What makes a good goal? This was the question each of us pondered as we embarked upon the process of ranking every goal we’ve seen the US score at the men’s World Cup – a worthwhile bit of nostalgia before the national team kicks off their 2026 World Cup campaign hoping to add more to this list.
First, we had to narrow the field. The team have scored 40 goals at the men’s World Cup, but scant video evidence exists of 12 of those – appropriate, given they were scored in 1930, 1934, and 1950. Piecing together reports and descriptions can give you an idea, but they were always going to be judged differently than those we’ve seen, felt and heard. And so, with apologies to Aldo “Buff” Donelli and Joe Gaetjens, our pool is limited to US World Cup apearances from 1990 til the present.
Own goals, too, have been omitted out of respect. There have been three of those, leaving a well-rounded group of 24 goals to consider.
Each of us rated them on a five-star scale under three categories: importance (the goal’s impact), quality (the technical ability involved in the goal and the play that led to it), and the vibes (everything else: the celebration, the fan reaction, and anything other than the play itself). The maximum a goal could be worth, on our ramshackled rubric, is a 45.
No goal – no, not even that one – maxed out the scale. In the event of a tie, priority was given to the goal with the highest vibes. It’s a ranking of World Cup goals, not trigonometry.
24) Brian McBride v Iran, 1998 – 16 points
Importance: 6/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 4/15.
McBride’s late finish against was well-taken, the sort of header he made his name with. It was also the US’s only goal in their worst-ever World Cup, scored during a match that had all sorts of other implications. The vibes, simply, could not be worse. PM
23) Bruce Murray v Austria, 1990 – 17 points
Importance: 5/15; Quality: 7/15; Vibes: 5/15.
Among the most underrated players in the early history of the US, Murray – the eighth-highest goalscorer in the history of the program – deserved this taste of World Cup glory. He’d later assist on the US’s only other goal at the 1990 World Cup, but neither act did much to change the team’s ultimate fate: three straight losses and a group stage elimination. PM
22) Haji Wright v Netherlands, 2022 – 24 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 8/15.
Did he mean it? It mattered not in terms of the final result, but the US’s most recent goal in a World Cup was a “blink and you missed it” sort that seemed to even catch its scorer in a daze as the US lost to the Dutch. JR
21) Paul Caligiuri v Czechoslovakia, 1990 – 26 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 6/15.
Caligiuri’s hit was the better of the US’s two finishes in 1990, but pales in relevance to others on this list. No worries, though: Caligiuri also scored arguably the biggest goal in the history of American men’s soccer, clinching the Americans’ berth at the 1990 World Cup. PM
20) Clint Dempsey v Portugal, 2014 – 26 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 5/15; Vibes: 11/15.
Growing up in Nacogdoches, they used to call Dempsey the game cock. Examining how he put this one goalwards, you can kind of see why. PM
19) Christian Pulisic v Iran, 2022 – 27 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 10/15.
Fate has brought this goal alongside the previous one, as if a variation on a theme. There were plenty of headlines after this one about the “groin” injury Pulisic suffered at the tail end of a well-worked effort – he turned out to be fine despite his facial expression transmitting the exact opposite message in the moment. AA
18) Clint Dempsey v England, 2010 – 27 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 5/15; Vibes: 11/15.
Imagine if your team scored the ugliest beer league goal in front of tens of millions. Dempsey deserves credit for shaking Steven Gerrard and trying this most speculative effort, but Rob Green’s suffering makes for some very complicated vibes. More of a banter-piece than a great goal, in truth. The first of several goals on this list that was undeniably enhanced by Ian Darke’s masterful calls for ESPN. JR
17) Landon Donovan v Ghana, 2010 – 28 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 9/15; Vibes: 9/15.
On the one hand, a penalty can only score so high on these charts. On the other: it’s a damn good penalty, and one that kept US hopes alive in the round of 16. JR
16) Julian Green v Belgium, 2014 – 29 points
Importance: 8/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 9/15.
