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Brian McBride by JamesGrantGroup –

11 Top Facts about Brian McBride

In the United States, football might not be the most popular sport. However, this has not stopped them from producing some legendary players of the sport. One such name in a long list that includes the likes of Pulisic and Tim Howard is the great Brian McBride.

Brian Robert McBride sometimes referred to as America’s Man of Steel is a football legend not only in America but Europe as well. He played as a forward (striker) for both his country, the USMNT, and his many clubs. An active player since his college years, McBride played professional football from 1990 to 2010 (including 3 years in college).

McBride’s clubs during his career include; VfL Wolfsburg, Columbus Crew, Preston North End, Everton, Fulham, and Chicago Fire. Below are some interesting facts about the life and career of Brian McBride.

1. Versatile in His Amateur Career (High School)

McBride had football in his blood from a young age. While in high school, he played varsity soccer for his school Buffalo Grove High School. This was under the coaching of John Erfort.

One impressive fact about Brian was his versatility. He played in every position possible including goalkeeper and defender. In a regional final against Stevenson High School, he played goalkeeper and saved four of the eight penalties he faced. He is also remembered for finishing off a counterattacking move after the game ended in a draw during regulation time.

2. Became A Striker at College Level

In varsity soccer, Brian was a versatile player as mentioned above. However, when he turned professional in college, he opted to play as a forward from then on.

This decision came with a warning from Craig Burley, a former professional footballer from Scotland and ESPN pundit and commentator. Burley warned McBride that as a forward he would get clattered by defending players more often than not.

3. He Is a member of the 40-40 Club

American Brian McBride by Rick Dikeman –

You’re probably asking what the hell is a 40-40 Club and no, it has nothing to do with age. The 40-40 club is a list of people who have scored 40 goals and assisted 40 goals in Division I of NCAA men’s soccer.

In the NCAA, McBride played in a total of 89 games in the course of 8 seasons while he was in college. In these 89 games, he scored 72 goals and provided 40 assists. This, therefore, means he is part of the elite 40-40 club.

Just to get a grip of how ‘elite’ this club is, there are only 22 members. The last entry dates way back to 1997, Andy Williams.

4. Made His Senior Career Debut with The Milwaukee Rampage

Brian completed college in 1993 and joined the Milwaukee Rampage in 1994. He played for Rampage for only a few months, playing 18 games during his stay.

Within these 18 games, he managed to score 17 goals and assist 18 more. It was clear that he was in need of a bigger challenge and that is when Wolfsburg (Germany) came calling.

5. First Team in Europe Was VFL Wolfsburg

VFL Wolfsburg fans by funky1opti –

In 1994, after a few months in the minor league with Milwaukee Rampage, McBride left the United States to ply his trade in Europe. He ended up in Germany playing for VFL Wolfsburg who at the time was in Germany’s second division (2. Bundesliga).

Wolfsburg was a popular destination for American footballers including the likes of Chad Deering, Claudio Reyna, and Mike Lapper. Up until this point in his career, McBride had been cruising but his stint at Wolfsburg proved rather difficult.

Not only did he struggle for game time but when he did play, he found it hard to get goals. He played 18 games from 1994 to 1995 and scored a total of 2 goals. In 1995, he was released by Wolfsburg and returned to the US.

6. Returned to the USA For the Inaugural Season of the MLS

In 1995, American soccer was under a revolution with the establishment of Major League Soccer. This coincided with McBride’s release from Wolfsburg and he opted to return to his home country.

The 1996 season was the inaugural season of the MLS and Brian McBride was the first pick of the MLS draft. He was picked by Columbus Crew who he played for 8 seasons from 1996 to 2003. At Columbus, McBride played a total of 161 games and scored 62 goals, and assisted 45.

7. 2 Loan Spells in England While a Columbus Player

His stint in Germany might have been disappointing but McBride was not done with European football. He had 2 loan spells in England at Preston North End in 2000 and Everton in 2003. Both loan spells were under David Moyes (current Westham United manager).

At the end of his loan at Preston, they attempted to sign him but there was no deal due to differences in valuation for the player. Preston was offering $1.8 million but Columbus valued him at double that. Everton tried to extend his loan but Columbus wanted to sell him so he left.

8. Joined Fulham Permanently in 2004

McBride (#20) defending a Van Persie free kick for Fulham by Ronnie Macdonald –

In January 2004, McBride left Columbus for the English club Fulham. The fee for the transfer was $1.5 million. At Fulham, he played for four and a half seasons. He made 140 appearances for Fulham scoring 33 goals in the Process.

In August 2007, McBride was handed Fulham’s captaincy. He won the 2006/07 Fulham’s Player of the Year award after scoring 12 goals (the club’s season-high) which helped them stay up in the league. After Leaving Fulham at the end of the 2007/08 season, he returned to the MLS and joined Chicago Fire.

9. Fifth-Highest All-Time Leading Goal Scorer for the USMNT

Brian McBride, forward for the USA national by AaronM –

McBride is a USMNT legend for many reasons but one that stands out in the records is his goals. He scored 30 goals for the USA in the 95 appearances he made for the team. This ranks him 5th in the list of USMNT top goal scorers.

He was part of the USMNT squads that took part in 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups. He scored at the 1998 and 2002 tournaments becoming the first American to score at 3 consecutive World Cup tournaments. The record has since been matched and broken by Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

10. The ‘Man of Steel’ Nickname Has Literal Meaning

For those who refer to McBride as the ‘Man of Steel’, it’s mostly because he has metal in him. With McBride, this statement works as a euphemism but I mean literally. He has metal in him!

While at Preston, he had a blood clot as a result of a hard challenge. Removal of the clot consisted of him having a rib removed which was replaced with a metal one.

In 2006, McBride was fouled by Daniele DeRossi in a game against Italy. His forehead was bloodied and he needed 3 stitches before resuming the game. Challenges like this had been a common occurrence in his career, to the point that he had Titanium plates surgically implanted in his face from the injuries.

11. Tried Coaching Before Becoming Manager of the USMNT

After retiring as a player, McBride tried his hand at coaching but this proved not to be his calling. He later started the Brian McBride Soccer Academy. The academy is based in Lake Zurich, Illinois. In 2020 January, McBride was appointed the general manager of the USMNT.