Who is the greatest american soccer player of all-time?

The question I have chosen to tackle today is: Who is the greatest American soccer player of all-time? This answer is regardless of gender/era/any other qualifying factor you can think of. This was not an easy process, and honestly, one I have been debating and putting off since the creation of this blog. There is no easy answer. The main factor in difficulty is due to the playing histories of the men and the women. How do you balance the overwhelming dominance of the early American women, and their gaudy stats, in an era where they did not have as much competition and had some of the best American athletes choose soccer. Now compare that to the men, who have always had stronger competition and is not pulling in the best male athletes for soccer. This creates an awkward discussion of comparing the greatest American male soccer players against the greatest American female soccer players, who also have arguments as the greatest players in the history of their gender. You may not agree with my analysis or decision, but I think we can all agree this is not an easy choice
First let’s look at who I debated, but ultimately did not select:
Michelle Akers: Akers was around at the inception, being a member of the first Women’s National Team in 1985 and actually scoring the first goal. She started out her career as a forward, ultimately scoring 107 goals in 155 appearances, but finished her career as a holding midfielder. The positional switch is especially impressive because there may not be two positions more different on a soccer pitch than those two (well maybe goalie and striker, but I digress), and she not only did it successfully, but at the international level. Akers was the first superstar of the women’s team, but often battled injuries that hampered her availability.
Abby Wambach: Wambach for the longest time held the record for international goals scored regardless of gender at 184, but lost that title recently to Canada’s Christine Sinclair. Abby was more than just a prolific scorer, as she sits third all-time in assists for the USWNT. She scored one of my favorite goals in history at 2011 World Cup when she scored a 122nd minute header against Brazil to equalize, at the time the latest goal ever scored in a match.
Kristine Lilly: Lilly is the most capped player in the history of the sport, regardless of gender, at 354. The attacking player used those caps to register 130 goals and 106 assists. She may not be the first name you think of when you think USWNT, but she should be.
Clint Dempsey: Tied for the all-time lead in goals scored for the men’s team, Deuce was a gritty and tough forward. He scored 57 goals during his time with the men’s team, but his biggest contribution may have been in generating respect internationally for American men. Dempsey was one of the first American men to successfully make the transition to Europe, as he spent 6 seasons with Fulham in England, where he scored 50 goals across 189 appearances. That earned him a huge move, at the time, to Tottenham where he would score 7 goals across two seasons.
Landon Donovan: The other gentleman with 57 goals scored for the USMNT, Donovan was a much maligned figure for the men’s team even if he is arguably the most successful ever. Donovan is second all-time for the men in caps at 157 and the leader in assists by a wide margin at 58, over doubling the second place holder. Donovan’s impact was also felt in the international club world, as he helped to open doors for other U.S. men as he spent time at Bayern Munich and two stints at Everton in the Premier League. He is also the scorer of one of the biggest goals in U.S. history at the 2010 World Cup, where his stoppage time winner against Algeria helped the U.S. to win their group for the first time since 1930.
Christian Pulisic: The modern “Captain America.” Pulisic first made waves as he came up with Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He has become the focal point of the current men’s team with 32 goals in 76 appearances and a host of big moments including scoring at the World Cup and numerous goals against Mexico. He has also been at the forefront of this current Golden Generation of U.S. Men playing overseas as he has played for Dortmund, Chelsea, and AC Milan. In my lifetime, he has changed the American mentality from being ecstatic when Americans were loaned to the EPL to expecting and debating what European power Americans will go to next. When it is all said and done, he will go down as the greatest Men’s player ever

That leaves one person for me, the person with the best argument for Greatest American Soccer Player of All-time. I will not say this person is unquestionably the best, because honestly I doubted myself typing up all the honorable mentions, but for me the Greatest to date is Mia Hamm.
Hamm scored 158 goals in 276 appearances, and is first all-time for the women in assists at 144. She debuted in 1987 at just 15 years old. She was not the most decorated player in team history, winning two World Cups and two Olympic Gold Medals, but what she did do was be the face of American soccer. Hamm had endorsement deals with Gatorade, Pepsi, and Nike just to name a few. She was on the Wheaties box following the 1999 World Cup and was the face of the first soccer Barbie doll. She co-starred with Michael Jordan in a famous Gatorade commercial where they tried one up each other titled “Anything You Can Do.” She even had her own video game “Mia Hamm Soccer 64” in 2000, the first game to feature female athletes only.
Hamm’s combination of tremendous success on the field and pop culture impact off of it is the reason why she is the Greatest American Soccer Player of All-time. She became the face of American soccer and backed up with her play and statistics. Growing up, I associated U.S. Soccer with her, and that is why when I began this debate she was the first name that came to mind!