Perhaps a bit awkward that, of all the goals, it’s Green’s which checks in directly ahead of Donovan’s final World Cup goal. Like Wright’s, it proved to be a consolation prize as the US were eliminated in a round of 16 match. Unlike Wright’s, it’s clear that Green meant this one, asking for a ball over the top seconds before Michael Bradley provided this assist. JR
15) John O’Brien v Portugal, 2002 – 30 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 10/15.
The strike that sets the bar: by our grading, the quintessential “three-star” goal of them all. The opening salvo of the US’s shock quarter-final run, O’Brien caught Vítor Baía and the tournament field off-guard with this lurking far-post finish on a corner kick. JR
14) Clint Dempsey v Ghana, 2006 – 30 points
Importance: 7/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 11/15.
Maybe Dempsey’s most well-taken World Cup finish. He hits it full stride and the ensuing celebration is pure Deuce, as well. This one, though, will mostly be remembered as a tiny glimmer of hope in a very, very disappointing World Cup for the US. PM
13) Tim Weah v Wales, 2022 – 32 points
Importance: 9/15; Quality: 11/15; Vibes: 12/15.
While many strikes on this list are of the powered variety, Weah’s is firmly in the finesse category. Gregg Berhalter’s team rallied around concepts of “verticality” and made quick work of advancing upfield. JR
12) Clint Mathis v South Korea, 2002 – 33 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 10/15.
A memorable goal by the poster boy of the 2002 squad, one that led to maybe the most iconic (and polarizing) call in the history of American soccer. Say it with me, folks: “THAT’S WHY HE’S HERE!” PM
11) Michael Bradley v Slovenia, 2010 – 35 points
Importance: 12/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 13/15.
Is there an angrier, more energetic pairing of goals than Bradley and Donovan’s in this Slovenia match? Bradley lays it all on the line to get his right foot on this one and the ensuing celebration makes this one even more memorable, as Bradley motions for all of his teammates to join him at the sideline. It turns into quite a dogpile. PM
10) John Brooks v Ghana, 2014 – 35 points
Importance: 12/15; Quality: 9/15; Vibes: 14/15.
What may seem like a standard goal for a tall central defender is rendered special in the details. Brooks was making his competitive debut for the US, having been drafted in as a half-time sub for a hobbled Matt Besler. He said afterward that the night before he had dreamed of scoring. Yet the goal itself still clearly came as a surprise, giving us the indelible image of Brooks so overcome with disbelief and emotion that he could only fall to the ground, his face in the grass and arms over his head.
It subverts every expectation of what a goal celebration should be, and for that reason it is my favorite of all time. AA
9) Landon Donovan v Slovenia, 2010 – 36 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 13/15.
Maybe the most underrated on this list in terms of its quality, as memories of it were swiftly replaced by his goal in the following group game.
One can feel the anger of this talented US team that had beaten mighty Spain at the previous year’s Confederations Cup already on the brink of elimination midway through their second group game. Rather than get too clever or wait for a support run, Donovan puts plenty behind this shot. Samir Handanović can’t be blamed for ducking out of the way. JR
8) Brian McBride v Portugal, 2002 – 37 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 13/15.
I watched this around 4am during summer vacation, and McBride forever codified the diving header among the coolest kind of goals in my young American heart. But spare a thought for Tony Sanneh, whose incredible cross set it up. In the modern era, he would have been a world-class wing-back. JR
7) Jermaine Jones v Portugal, 2014 – 37 points
Importance: 8/15; Quality: 15/15; Vibes: 14/15.
While the quality of the goal would hold up as a silent highlight, the soundscape on this one may be second to none.
The silent second after Jones fires the shot, followed by a satisfying swish caught by the netside microphone. Tack on another classic Darke call – some masterful syncopation on “simply sensational strike” – and this one won’t be soon forgotten. JR
6) Brian McBride v Mexico, 2002 – 38 points
Importance: 13/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 13/15.
While the US v Mexico was already a certified rivalry, this cycle turned it into one of the international game’s great duels. Mexico had dominated North American soccer throughout the 20th century, but the US’s 2-0 win over El Tri in Concacaf qualifying hinted that the northern neighbors were on the rise. The draw truly gave neutrals a gift with this one, and the US came out of the gates with a point to prove on a global stage.
