 Wynalda while coaching for Atlanta Silverbacks in 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Boswell Wynalda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1969-06-09)June 9, 1969 (age 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fullerton, California, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | San Diego State Aztecs | (34) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | San Diego Nomads | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | →San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (loan) | 48 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 61 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | VfL Bochum | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | San Jose Clash | 57 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | →León (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Miami Fusion | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | New England Revolution[1] | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Chicago Fire | 21 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Charleston Battery | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Bakersfield Brigade | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 251 | (77) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2000 | United States | 106 | (34) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | San Diego Flash (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Cal FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Atlanta Silverbacks (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Atlanta Silverbacks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | L.A. Wolves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Las Vegas Lights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | New Amsterdam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eric Boswell Wynalda (born June 9, 1969) is an Americansoccer coach, television commentator, and former player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage onFox Sports 1 andESPN. Previously, he served as head coach and technical director ofLas Vegas Lights FC in theUSL Championship and he is the host ofWTF: Wynalda Talks Football onSiriusXM FC.
Wynalda was one of the first Americans to play professionally in Europe before returning to his home country in 1996 to play inMajor League Soccer and scoring the first goal in the league's history. Until 2008, he was the all-time leading goal scorer for theUnited States national team. Wynalda was described as a "shifty, dynamic player off the dribble with a heavy shot."[2] He was also known for his fiery play,[3] and earned the nickname, "Eric the Red Card."[4] He was elected to theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.
Wynalda, of Dutch ancestry, grew up inWestlake Village, California. As a child his team the Westlake Wolves, with Eric's father Dave as the head coach, won the state championship inAYSO soccer. That year Wynalda scored more goals than the entire division his team played in combined (58 goals in 16 games). His skills continued to improve year after year and he attendedWestlake High School and was a three time All State selection with the school's boys soccer team and a youth club teammate of fellow national team playerCobi Jones.
Wynalda attendedSan Diego State University from 1987 to 1989 where he played for theAztecs men's soccer team, scoring 34 goals and assisting on 25 others during his three seasons. His freshman year, SDSU went to theNCAA Men's Soccer Championship game where it lost to theBruce Murray-ledClemson Tigers. While at SDSU, he also played two seasons with the local semi-proSan Diego Nomads of theWestern Soccer Alliance. In 1988, he played a single game and in 1989, he played five games with the Nomads.[5]
Leading up to the1990 FIFA World Cup, Wynalda signed a contract with theU.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). After the World Cup, Wynalda signed as an on loan player from USSF with theSan Francisco Bay Blackhawks of theAmerican Professional Soccer League. During his nearly three seasons with the Blackhawks, he played only a handful of games with the team, devoting most of his time to the national team.
In August 1992, USSF loaned Wynalda toBundesliga club1. FC Saarbrücken for $45,000. When he arrived at Saarbrücken, he became the first American-born player to play for a top level German club. He had an immediate impact, scoring eight goals in the first half of the season where he played all 17 matches. This led Saarbrücken to purchase Wynalda's contract from USSF for $405,000. In the second half of the season he added one more goal in 15 matches to that tally. By the end of the season Saarbrücken was last in the league and became relegated. Wynalda scored 14 goals and had 25 assists in the 1993–94 season of the2. Bundesliga. After the end of the season he was transferred for $850,000 to second division winnersVfL Bochum which as such were promoted to the Bundesliga. There Wynalda remained without goal in his 22 matches of the 1994–95 season[6] and Bochum was relegated. A hernia operation on August 30 limited his tally in the ensuing 2. Bundesliga season to seven matches mid-season – none of those for the full 90 minutes – where he scored two goals. Bochum, after finishing the league first, was promoted again.[7]
Wynalda returned to the States in 1996, signing withMajor League Soccer (MLS).[8] As part of the process of creating the new league, known players were distributed throughout the league's new teams[8] (except for the Dallas Burn, which alone amongst all MLS sides never received a United States national team allocation from the 1994 World Cup era).[citation needed] The leagueallocated Wynalda to theSan Jose Clash.[8] On April 6, 1996, Wynalda scored the first goal in league history in its inaugural game as the Clash beatD.C. United 1–0.[9] He was namedU.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year for 1996.[10]
Wynalda was loaned out toClub León in Mexico in 1999. He tore both theACL andmedial meniscus on his left knee while with Leon, which put him out of action for several months.[11]
After missing the first eleven games of the 1999 season, the Clash traded Wynalda to theMiami Fusion on June 1, 1999.[12] On July 7, 2000, the Fusion turned around and traded Wynalda to theNew England Revolution along with future draft considerations for defenderIvan McKinley.[1] On August 12, 2000, Wynalda made his first appearance for the Revolution, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute forImad Baba in the Revolution's loss to theMetroStars.[13] He recorded his first assist for the club a week later in the Revolution's 2-1 home win over theTampa Bay Mutiny. His first start came on September 3 in the Revolution's 2-0 loss toD.C. United. On September 19, 2000, in the MLS Cup Playoff Quarterfinals, Wynalda scored his first goal for the Revolution, the opener in their 2-1 victory over theChicago Fire. It was the club's first-ever playoff win (the Revolution were subsequently eliminated from the series, losing 2 games to 1 in the best-of-three tie).[13]
In February 2001, the Revolution re-signed Wynalda, but would deal him to the Chicago Fire on May 3, 2001 forJohn Wolyniec and a third-round pick in the2002 MLS SuperDraft.[1] Despite the season being underway when he arrived, Wynalda would end up as the Fire's leading scorer for 2001, recording 10 goals and 5 assists in MLS Play. The Fire waived Wynalda on January 15, 2002.[14]
In 2002, Wynalda attempted to join theLos Angeles Galaxy, announcing that he planned to retire with the team. However, the negotiations with the Galaxy did not work out and he signed for theCharleston Battery of theUSL First Division. Wynalda joined the team only to tear his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-season match.[15] He elected to retire from professional soccer and became a broadcast announcer.
