Eric Boswell Wynalda (born June 9, 1969) is an American soccer coach, television commentator, and former player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage on Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. Previously, he served as head coach and technical director of Las Vegas Lights FC in the USL Championship and he was previously the host of WTF: Wynalda Talks Football on SiriusXM FC.
Wynalda was one of the first Americans to play professionally in Europe before returning to his home country in 1996 to play in Major League Soccer and scoring the first goal in the league's history. Until 2008, he was the all-time leading goal scorer for the United States national team. Wynalda was described as a "shifty, dynamic player off the dribble with a heavy shot."[2] He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.
Youth and college
Wynalda, of Dutch ancestry, grew up in Westlake Village, California. As a child his team the Westlake Wolves, with Eric's father Dave as the head coach, won the state championship in AYSO 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 attended Westlake 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 player Cobi Jones.
In August 1992, USSF loaned Wynalda to Bundesliga club 1. 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 the 2. Bundesliga. After the end of the season he was transferred for $850,000 to second division winners VfL Bochum which as such were promoted to the Bundesliga. There Wynalda remained without goal in his 22 matches of the 1994–95 season[4] 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.[5]
Wynalda returned to the States in 1996, signing with Major League Soccer (MLS).[6] As part of the process of creating the new league, known players were distributed throughout the league's new teams[6] (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 league allocated Wynalda to the San Jose Clash.[6] On April 6, 1996, Wynalda scored the first goal in league history in its inaugural game as the Clash beat D.C. United 1–0.[7] He was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year for 1996.[8]
Wynalda was loaned out to Club León in Mexico in 1999. He tore both the ACL and medial meniscus on his left knee while with Leon, which put him out of action for several months.[9]
New England Revolution
After missing the first eleven games of the 1999 season, the Clash traded Wynalda to the Miami Fusion on June 1, 1999.[10] On July 7, 2000, the Fusion turned around and traded Wynalda to the New England Revolution along with future draft considerations for defender Ivan McKinley.[1] On August 12, 2000, Wynalda made his first appearance for the Revolution, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute for Imad Baba in the Revolution's loss to the MetroStars.[11] He recorded his first assist for the club a week later in the Revolution's 2-1 home win over the Tampa Bay Mutiny. His first start came on September 3 in the Revolution's 2-0 loss to D.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 the Chicago 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).[11]
Chicago Fire
In February 2001, the Revolution re-signed Wynalda, but would deal him to the Chicago Fire on May 3, 2001 for John Wolyniec and a third-round pick in the 2002 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.[12]
Later career
In 2002, Wynalda attempted to join the Los 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 the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division. Wynalda joined the team only to tear his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-season match.[13] He elected to retire from professional soccer and became a broadcast announcer.
International career
Wynalda earned his first cap with the United States national team against Costa Rica on February 2, 1990. On March 14, 1990, he signed a contract with the United States Soccer Federation which made him a full-time national team player.[14] Later that year, Wynalda played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, his first World Cup, earning a red card against Czechoslovakia, for retaliating against midfielder Lubomir Moracik, who had backed into Wynalda during a dead ball play throw in, pushing Moracik to the ground from behind in front of the referee, lineman, 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 Czech 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 53 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 1998, Wynalda participated in his third World Cup, one of only three United States players (the others being Tab Ramos and Marcelo 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.[15] He was the sole owner of the record until 2007, when Landon Donovan tied the record with a penalty kick goal against Mexico in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. Wynalda lost the record when Donovan scored yet another penalty kick in a friendly match against Sweden on January 19, 2008.
Wynalda was named the Honda U.S. Player of the Decade for the 1990s, was named to the CONCACAF All-Decade Team of the 1990s and was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.[16] In 2006, he was named to the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.[17]
Coaching career
In 2005, Bakersfield Brigade of the USL Premier Development League hired Wynalda as its technical director,[18] and in 2007 he agreed to a short-term playing contract with the team during the last few matches of their season.[19] 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.[20]
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.[24][25][26][27][28][29]
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.[31]
Las Vegas Lights FC
On October 17, 2018, Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL announced that Wynalda would be their new Head Coach and Technical Director.[32]
New Amsterdam FC
On July 30, 2020, New Amsterdam FC of the National Independent Soccer Association announced Wynalda has the team's first head coach.[33] 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.[34]
Broadcast career
After retiring, Wynalda began working as a soccer analyst for ESPN. Along with Alexi Lalas, he was the channel's in-studio analyst for the 2006 FIFA World Cup on English-language broadcasts. Wynalda was one of the most vocal critics of U.S. head coach Bruce 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 and ABC during the 2007 Major League Soccer season.
In 2008, he became columnist for Major 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 with Nick 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 the UEFA Champions League.
In June & July 2010, Wynalda covered the 2010 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 program WTF: 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.[35]
Personal life
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 the November 2018 Woolsey Fire. Wynalda and his family had evacuated to relatives in Corona, 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.[36]
Career statistics
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wynalda goal.
List of international goals scored by Eric Wynalda
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