Section 8 recognizes Brian McBride
Commentary: Remember McBride as soccer royalty American fans love to debate how their players stack up, somehow managing to pit Donovan’s consistency against Tab Ramos’ natural talent from a different time, or wondering if John Harkes’ European success means any more than Brad Freidel setting up camp in England for more than a decade. There’s little argument McBride belongs in the conversation. He is, without a doubt, the best striker the US has ever produced, the country’s best player in the air and the most accomplished player in US history.
No other player has served as a regular captain with a club in the Premier League, something McBride did with aplomb at Fulham. Donovan and Clint Dempsey are the only other Americans to score in two World Cups, and ask both of those players about the one man who helped them get there, and you’re sure to get the same answer: McBride.
From the Chicago Fire website:
Teary McBride announces end of storied run
MLS players celebrate McBride’s legacy
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena – who coached McBride with the US team in 2002 and 2006 and will coach against him Saturday night – reflected fondly on perhaps McBride’s signature moment, when he suffered a nasty gash to his face but played on during the Americans’ 1-1 draw against Italy in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup. “He was cut and he played 90 minutes, and he played an unbelievable role in allowing the US to get the point against Italy,” Arena said. “In that game, he was a warrior.”
Galaxy talk McBride
Seventy-two of McBride’s 95 national team caps and 24 of his 30 goals came during Arena’s tenure. He was the leading scorer at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping the Americans win the tournament for the first time since 1991 and showing a sign of things to come as he helped the U.S. to the quarterfinals of that year’s World Cup in South Korea, scoring the winning goals in victories over Portugal and Mexico.
Galaxy talk McBride part 2
Now the most recognizable face in American soccer, Landon Donovan was another player McBride helped through his formative years with the U.S. national team. The two suited up in the attack together 44 times from 2000-06 and played key roles in the American success during the 2002 World Cup, scoring the two goals that pushed the U.S. past Mexico and into the tournament quarterfinals.
“The biggest thing for me about Brian was watching the little things he did,” said Donovan. “Everybody sees the goals he scores, the way he holds the ball up, how strong he was. For me it was his example: every day eating right, hydrating properly, just being a good professional. He paid a lot of attention to the younger guys, helping us move along as players, showing us what it means to do this every day and making sure we understood none of this is a given. I’m glad I had the opportunity to be around him and learn from his example.”
McBride’s MLS Highlights
McBride, who played prep soccer at Buffalo Grove HS in Arlington Heights (Chicago) IL, starred at St Louis University in the early 90′s where he holds all the career individual scoring marks; his 40 career assists and 72 career goals top the charts and is firmly entrenched as the Bills’ all-time leading scorer with 184 points.
