Photo by ISIphotos.com
Carlos Bocanegra has enjoyed a distinguished career as a U.S. national team defender, and he joined exclusive company on Tuesday, becoming the 12th player in U.S. Soccer history to reach 100 caps.
The steady U.S. captain marked the 3-2 victory over Slovenia by joining Cobi Jones, Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan, Marcelo Balboa, Claudio Reyna, Paul Caligiuri, Eric Wynalda, Kasey Keller, Earnie Stewart, Tony Meola and Joe-Max Moore in the century club at the start of his 90-minute shift.
Bocanegra earned his first cap in 2001 and has been a fixture in the national-team set-up ever since, playing left back and centerback. A member of the 2006 and 2010 World Cup teams, the 32-year-old Bocanegra has shown few signs of slowing down and could very well take part in his third World Cup in 2014.
As sturdy an option as he's proven to be in the back, Bocanegra has long been a major threat off set pieces as well, as evidenced by his 12 international goals.
As a salute to the captain, U.S. Soccer put together a video compilation of all of Bocanegra's international goals, starting with his first one against Canada in 2003 and concluding with his most recent one, which came in a friendly against the Netherlands in March, 2010:
The next ones to join Bocanegra and reach the 100-cap plateau should be DaMarcus Beasley (96) and Clint Dempsey (82), while Steve Cherundolo (78) and Tim Howard (72) also stand solid chances of accumulating enough games over the course of the next few years to reach the landmark.
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What's your favorite Bocanegra moment from over the years? Hope he's playing a role in the 2014 World Cup? Where do you think he ranks among all-time U.S. defenders?
Share your thoughts below.
