The United States men's national team has scored 25 goals at the World Cup since 1990, excluding own goals. Ranking them requires nuance, balancing importance, quality, and intangibles like celebration and fan reaction. Here is our definitive list, from least to most memorable.
24) Brian McBride vs. Iran, 1998 – 16 points
Importance: 6/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 4/15. McBride's late header was well-taken, typical of his career, but it was the USA's only goal in their worst-ever World Cup, during a match overshadowed by political tensions. The vibes were simply terrible.
23) Bruce Murray vs. Austria, 1990 – 17 points
Importance: 5/15; Quality: 7/15; Vibes: 5/15. Murray, one of the program's most underrated players, deserved this taste of World Cup glory. He later assisted the USA's only other goal in 1990, but neither changed the team's fate: three losses and group-stage elimination.
22) Haji Wright vs. Netherlands, 2022 – 24 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 8/15. Did he mean it? It didn't matter for the result, but this 'blink and you missed it' goal caught even the scorer in a daze as the US lost to the Dutch.
21) Paul Caligiuri vs. Czechoslovakia, 1990 – 26 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 6/15. Caligiuri's strike was the better of the USA's two finishes in 1990, but pales compared to others. Still, he scored arguably the biggest goal in US soccer history to clinch the 1990 World Cup berth.
20) Clint Dempsey vs. Portugal, 2014 – 26 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 5/15; Vibes: 11/15. Growing up in Nacogdoches, they called Dempsey 'the game cock.' Watching how he put this goal away, you can see why.
19) Christian Pulisic vs. Iran, 2022 – 27 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 6/15; Vibes: 10/15. Fate pairs this with Dempsey's goal. Headlines focused on Pulisic's groin injury after a well-worked effort; he turned out fine despite his pained expression.
18) Clint Dempsey vs. England, 2010 – 27 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 5/15; Vibes: 11/15. Imagine scoring the ugliest beer-league goal in front of tens of millions. Dempsey shook Steven Gerrard and tried a speculative shot; Rob Green's blunder makes for complicated vibes. More a banter piece than a great goal, enhanced by Ian Darke's call.
17) Landon Donovan vs. Ghana, 2010 – 28 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 9/15; Vibes: 9/15. A penalty can only score so high, but it's a damn good one that kept US hopes alive in the round of 16.
16) Julian Green vs. Belgium, 2014 – 29 points
Importance: 8/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 9/15. Awkwardly, Green's goal sits ahead of Donovan's final World Cup goal. Like Wright's, it was a consolation in a round-of-16 loss. Unlike Wright's, Green clearly meant this one, asking for a ball over the top before Michael Bradley's assist.
15) John O'Brien vs. Portugal, 2002 – 30 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 10/15. The quintessential three-star goal: the opening salvo of the US's shock quarterfinal run, O'Brien caught Vítor Baía off guard with a far-post finish from a corner.
14) Clint Dempsey vs. Ghana, 2006 – 30 points
Importance: 7/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 11/15. Perhaps Dempsey's most well-taken World Cup finish, hit full stride. The celebration is pure Deuce, but it was a tiny glimmer of hope in a very disappointing World Cup.
13) Tim Weah vs. Wales, 2022 – 32 points
Importance: 9/15; Quality: 11/15; Vibes: 12/15. While many goals are powered, Weah's is finesse. Gregg Berhalter's team rallied around 'verticality' and advanced upfield quickly.
12) Clint Mathis vs. 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, leading to the iconic call: 'THAT'S WHY HE'S HERE!'
11) Michael Bradley vs. Slovenia, 2010 – 35 points
Importance: 12/15; Quality: 10/15; Vibes: 13/15. The angriest, most energetic pairing of goals with Donovan's later in the match. Bradley lays it all on the line, and his celebration—motioning for teammates to join—turns into a dogpile.