Wynalda earned his firstcap with theUnited States national team againstCosta Rica on February 2, 1990. On March 14, 1990, he signed a contract with theUnited States Soccer Federation which made him a full-time national team player.[16] Later that year, Wynalda played in the1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, his first World Cup, earning a red card againstCzechoslovakia, for retaliating against midfielderĽubomír Moravčík, who had backed into Wynalda during a dead ball play throw in, pushing Moravčík to the ground from behind in front of the referee, linesman, field judge and both teams' benches (erupting the Czech bench), becoming the first U.S. player to be ejected from a World Cup match. The Slovak player's treatment of Wynalda was in retaliation for a wildly thrown elbow on another teammate in the first half. Wynalda was lucky not to have been red carded then, only to be ejected in the 53rd minute leaving his side a man down for the remaining 37 minutes of the second half.
Wynalda was a part of the United States squad that won the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the final the US beat Honduras 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 stalemate after extra time led the game to penalties. Wynalda started every game of the tournament for the United States and scored the third goal for the US in their second group stage match against Guatemala, which the US won 3–0.
In the1994 World Cup, Wynalda scored on a free kick from 28 yards as the United States tiedSwitzerland. He also played inCopa America 1995, where he scored againstChile andArgentina.
In 1998, Wynalda participated in his thirdWorld Cup, one of only three United States players (the others beingTab Ramos andMarcelo Balboa) to have earned that honor at that time. He finished the 1998 World Cup with no goals.
In 2000, Wynalda retired from the United States national team as its all-time leading scorer with 34 goals in 106 appearances.[17] He was the sole owner of the record until 2007, whenLandon Donovan tied the record with a penalty kick goal againstMexico in the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. Wynalda lost the record when Donovan scored yet another penalty kick in a friendly match againstSweden on January 19, 2008.
Wynalda was named the Honda U.S. Player of the Decade for the 1990s, was named to theCONCACAF All-Decade Team of the 1990s and was elected to theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.[18] In 2006, he was named to the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.[19]
In 2005,Bakersfield Brigade of theUSL Premier Development League hired Wynalda as its technical director,[20] and in 2007 he agreed to a short-term playing contract with the team during the last few matches of their season.[21] On May 1, 2008, he signed a formal season-long agreement to play the entire campaign with the Brigade as a full member of the 2008 playing squad.[22]
He has also continued to play with an over-30s amateur team in Los Angeles,Hollywood United, alongside former U.S. internationalsAlexi Lalas andJohn Harkes, former French internationalFrank Leboeuf, formerWelsh international playerVinnie Jones, and actorAnthony La Paglia.[23] United plays in the Los Angeles Olympic Soccer League.[24]
Wynalda has been the head coach ofCal FC since 2012 and his side received attention in the2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when they reached the fourth round of the tournament, upsettingUSL Pro sideWilmington Hammerheads 4–0[25] andMajor League Soccer sidePortland Timbers 1–0 along the way.
