During the Men In Blazers' 2015 BlazerCon event in Brooklyn this year, Everton manager Roberto Martinez said he believes that his goalkeeper, Tim Howard, is the greatest American soccer player ever.
It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that Martinez would go with his guy, but it does raise the question of who is actually the greatest American soccer player of all time.
There are many players who could be considered for this title – soccer players who have tremendous stats and great careers we can look back on and admire. But, while there is much to consider when deciding the greatest American soccer player of all time, we can boil the list down quickly by looking at a few critical factors:
1. Individual Greatness: How many goals, assists, and overall points do they have?
2. Winning: Did the teams they played on actually win?
3. Legacy: What mark did a player leave on the game?
Judging by the criteria above, America has produced its fair share of great soccer players. Tim Howard definitely deserves to be on the list and a part of the conversation. However, when it comes to the greatest American soccer player of all time, the fact of the matter is that the most deserving candidate never played on the United States Men's National Team at all: Mia Hamm.
Mia Hamm deserves the title (Photo: Twitter)
First, let's look at Mia's individual greatness – the awards she won and statistics racked up throughout her career.
Just to name a few, during her tenure as a player she won:
NCAA Player Of The Year (three times)
Female Athlete Of The Year
Sportswoman Of The Year
FIFA Player Of The Year (two times, in ’01 and ‘02)
In her four years at the University of North Carolina, Mia scored 103 goals had 72 assists and amassed 278 points, which all were collegiate records. When she finally retired from the U.S. Women's National team she had scored 158 international goals, which was also a record at that time. Her skill was incredible and her stats and accomplishments attest to this fact. They hold up with anyone you would like to compare her to. But what really separates her from all other American soccer players is her wins.
When it comes down to a winning resume, Mia stands atop American soccer. Here is a breakdown of her accomplishments throughout her career.
Mia was not just a member of these teams that won, she was in most cases the leader.
In terms of her legacy, Mia will be remembered on the pitch as one of the greatest American soccer players and athletes of all time, male or female. She was a pioneer for U.S. soccer. She reached new heights for women in sports, from her celebrity status, to getting record-breaking advertising deals with Gatorade, to starring in commercials along side the likes of Michael Jordan.
In 2000 Mia was the founder of the WUSA, or Women's United Soccer Association, which was the first ever professional soccer league for women. She transcended the sport she played and reached new boundaries no other player had reached before. Maybe most importantly, she inspired an entire generation of soccer players who have carried on the legacy of winning on the women's side of the game.
Former Portland Thorns defender and USWNT member Nikki Marshall summed it up for us when she said, "After my father, the person who was the biggest influence on me was Mia Hamm. She was the first person I started watching and dreaming to be like. She was the first female player that I saw and thought 'gosh I wanna be Mia Hamm.'"
When it comes down to the greatest player of all time in American soccer, Mia Hamm stands alone even today.