10) John Brooks vs. Ghana, 2014 – 35 points
Importance: 12/15; Quality: 9/15; Vibes: 14/15. A standard goal for a tall defender, but special in details. Brooks was making his competitive debut, subbed in at halftime. He dreamed of scoring the night before. The goal itself surprised him, leading to an indelible image: Brooks falling to the ground, face in the grass, arms over his head. It subverts every expectation of a celebration and is a favorite for many.
9) Landon Donovan vs. Slovenia, 2010 – 36 points
Importance: 10/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 13/15. Perhaps the most underrated in quality, as memories were replaced by his next goal. The anger of a talented team that had beaten Spain in the Confederations Cup is palpable. Donovan puts plenty behind this shot; Samir Handanović can't be blamed for ducking.
8) Brian McBride vs. Portugal, 2002 – 37 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 13/15. Watched around 4am during summer vacation, McBride's diving header codified the coolest kind of goal. Tony Sanneh's incredible cross deserves credit; in the modern era, he'd be a world-class wing-back.
7) Jermaine Jones vs. Portugal, 2014 – 37 points
Importance: 8/15; Quality: 15/15; Vibes: 14/15. The quality holds up as a silent highlight, but the soundscape is second to none: the silent second after the shot, followed by a satisfying swish caught by the microphone. Another classic Darke call: 'simply sensational strike.'
6) Brian McBride vs. Mexico, 2002 – 38 points
Importance: 13/15; Quality: 12/15; Vibes: 13/15. The US-Mexico rivalry became one of the great international duels. Mexico dominated the 20th century, but the US's 2-0 win in qualifying hinted at a shift. This goal, created by Claudio Reyna's dogged run and finished by McBride with power and placement, kicked off an occasion worthy of an oral history. Josh Wolff's decoy run was crucial.
5) Clint Dempsey vs. Ghana, 2014 – 38 points
Importance: 11/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 14/15. The quickest goal in US World Cup history, vintage Dempsey. With three touches and a brilliant left-footed finish, he almost single-handedly ended the US's cursed relationship with Ghana. Dempsey says this is his all-time favorite, and he can't be blamed.
4) Landon Donovan vs. Mexico, 2002 – 39 points
Importance: 14/15; Quality: 11/15; Vibes: 14/15. A beauty of a counter-attack. Eddie Lewis doesn't break stride to meet O'Brien's lofted ball, then launches an inch-perfect cross for Donovan to head home. The US-Mexico rivalry is fierce; this match is still talked about as a defining result, thanks to the famous dos-a-cero scoreline.
3) Eric Wynalda vs. Switzerland, 1994 – 42 points
Importance: 13/15; Quality: 14/15; Vibes: 15/15. On the eve of the group-stage opener, Wynalda hit free kicks at the Pontiac Silverdome and noticed the ball carried better indoors. The next day, he called Claudio Reyna off a free kick 30 yards from goal and scored arguably the most clinically taken goal in US World Cup history. The celebration, classic faux-denim kits, and Tony Meola's arm swings of relief make this a worthy podium entry. Years later, Wynalda reunited with Swiss keeper Marco Pascolo, who said, 'Nobody could save it.'
2) Earnie Stewart vs. Colombia, 1994 – 43 points
Importance: 14/15; Quality: 15/15; Vibes: 14/15. Fans often think early US teams were technically deficient, but Stewart's goal proves otherwise. Most clips show his finish and Tab Ramos's perfect through ball, but the full sequence reveals a 10-pass team move that cut open Colombia's defense. Ramos's assist is arguably the best in US World Cup history, and Stewart's finish sent Stanford Stadium into rapture.
1) Landon Donovan vs. Algeria, 2010 – 43 points
Importance: 15/15; Quality: 13/15; Vibes: 15/15. Few moments unite the country in celebration. Donovan's last-gasp goal, capping a masterful counterattack, sent the sports-watching public into ecstasy. It occurred at a critical juncture for US soccer, right as the sport went fully online. Videos of celebrations in bars and living rooms painted the impact. Years later, fans still get goosebumps from Ian Darke's call: 'There are things on here for the USA.'