Cal FC's victory over the Timbers made them the second-ever USASA side to beat an MLS side (the first being Dallas Roma FC beating Chivas USA in 2006), as well as the first amateur side to beat an MLS one without needing penalty kicks. It stands as the biggest upset in the tournament's history, especially considering the Timbers featured their regular starting lineup.[26][27][28][29][30][31]
On July 2, 2012, it was announced that Wynalda would become the interim head coach and team adviser of the newNorth American Soccer League'sAtlanta Silverbacks.[32]
On January 7, 2014, the Silverbacks announced they would get rid of the head coach position and have Wynalda act as the manager and technical director of the team. This is something rarely done by a professional soccer club.[33]
On October 17, 2018,Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL announced that Wynalda would be their new Head Coach and Technical Director.[34]
On July 30, 2020,New Amsterdam FC of theNational Independent Soccer Association announced Wynalda has the team's first head coach.[35] On August 17, following two preseason tournament matches and five days prior to the start of the fall season, Wynalda announced his departure for personal reasons.[36]
After retiring, Wynalda began working as a soccer analyst forESPN. Along withAlexi Lalas, he was the channel's in-studio analyst for the2006 FIFA World Cup on English-language broadcasts. Wynalda was one of the most vocal critics of U.S. head coachBruce Arena during the tournament. However, after the World Cup, he was amicably paired in-studio with Arena as co-analysts for some 2006 MLS Cup playoff games, a successful arrangement which continued with ESPN's coverage of the US National Team in 2007. Wynalda was one of the main analysts for ESPN andABC during the 2007 Major League Soccer season.
In 2008, he became columnist forMajor League Soccer Magazine, an independent soccer magazine licensed with MLS and based in Los Angeles.
In August 2009, Fox Soccer Channel announced that Eric Wynalda would replace Steven Cohen as the co-host of the weekly discussion show,Fox Football Fone-in and partner up withNick Webster who coached alongside Eric with Cal FC during their historic run in the U.S. Open Cup. In addition, Wynalda began working as a commentator for some of the channel's MLS broadcasts, and as an in-studio analyst during pre-game, half-time, and post-game segments for theUEFA Champions League.
In June & July 2010, Wynalda covered the2010 FIFA World Cup for Yahoo! Sports as a video blog analyst.
He is currently an analyst for Fox Sports 1, covering Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup.
In October 2015, Wynalda joined SiriusXM FC 85 as the host of the new programWTF: Wynalda Talks Football. Joined by the 'Stat Man' David Mosse, Eric covers the world of soccer, pop culture, and everything in between. The show airs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7pm-9pm Eastern on SiriusXM FC 85.[37]
Wynalda married Amanda Fletcher in 2014. They live in Thousand Oaks, CA with their three children and his three children from a previous marriage.
Wynalda's house in the Westlake Village neighborhood was destroyed in theNovember 2018 Woolsey Fire. Wynalda and his family had evacuated to relatives inCorona, California, where he watched footage of the fire on television. Of the 162 houses in Wynalda's Westlake Village tract, his home was the only one that burned.[38]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 4, 1990 | Miami, Florida, United States |  Colombia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1990 Marlboro Cup |
| 2 | April 8, 1990 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |  Iceland | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 2–0 | |||||
| 4 | May 5, 1990 | Piscataway, New Jersey, United States |  Malta | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | May 30, 1990 | Eschen, Liechtenstein |  Liechtenstein | 3–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | June 1, 1991 | Foxboro, Massachusetts, United States |  Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | July 1, 1991 | Pasadena, California, United States |  Guatemala | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 8 | February 2, 1992 | Pontiac, Michigan, United States |  CIS | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | April 4, 1992 | Stanford, California, United States |  China | 2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 5–0 | |||||
| 11 | April 29, 1992 | Dublin, Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 1–4 | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 12 | October 19, 1992 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Ivory Coast | 3–1 | 5–2 | 1992 King Fahd Cup |
| 13 | July 10, 1993 | Dallas, Texas, United States |  Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 14 | July 14, 1993 | Dallas, Texas, United States |  Panama | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1993 CONCACAF Gold |
| 15 | June 18, 1994 | Pontiac, Michigan, United States |  Switzerland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 16 | July 8, 1995 | Paysandú, Uruguay |  Chile | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1995 Copa America |
| 17 | 2–0 | |||||
| 18 | July 14, 1995 | Paysandú, Uruguay |  Argentina | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1995 Copa America |
| 19 | January 12, 1996 | Anaheim, California, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1996 Gold Cup |
| 20 | 2–1 | |||||
| 21 | January 15, 1996 | Anaheim, California, United States |  El Salvador | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 22 | January 20, 1996 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Guatemala | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 23 | May 26, 1996 | New Britain, Connecticut, United States |  Scotland | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 24 | June 16, 1996 | Pasadena, California, United States |  Mexico | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1996 U.S. Cup |
| 25 | August 30, 1996 | Los Angeles, California, United States | El Salvador | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 26 | November 3, 1996 | Washington, D.C., United States | Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 27 | November 10, 1996 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | Trinidad and Tobago | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 28 | January 29, 1997 | Kunming, China | China | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 29 | March 16, 1997 | Stanford, California, United States |  Canada | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 30 | March 23, 1997 | San José, Costa Rica |  Costa Rica | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 31 | October 3, 1997 | Washington, D.C., United States | Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 32 | February 1, 1998 | Oakland, California, United States |  Cuba | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 33 | November 17, 1999 | Marrakech, Morocco |  Morocco | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 34 | February 12, 2000 | Miami, Florida |  Haiti | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
United States
Individual
United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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