It’s a goal largely created and finished by a pair of program legends, from Claudio Reyna’s dogged upfield scamper to McBride’s finish with power and placement. This goal almost certainly doesn’t come off without Josh Wolff’s preternatural awareness and deft execution, a rare decoy effort that was rewarded with a goal contribution. It kicked off an occasion that proved worthy of a full oral history nearly two decades later. JR
5) Clint Dempsey v Ghana, 2014 – 38 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 14/15.
The quickest goal in US World Cup history, this is vintage Dempsey. More than any other player in the history of the program, Clint seemed to “try shit,” as Bruce Arena once put it. With three touches and a brilliant, left-footed finish across the face of goal, Dempsey almost single-handedly ended the US’s bizarrely cursed relationship with Ghana, helping lead them to a crucial group stage win. Dempsey has said that this goal is his all-time favorite, and he can’t be blamed. – PM
4) Landon Donovan v Mexico, 2002 – 39 points
Importance: 14/15; Quality: 11/15; Vibes: 14/15.
Even for a team and player so practiced in quick, deadly counter-attacks, this one is a beauty to watch. Each leg of the journey snaps into place seamlessly. Eddie Lewis doesn’t need to break his stride even for a second to meet O’Brien’s lofted ball over the Mexican midfield. Lewis then paid that forward, launching an inch-perfect cross that Donovan could head home before peeling off in celebration in one flowing movement.
The US v Mexico rivalry is one of the fiercest on the globe, and it’s been played 32 times since that meeting in Jeonju. That this meeting is still talked about as a defining result among those speaks to the power of the World Cup – and of that famous dos-a-cero scoreline that this goal made reality. AA
3) Eric Wynalda v Switzerland, 1994 – 42 points
Importance: 13/15; Quality: 14/15; Vibes: 15/15.
On the eve of the USMNT’s group-stage opener against Switzerland in 1994, Wynalda found himself hitting a few free-kicks at the Pontiac Silverdome. In the run-up to the match, midfielder Claudio Reyna had been the team’s go-to on set pieces. Wynalda, though, noticed something that night – inside the indoor venue, the ball carried better. So the next day, with the US desperately needing points out of their first match, Wynalda called Reyna off of a free-kick some 30 yards from goal. Then he stepped up and hit arguably the most clinically-taken goal in the USMNT’s World Cup history.
Tack on the team celebration, those classic faux-denim kits, and Tony Meola’s arm-swings of relief, and it’s a worthy entry on the podium.
Years later, Wynalda reunited with Switzerland keeper Marco Pascolo “The only good thing about that goal,” Wynalda remembers him saying, “is that nobody would ever criticise me for not saving it. Nobody could save it.” PM
2) Earnie Stewart v Colombia, 1994 – 43 points
Importance: 14/15; Quality: 15/15; Vibes: 14/15.
Fans often think of earlier USMNT sides as being technically deficient, or miles behind more modern groups. Doing that is myopic and fails to give credit where it’s due. Nowhere is that more apparent than on Stewart’s goal, which maybe, more than any other, put soccer on the map for the general American public.
The majority of clips you see online of Stewart’s hit are limited to his finish and Tab Ramos’s perfectly hit through ball. If you manage to roll the tape back further, you’ll see a brilliantly-worked team finish, with the US using a 10-pass sequence to cut open the Colombian defense, Ramos offering arguably the best assist in the US’s history at the World Cup, and Stewart sending Stanford Stadium into rapture. PM
1) Landon Donovan v Algeria, 2010 – 43 points
Importance: 15/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 15/15.
There are very few moments in the history of American men’s soccer when the whole of the country unites in celebration. Donovan’s last-gasp goal against Algeria – which capped off a masterful counterattack – sent the whole of the sports-watching public in the US into ecstasy.
The moment also occurred at a critical juncture for soccer in the US, right around the time it went fully online. Videos of celebrations in bars, at huge watch parties and in tiny living rooms painted the impact of Donovan’s goal so clearly. All these years later, many US fans still get goosebumps at one simple sentence:
“There are things on here for the USA.” PM
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