Eric Wynalda

Eric Wynalda ( born June 9, 1969 in Fullerton, California ) is a former American football player.

After his career as a footballer, he worked for different television channels. His last show was Fox Football Fone- in on the Fox Soccer Channel, which he hosted until 2010. He is currently working for the Mexican third division Murcielagos when President for International Affairs.

Youth and College

Eric Wynalda, of Dutch descent is, grew up in Westlake Village, California. In his childhood, he played for the West Lake Wolves, his father coached the team with which he could see the AYSO State Championship win. He scoring 56 goals in 16 games. Later he attended the Westlake High School and was called three times for the All State selection. In high school team he played along with the future national player Cobi Jones.

From 1987 to 1989 he attended the San Diego State University, where he played for the football team the San Diego State Aztecs. In the three seasons he scored a total of 34 goals and prepared 25 more ago. In his freshman year managed the team until the NCAA Men 's Soccer Championship final. There, however, the Aztecs were subject against the Clemson Tigers. During his time at SDSU, he also played two seasons for the San Diego Nomads of the Western Soccer Alliance.

Playing career

In order to participate at the 1990 World Cup, he signed in the same year a contract with the United States Soccer Federation. After the tournament, he was awarded by the USSF to the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks. In three seasons, the striker scored five goals in the American Professional Soccer League. He played with only seventeen games, as he was most of the time with the national team on the road.

In August 1992 he was loaned for $ 45,000 at 1 FC Saarbrücken. He was the first American-born soccer player who switched to a German professional association. In the former Bundesliga he scored eight goals equal in the first round of the season 1992/ 1993. Because of his excellent performance, he was obliged from Saarbruecken for 405,000 U.S. dollars. At the end of the 1st FC Saarbrücken had to dismount while, but Wynalda was honored with the award for best newcomer. In the following season he scored 14 goals and prepared 25 more ago. He was named the best player in the second division.

Wynalda joined at the end of the season for the second-rate also playing VfL Bochum. Due to an injury he incurred on 30 August, he could not reach the level as in the previous two seasons. Overall, he ran 29 times for on the Bochum, scoring 4 goals.

In 1996 he went back to the U.S. and signed a contract with the then newly established Major League Soccer. In the wake of the emergence of new professional league in the U.S., all well-known football players were divided between the different teams. The MLS Wynalda transferred to San Jose Clash. On April 6, 1996, he scored the first goal in the history of Major League Soccer. Clash won 1-0 against D.C. United. At the end of the season he was appointed to the U.S. by the USSF Player of the Year. The Honda Player of the Year award he received in the same year. For San Jose Clash Wynalda played 57 times between 1996 and 1998, scoring 21 goals.

He was loaned to the Mexican soccer club Club León in 1999. After five games for Mexicans Wynalda was seriously injured on his knee. He fell by the remaining loan period and also missed the first eleven games of the MLS season in 1999. Clash transferred him then to Miami Fusion. When the team from Florida, he did not achieve the desired performance in the offensive and was discharged on July 8, 2000 New England Revolution in exchange for Ivan McKinley.

On 3 May 2001, he moved again within the MLS team. The Revs sent him to the Chicago Fire SC in exchange for John Wolyniec.

2002 Wynalda announced like to want to end his career with Los Angeles Galaxy. This change did not take place. He then moved to Charleston Battery in the USL First Division. In a preparation game for the upcoming season Wynalda injured again on his knees, was end of his career and was known television commentator.

National

His first cap for the United States completed Wynalda on 2 February 1990 against Costa Rica. On 14 March 1990 he signed a contract with the United States Soccer Federation, which he became a full-time national player. In the same year Wynalda was part of the squad for the World Cup in Italy.

In the 1994 World Cup in his own country, he scored a free kick from 26 meters up the equalizing goal in the game against Switzerland. At the Copa America in 1995, he was appointed at the end of the tournament in the best eleven of the Copa. He scored 3 goals in the tournament, two against Chile and one against Argentina.

In 1998 he took part in his third World Cup. Only Tab Ramos and Marcelo Balboa also attended three world championships in the squad.

In 2000 he retired from the national team. He was able to achieve 34 goals in 106 games. By 19 January 2008, making him the top scorer of the United States. On this day Landon Donovan scored a goal in a game against Sweden and thus overtook him.

Wynalda was chosen by the CONCACAF become one of the best players in the 90s. In 2004, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Since 2006 he is also in the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.

Football after the End of career

2005 Wynalda was engaged by the Club Bakersfield Brigade as Technical Director. At the end of the 2007 season, he stood for the last games again on a football field. Overall, he completed four games in the USL Premier Development League.

In addition, he was still playing for the Hollywood United FC, a senior amateur club in Los Angeles. There he stood with the former U.S. internationals Alexi Lalas and John Harkes, Frank Leboeuf, Vinnie Jones and actor Anthony LaPaglia on the court. United play in the Los Angeles Olympic Soccer League.

Career in television

After the end of his career as a football player, he first worked as a commentator for ESPN. Together with Alexi Lalas, he commented on the games at the World Cup 2006. During the 2007 MLS season, he became one of the main commentators on ESPN and ABC.

In 2008, he worked as a columnist for the Major League Soccer Magazine in Los Angeles.

In August 2009, the television channel Fox Soccer Channel announced that is Wynalda take on the TV show Fox Football Fone- in. Besides, he continued to work as a TV commentator for Major League Soccer and the UEFA Champions League.

During the 2010 World Cup, he was employed for the online portal Yahoo! Sports as a video blog analyst.