Claudio Reyna (born July 20, 1973 in Livingston, New Jersey) is
an American soccer player who is currently the captain of the US
national team. Reyna, a midfielder, plays his club soccer for
Manchester City in the English Premier League.
Reyna played college soccer at the University of Virginia, where
he was coached by current national team coach Bruce Arena,
winning the Hermann Trophy in 1993 and the MAC Award in 1992 and
1993. He first joined the Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, but
received little playing time there, and later transferred to
fellow Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, where he was far more
successful. At Wolfsburg, he became the first American to
captain a major European club. He then was transferred to
Rangers in Scotland, playing there for almost three years (January
1999 to December 2001) before a transfer to Premiership side
Sunderland.
In October 2002, he injured the anterior cruciate ligament in
his knee, keeping him out of action for the rest of the
2002-2003 season. With Sunderland's relegation that season they
could not afford Reyna's high wage demands, and the Black Cats
sold him to Manchester City in the 2003 off-season. Reyna had
further injury troubles in his first season for Man City, but
returned to the starting lineup at the end of the season.
As an US national player, Reyna got his first cap against Norway
on January 15, 1994. He was a squad member for the 1994 World
Cup, but did not play due to injury. Reyna did play in the 1998
and 2002 World Cups, and in 2002, he inspired the United States
to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual runner-up Germany. He
became the first American ever named to the World Cup's all-tournament
team.
In Britain, he is frequently referred to as Captain America
because of his status as captain of the US national team. |
