Who has scored most goals for USMNT as Christian Pulisic chases down iconic names?

The United States men’s national team are hoping to achieve something they have never done before – win the FIFA World Cup.

Co-hosting the 2026 summer tournament with Canada and Mexico, and under the guidance of former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, the USMNT are going to need some goal-scoring prowess.

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World Cup Heroes

Top scorers for USMNT at World Cups

5 – Landon Donovan

4 – Clint Dempsey, Bert Patenaude

3 – Brian McBride

1 – 21 players, including Christian Pulisic, Hadji Wright, Timothy Weah

Naturals in front of goal have come and gone, with greats such as Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey even playing on the pitch together.

But with a new generation of strikers such as Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, the Stars and Stripes could be entering their golden generation, with ‘Captain America’ Christian Pulisic spearheading the charge.

The AC Milan winger, though, is the only player inside the top-10 goalscorers in USMNT history that is still active.

The 2026 World Cup offers more opportunity for some of the United States’ younger stars to begin to make headway on some of their soccer legends.

But it’s always nice to take a trip down memory, lane, so without further ado, here are the top-10 – or 12 – goalscorers in USMNT history.

T10. Earnie Stewart, DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley – 17 goals

Dutch-born midfielder Earnie Stewart was a stalwart for the USMNT in the late 1990s, in which he made 101 appearances.

DaMarcus Beasley remains the only USMNT player to have featured in four World Cups, with the versatile left-sided star’s first being in 2002 and last in 2014.

Quite the journeyman across Europe’s top leagues, having played in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and Eredivisie as well as the MLS during his career, Michael Bradley fired in 17 goals from central midfield.

He formed a core part of the USMNT’s midfield since his debut in 2006, only hanging up his boots in 2019.

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9. Eddie Johnson – 19 goals

Eddie Johnson may have had the most explosive introduction to the international stage, finding the net eight times in his first 10 appearances.

He would go on to make 63 total appearances, scoring an additional 11 goals to bring his tally to 19, of which 12 occurred during World Cup qualification.

8. Bruce Murray – 21 goals

It is hard to envision now that Bruce Murray was the USMNT’s all-time leading goalscorer when he retired from international football in 1993 with just 21 goals to his name from 85 appearances.

His lone World Cup goal came in 1990, albeit in a 2-1 defeat to Austria.

7. Joe-Max Moore – 24 goals

Joe-Max Moore was a key figurehead for U.S. Soccer during the mid-to-late 1990s, where he reached a century of appearances, scoring 24 goals.

In doing so, he became just the sixth player in their history to hit that 100-cap milestone.

Perhaps his most memorable moment in a USMNT jersey came against Jamaica in 2001 when his two goals in a 2-1 victory secured his country’s place in the 2002 World Cup.

6. Brian McBride – 30 goals

Older Premier League fans may remember Brian McBride from his playing days at Fulham between 2003 and 2008, where he notched 38 goal contributions in 140 league appearances.

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For his country, 6-foot McBride led the line on 95 occasions, in which he fired in 30 goals.

Despite making his national team debut in 1993, he was omitted from the 1994 FIFA World Cup on home soil, though would play his part at the 1998, 2002, and 2006 tournaments.

Scoring in both the 1998 and 2002 tournaments, he became the first American player to score in two World Cups.

5. Christian Pulisic – 32 goals

Americans have likened Pulisic as being the ‘LeBron James of soccer’.

The winger, who was once considered a ‘wonderboy’ by those in the States, has scored 32 times in just 84 appearance – a goals-to-game ratio of 0.38, making him one of the most prolific scorers is USMNT history.

However, he hasn’t found the back of the net since the CONCACAF Nations League Finals quarter-finals second leg back in November 2024.

Now 27-years-old, Captain America is hoping to get back on the scoresheet as he attempts to steer his country to World Cup glory on home soil in 2026.

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4. Eric Wynalda – 34 goals

Wynalda made the No. 11 jersey his own.

The former Bundesliga star for Saarbrucken earned 106 caps for the Stars and Stripes, scoring 34 times.

Despite featuring in three World Cups in the 1990s, his only Finals goal came against Switzerland in a 1-1 draw of the 1994 group stage.

3. Jozy Altidore – 42 goals

Jozy Altidore scored goals for fun, especially in the MLS and Eredivisie.

He was pretty handy on the national stage as well, notching 42 goals for his country in 115 appearances, and scored the opening goal in the USMNT’s 2-1 victory over Jamaica in the 2017 Gold Cup final.

Perhaps the only thing he will disappointed at when looking back is that he was never able to find the back of the net at the World Cup finals, despite five appearances totalling 380 minutes.

T1. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey- 57 goals

Arguably two of their biggest ever stars, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey were in the USMNT setup at the same time during their primes.

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Donovan, who once plied his trade at Bayern Munich and LA Galaxy, earned the call-up to represent his country slightly earlier, making his debut in 2000.

There he would go on to score his 57 goals in 157 appearances donning the Stars and Stripes over a 14-year period, winning four Gold Cups, while he also tops the USMNT assists leaderboard with 58.

Dempsey, on the other hand, had to wait until 2004 to earn his first cap, but would fire in the same number of goals as his countryman in fewer games (141), all while wearing the captain’s armband towards the end of his international career.

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