USMNT individual player records: Most goals, assists, games all-time for USA men's national team

The U.S. men's national team has experienced significant growth over the past decade, with the most talented and globally recognized talent pool in USMNT history.

Yet there is a long and storied history behind the U.S. federation, and understanding where those currently active players fit into the larger narrative of U.S. soccer's past is necessary to properly place them into the pantheon of the country's development.

Current stars like Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna are already finding themselves amongst various all-time USMNT records lists, and as the years tick on they look primed to rise further up the tables into an even more prominent position.

The Sporting News takes you through the most popular all-time records in USMNT history, including where both current and former stars appear.

MORE: USMNT eliminated from Copa America 2024

USMNT goal scoring records

All numbers and records correct as of July 1, 2024. * Indicates active player/coach.

Most career goals for USA

Two players are tied atop the goal scoring chart for the U.S. national team, as legends Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey each netted 57 goals in their careers.

The most prolific active player is Christian Pulisic, who has 30 goals in his 71 caps as the 2024 Copa America gets underway, and he is still just 25 years old. He crossed halfway to the all-time leaders with his goal against Brazil in the pre-Copa America friendly. He is on pace to reach their mark at just 132 caps, nine fewer than Dempsey and 25 less than Donovan.

Most goals for USA at FIFA World Cup

Legendary forward Landon Donovan's five World Cup goals are the most of any American in history, including his famous late winner against Algeria, which sent the U.S. to the knockout stage of the 2010 World Cup in dramatic fashion.

Clint Dempsey and Bert Patenaude both sit joint-second with four career World Cup goals. Fans will recognize Dempsey, who is a titan of modern U.S. soccer, but Patenaude will be a new one for many, having played for the United States in the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Paraguay as they reached the competition's final four.

MORE: USA roster for Copa America 2024

Youngest goal scorer for USA

The youngest player ever to score a goal for the United States in any official match is none other than Christian Pulisic, who found the net in his third cap, scoring in a 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia in May of 2016 at just 17 years 253 days old.

When you look at just competitive matches, another active player holds the mark, as Ricardo Pepi scored in his international debut on September 9, 2021 against Honduras in FIFA World Cup qualifying. At the time, he was 18 years, 242 days old, which is the eighth-youngest in U.S. history but the top amongst competitive goal scorers.

Most career hat-tricks for USA

There have been 22 hat-tricks scored in USMNT history by 16 different players. Only four players have scored multiple hat-tricks in their international careers, with two players having done so on three occasions and two others doing it twice.

Three of the players are amongst the top goal scorers in U.S. national team history, and one of them stands out as an outlier. Jesus Ferreira became known as the "Pirate of the Caribbean" for his ability to feast on smaller CONCACAF nations, scoring hat-tricks against St. Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago, plus a four-goal outburst against Grenada.

MORE: Has USA ever won the World Cup for men? Record on soccer's biggest stage

USMNT appearance records

Most career appearances for USA men

The man with the most career appearances for the USMNT is midfielder Cobi Jones, who made his international debut in September of 1992 and went on to appear an outstanding 164 times for the United States, finishing his career in late 2004 with four substitute appearances in 2006 World Cup qualifying.

Overall, 17 players have reached the century mark of appearances for the United States.

Most career appearances for USMNT at FIFA World Cup

The player with the most World Cup appearances for the United States is Landon Donovan, whose 12 World Cup caps is one more than anyone else. It's an exceptional accomplishment for Donovan considering the later stages of his international career infamously featured his controversial exclusion from the 2014 World Cup roster.

Behind him are the trio of Cobi Jones, DaMarcus Beasley, and Earnie Stewart, who all earned 11 World Cup appearances. Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna all made 10 World Cup appearances.

The player with the most appearances for the United States in World Cup qualifying is Clint Dempsey, who saw action in 43 games in CONCACAF qualification. That is two more than second-place earner Jozy Altidore on 41, with Michael Bradley third on 40.

Youngest player in USMNT history

The youngest player to ever step on the pitch for the U.S. senior men's national team is wonderkid Freddy Adu, who made his national team debut at 16 years, 234 years old in January of 2006. Adu's career is infamous as the quintessential example of a youngster being overhyped, as he did not manage to match the huge expectations heaped on him at such a young age.

Adu went on to score just two international goals in 17 caps, retiring in 2021 having traversed the globe looking fruitlessly for club success.

Oldest player in USMNT history

The oldest player ever to step on the field in a U.S. shirt is, as you might expect, a goalkeeper. At 38 years, 286 days old, Marcus Hahnemann earned his final of nine career caps in March of 2011 against Paraguay. He was brought off at halftime in favor of David Yelldell for his only career international cap.

Hahnemann made his debut in 1994, earning his first three international caps within a month span, but would have to wait nine years before returning to the pitch for the USMNT.

USMNT assist records

Most career assists for USA

Legendary forward Landon Donovan not only has the most assists in USMNT history, but incredibly, he has the most assists of any men's player in international football history. However, he is likely to be caught eventually by Lionel Messi, who remains active for the Argentine national team and has 56 career international assists entering the 2024 Copa America.

The highest active USMNT player is Christian Pulisic, who sits eighth on the all-time list with 16 career international assists to date. He is the individual on the list with the fewest caps by a significant margin, as his number is dwarfed by most of those on the list in triple digits, while Tab Ramos is the next lowest on 81 and Eddie Lewis has 82.

Youngest player to assist a goal in USA history

The youngest player to provide an assist in a U.S. national team match is Christian Pulisic, who backed up his record-breaking youngest-ever goal with a two-goal, one assist performance against St. Vincent & the Grenadines in 2016 as part of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. At 17 years, 349 days it made Pulisic the youngest American international to assist a goal.

MORE: USA overall record at Copa America

Other USMNT all-time records

Most career shutouts for USA goalkeeper

Former Tottenham, Gladbach and Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller leads the U.S. national team list for shoutouts in a career, keeping a clean sheet in nearly half of his international appearances. He sits just five above another legend in Tim Howard, who holds the record for most saves in a FIFA World Cup game with his 11 against Belgium in 2014.

The highest active player on the list is Matt Turner, who already has over half of Keller's total in just 41 caps, a truly astonishing tally despite suffering through a rocky European club career.

USA coach with most career wins, appearances

The man with the most wins in his career as U.S. national team head coach is Bruce Arena, who collected 81 victories across his storied managerial career. He was the coach in 2002 when the United States secured its first and only victory in a World Cup quarterfinal, beating Mexico 2-0 in South Korea.

However, the coach with the highest win percentage amongst those with enough matches to qualify is current boss Gregg Berhalter, who has achieved victory in 61.1% of his games to date. He is the only one with a mark above 60%. Berhalter has been criticized for his inability to beat top teams, but he has been steady at the helm against inferior opposition.