From Howard to Balogun: Top five USMNT World Cup performances

Top Five USMNT WC Performances

GOAL takes a look at the five best performances by American players at the highest levels of the sport

In the team's long history, the U.S. Men's National Team has played in 11 World Cups. Those appearances span generations. There was a significant American presence at the very first tournament in Uruguay 96 years ago. Now, this summer, the world's biggest tournament is on American soil for the second time.

Now, think of everything that came between. For American fans, World Cup history is still relatively modern. The U.S. played in just three tournaments prior to 1990, but has appeared in all but one since.

And in that modern era, there has been plenty to remember. There have been runs that changed expectations, nights that still sting and moments that helped shape what this program believes it can be.

Who could forget the heroics of that 1994 run in the tournament that kicked off the modern era of soccer? What about the team in 2002, that took things further than ever before? You could easily point to strong showings in 2010 and 2014 or even the team's rebirth in 2022. Plenty of American stars have had their World Cup moments, but which of those moments was the best? Which games were the most important, most impressive and most impactful?

As this year's tournament gets underway, GOAL takes a look at the top five individual performances by a USMNT player at a World Cup...

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Claudio Reyna - 2002 vs Germany

Realistically, there may be better performances, but Reyna simply has to be on this list, and he has to be on this list for this game because of how it all went down.

Yes, the U.S. lost this game, 1-0. It was famously controversial. Torsten Frings remains a name known by many American fans and, even in the 24 years since, that hasn't faded. The Man of the Match that day wasn't Frings, though. It wasn't goalscorer Michael Ballack or goalkeeper/Golden Ball winner Oliver Kahn; it was Reyna, the USMNT's star midfielder on the wrong side of a quarterfinal result.

You could argue that he wasn't the USMNT's best player that day because, realistically, Tony Sanneh deserves a shout, too. But there's a reason Reyna became the only American player to be named to a World Cup All-Star team that summer, and it's because of the way he ran the midfield both in this game and in the ones prior.

Bert Patenaude - 1930 vs Paraguay

When you're an answer to one of the game's wildest trivia questions, you know you've earned your place in history.

Nearly 100 years ago, it was an American in Patenaude who became the first hat-trick scorer in the history of the World Cup. That fact wasn't recognized, funnily enough, for over 76 years. But yes, FIFA confirmed in 2006, it was Patenaude that became the first player to find the back of the net three times back on that July 17, 1930 win over Paraguay in the inaugural World Cup tournament.

Now, all these years later, no American has been able to match the feat, which goes to show how hard it is to dominate in that fashion at the highest levels of the game.

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Folarin Balogun - 2026 vs Paraguay

Recency bias? Maybe, but you can't deny that Balogun's performance was a historic one.

With his brace against Paraguay, Balogun became the first American to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since? Patenaude, of course. That's nearly 100 years of history, all of which came together on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles. Playing in his first World Cup game, Balogun put in an all-time performance, scoring two fantastic goals while totally ruining what is a pretty good Paraguay backline.

Realistically, there were several players on the field in that game that have a real argument for inclusion, but it was Balogun who emerged as the hero to book his place in the USMNT record books.

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Landon Donovan - 2010 vs Algeria

Stakes, drama, pressure - it was all on the line for the USMNT against Algeria. And then the team's superstar popped up with a goal that changed the American game for the better.

It was the first true moment in the USMNT's World Cup history that everyone remembers where they were to witness it. Social media reactions went viral instantly in a world before social media was a thing. Everyone has a story about this game and, in particular, the one moment that defined it.

So, while Donovan may have had better individual performances, namely in 2002, he had no more important one, which is why his game-winner has stood the test of time.

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Tim Howard - 2014 vs Belgium

This isn't just the USMNT's greatest World Cup performance; it's one of the best performances of all-time.

In that World Cup clash against Belgium, Howard put forth the most impressive display of goalkeeping the sport has ever seen. His 16 saves remain a World Cup record, and it has to be said that few of them came easy. Faced with wave after wave of attacks from Belgium's golden generation, Howard kept the USMNT in it, ultimately helping the team get all the way to extra time.

The U.S., ultimately, fell, 2-1, but Howard captured the hearts of the world that day. His monicker, The Secretary of Defense, became a defining one. Fans from both America and just about everywhere else didn't leave that match raving about Belgium; they left talking about the heroics of a goalkeeper that had earned his place in World Cup lore forever.

That's what makes Howard's most famous game the USMNT's best at this level, and it'll be hard to top any time soon.