California native, Bocanegra attended collegiate soccer powerhouse UCLA and was drafted by the Chicago Fire in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. In Chicago, he won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award in 2000 and back-to-back MLS Defender of the Year Awards in 2002 and 2003. The following year, he signed with English Premier League club Fulham, where he played four seasons, during which he became one of the few U.S. players to captain both club and country simultaneously. Following his time with Fulham, Bocanegra moved to France’s Ligue 1, where he played for Rennes and Saint-Etienne until he joined Rangers of the Scottish Premier League until 2013. In July 2013, he officially returned to MLS to play for Chivas USA, where he finished his career holding the all-time record for most international goals scored by a U.S. defender.