| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bruce Edward Murray[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1966-01-25)January 25, 1966 (age 59) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Germantown, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward,midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | Clemson | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | Washington Stars | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Luzern | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Maryland Bays | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Millwall | 13 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994 | →Stockport County(loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Ayr United | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Atlanta Ruckus | 28 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1993 | United States | 85 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 1989 | United States futsal | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Harvard Crimson(assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Bruce Edward Murray (born January 25, 1966) is an American former professionalsoccer player who at the time of his retirement was the all-time leading scorer for theUnited States men's national soccer team. His standout college career led to his selection bySoccer America Magazine to itsCollege Team of the Century. He then played professionally in both Europe at Luzern and Millwall scoring game winning goals vs Stoke, Watford and Nottingham Forest and the United States, including theAmerican Soccer League andAmerican Professional Soccer League. Concussion syndrome forced him to retire in 1995, Murray had earned 86caps, scoring 21 goals, including one at the1990 FIFA World Cup. He was also a member of the U.S. national futsal team which placed third at the 1989FIFA Futsal World Championship. Murray is the Direct of Coaching at Accelerator School DC Metro. He is a member of theNational Soccer Hall of Fame.
Murray grew up in Maryland and attendedWinston Churchill High School. He played high school soccer at Churchill and club soccer with the Montgomery United Ponies, winning 2 National Championships with the Ponies coached byJohn Kerr Sr at the U-16 age group in 1981 and the U-19 age group in 1983.
After graduating from high school, Murray attendedClemson University, where he played as aforward on the men's soccer team from 1984 to 1987. In his freshman year, the Tigers took the 1984NCAA championship in a 2–1 victory overIndiana. Through his four years at Clemson, Murray was a dominant forward, finishing his career as the first Clemson player to gain 40 goals and 40 assists. His senior year, he again won theNCAA championship, this time a 2–0 victory overSan Diego State. On a personal level, he was named the 1987Hermann Trophy winner and the 1987ISAA Player of the Year. He was also selected as afirst team All-American as a forward. This went with his selection as a 1985 All-American midfielder. In 2000,SoccerAmerica named Murray to itsCollege Team of the Century. In 1993, Murray was elected to the Clemson University Hall of Fame.
In 1988, Murray signed with theWashington Stars of theAmerican Soccer League (ASL). This was the first year in existence for both the Stars and ASL. The Stars finished third in the North Division with an 11–9 record and out of playoff contention.[1] He continued with the Stars for the next three seasons, but also spent time with Swiss clubFC Luzern during the 1988–1989 winter (ASL offseason) season. In 1990, the ASL merged with theWestern Soccer League to form theAmerican Professional Soccer League. The Stars continued their poor run of play, finishing 7–13 and out of playoff contention yet again. The team folded at the end of the 1990 and Murray moved to theMaryland Bays. In 1991, Murray played nine games, scoring two goals, with the Bays.[2] By this time the APSL was collapsing and the Bays folded at the end of the season.
Murray took a break from full-time soccer when he signed a contract with theU.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) to play full-time with theU.S. national team. On July 30, 1993, theU.S. Soccer Federation released Murray from his national team contract in order to allow him to pursue professional opportunities in Europe.[3] Murray then moved to England to pursue a contract with English Championship clubMillwall.
On August 9, 1993, Murray signed with Millwall and scored six days later in his debut match when Millwall defeatedStoke City 2–1.[2] Despite this excellent start, Murray was limited to 12 games with concussion issues scoring three game winning goals against Stoke City, Watford and Nottingham Forest. over the next year and Millwall released him on October 12, 1994.[3] During his time with Millwall, the team sent him on loan toStockport County.
When Murray returned to the U.S., he signed with theAtlanta Ruckus of theA-League. That season the Ruckus went to the championship before falling to theSeattle Sounders.[4] Having battled knee injuries/head injuries for several years, Murray retired from playing professionally at the end of the 1995 season.
Murray earned his firstcap in a 5–0 defeat againstEngland in Los Angeles, on June 16, 1985, while still in college. His first national team goal came againstUruguay on February 7, 1986. The game ended in a 1–1 tie. Murray went on to play on theU.S. team at the1988 Summer Olympics, and become a mainstay in the lineup duringWorld Cup qualifying. Murray started all three games for the US at the1990 FIFA World Cup, the U.S.'s first appearance at the Cup since1950. His play in the World Cup saw him having a hand in both goals scored during the finals, scoring one and assisting on the other.
OnlyBrian McBride,Clint Mathis, andJohn O'Brien have recorded a goal and an assist for the United States in one World Cup finals. Murray ended his national team career in 1993 with 86caps and 22 goals. Murray holds the third most goals scored playing European teams with 9 goals, 2nd Landon Donovan (10) 1st Clint Dempsey (12).
Murray also played for theUnited States national futsal team which placed third at the1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship. He earned six caps and scored one goal with the futsal team.[4]
| National Team | Year | Apps | Starts | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | ||||
| 1985 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 8 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 12 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 20 | 17 | 8 | |
| 1991 | 16 | 15 | 6 | |
| 1992 | 12 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1993 | 12 | 10 | 2 | |
| Total | 85 | 76 | 21 | |
After a series of head injuries, Murray decided to retire from playing professionally. At first, he entered the metals trading industry, but in 2001, he decided to re-enter soccer with theAtlanta Silverbacks youth program.[5]
In 2002, Murray became the Director of coaching with the Roswell Soccer Club in Georgia.
On September 17, 2004,Harvard University announced that Murray had been hired as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team.[6]Archived October 17, 2007, at theWayback Machine He was with Harvard for two seasons, then moved to the Capital Area Soccer League in Raleigh, NC where he was a staff coach.
On March 20, 2011, Murray was elected to theNational Soccer Hall of Fame.[6]
Recently Murray has been diagnosed with potential CTE symptoms from his concussion and repetitive heading of the ball over his playing career.
Currently, Murray is the radio broadcast color commentator forD.C. United matches oniHeartRadio Sports DC.[7]
| Golden Ball | |
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| Golden Glove | |
| Top goalscorer | |
†: Golden Boot award winner (when goals scored are tied) | |
United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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