Five US players who didn’t live up to the hype

Although soccer may not be the most popular sport in the United States, it is still played by a number of players that have gone on to make a successful career for themselves.

Indeed, these players have helped the sport to grow within the country, with a number of them going on to represent some of the best clubs or play in the best leagues in the world. Naturally, this has had a knock-on effect, as betting on soccer in the US is now hugely popular, especially on mobile apps as fans continue to watch the action that takes place on the field.

However, like all sports, there are some highly talented individuals who many would have felt had the world at their feet when they were younger, thus subsequently failing to live up to the hype.

Here are five US players who, unfortunately, fell into this particular category, with some of them being more famous than some of the others that appear on this list.

Freddy Adu

Perhaps the most famous American soccer player to not have been able to live up to the hype was Freddy Adu.

The forward made headlines as a 14-year-old across the world and was touted to be the “next big thing”, something Nike clearly believed as they gave him a sponsorship deal worth a considerable amount of money.

However, he has had a number of failed spells across the world, failed to do too much on the international scene and seems to have fallen completely out of the game, despite being 32 years old as of the beginning of 2022.

Taylor Twellman

Taylor Twellman was a rather talented forward before his career was forced to end prematurely as he had to retire due to a serious neck injury that led to concussion.

The striker managed to make a huge name for himself in the MLS for New England Revolution in the early stages of his career, leading to interest from abroad. His international career never really took off, either, with timing largely to blame.

Brian Ching

Once believed to be America’s goalscoring saviour, Brian Ching was a forward that had managed to score a bag load of goals whilst playing for Houston Dynamo. Despite this, many were disappointed that he did not manage to have a proper international career of any real meaning although it could be suggested that he was not given the opportunities that he perhaps should have deserved at the time.

Jeff Cunningham

The third-highest scorer in MLS history, Jeff Cunningham was an exceptional striker who managed to terrify a number of defences. He managed to score 134 goals across 365 matches for teams such as Columbus Crew (64), Colorado Rapids (12), Real Salt Lake (19), Toronto FC (6), and FC Dallas (33), whilst he also won the Golden Boot twice (2006 and 2009).

However, despite the goalscoring exploits, it could be argued that he was playing in the wrong era, as many Americans and other soccer fans will find it hard to really remember who he was, especially as he hardly had a proper international career.

Charlie Davies

Charlie Davies was a little different to the other names on this list, as he actually had a proper international career. He was actually a regular in the USMNT,

Indeed, he showed that he was one of the most promising players to have come through the ranks in America, however the horrific car accident that he was involved in back in 2009 has meant that his career had never been the same again, despite being able to recover from several severe injuries.

Five US players who didn’t live up to the hype