The greatest soccer players to emerge from Texas

There have been many top soccer stars that have emerged from Texas in the past few decades. Many have been influential players for the United States National team. Some Lone Star State natives even established themselves as top players on the European stage. But who are the pick of the bunch when it comes to the greatest players in history?

Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey is widely regarded as one of the greatest American soccer players ever. He is well-known in English soccer for his time at Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The attacking midfielder scored 57 goals in 218 appearances, making him the leading US scorer in league history.

He spent the vast majority of his time with Fulham and even made the UEFA Europa League final in 2010. His former club are performing well this season and are fighting to qualify for European soccer again. Fulham are an improbable betting option in the UK Premier League markets to finish in the top six as they are priced at odds of +5000. Based on the results from a bet calculator, a £5 bet on this would return £255, so it’s likely to be an appealing option for those looking for a risky outright market bet.

Fulham are exceeding expectations and are in a strong position at present, but Dempsey’s generation certainly provided a greater peak in the club’s history. Dempsey helped lead the Cottagers to one of the greatest seasons in their history and is remembered fondly as one of the club’s modern legends of the Premier League era.

Jeff Agoos

Jeff Agoos was born in Switzerland but he grew up in Texas and represented the US National Team at the highest level. In terms of his domestic success, he won a record five Major League Soccer championships – three with DC United and two with San Jose Earthquakes. In 2005 he was named in the league’s all-time greatest eleven and is arguably the greatest defender ever to play in the US. He played 134 games for the national team which makes him one of the leading appearance-makers. He was a key member of the US team in the FIFA World Cup 2002 in South Korea/Japan and starred in the team’s historic victory against Portugal in the group stage.

Kellyn Acosta

Kellyn Acosta has not reached the heights of the prior mentioned stars, however, he is still somewhat of an MLS legend, and has made many appearances for the national team. He began his career at FC Dallas where he earned himself legendary status over six years of senior football at the club. In 2016 he helped Dallas to win the US Open Cup as well as the Supporters’ Shield as the team had the best record in the regular MLS season. Acosta also spent time at Colorado Rapids before moving on to Los Angeles FC where he won the MLS Cup in 2022 while lining up alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini. For the national team, he has made over 50 appearances and was a member of the squad that traveled to Qatar for the 2022 tournament.

Texas has produced many top US stars in the history of the MLS. Agoos has an argument for being the league’s greatest defender ever and Dempsey is arguably the greatest American in European soccer history. As the game continues to develop across the US including Texas, player development is only set to improve and the Lone Star State will surely produce many more leading players in the near future.