USA’s All-Time Top Scorers at Copa America

USA’s top scorer in Copa America history is Eric Wynalda with three goals, all coming in the 1995 tournament, which was held in Uruguay. Wynalda was a forward who played for many teams during his 20-year career, mostly in America. However, he spent some time in Germany, including with VfL Bochum, the club he played for when he competed in Copa America.

He scored all three of his goals in the group stages, with his first two coming in the opening match against Chile, which USA won 2-1. He then scored the third goal in a 3-0 win in the final game against Argentina. USA went deep into the competition, before eventually losing in the semi-final to Brazil. They finished fourth after Colombia beat them 4-1 in the third place match.

Clint Dempsey is USA’s record goalscorer, with 57 goals. Three of those came during Copa America, putting him joint top of this list alongside Eric Wynalda. All of his strikes came in 2016, which was the last time USA competed in the tournament.

Two of his goals came in the group stage, the first of which was against Costa Rica in a 4-0 win. This was also a milestone goal, as it was the 50th of his international career. He then scored his second of the competition in the final group game against Paraguay. This was the winning goal in a 1-0 victory to help USA advance to the knockouts. In the quarter-final against Ecuador, they won 2-1, with Dempsey scoring the opening goal.

USA went on to lose 4-0 to Argentina in the semis, before being defeated by Colombia in the third place match to finish fourth once more.

With two goals, defender Alexi Lalas is third on the all-time list of Copa America goalscorers for USA. He achieved this feat over two tournaments, scoring once each in 1993 and 1995. Overall, he scored 10 goals for his country in 96 appearances.

His first goal in this tournament was in the final group game in 1993, in which USA drew 3-3 with Venezuela. His goal made it 2-0 on the day. However, after losing the first two fixtures in the group, they were eliminated at the first hurdle.

He was in the squad again for the 1995 tournament, and like his teammate Eric Wynalda, Lalas scored in the group stage win over Argentina. His goal was the second of the game. USA went on to lose in the third place match.

Of the current squad heading to the 2024 Copa America, captain Christian Pulisic is the only outfield player part of the team who competed in 2016. However, the winger did not score a goal at the tournament. Therefore, there are a number of players who could break into the top three this summer. There is a good chance of this happening in the group stages, and there could be a new name at the top of the list should USA go far into the competition.

Pulisic is one player who will be confident in scoring multiple goals in the tournament, with his chances boosted as the side’s penalty taker. He is the national team’s top scorer amongst active players with 28 goals, so he will be one to look out for. For AC Milan this season, he has scored 12 times, and will be hoping to bring this strong form into the summer.

Another player who could join the list is Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna. The midfielder has four goals in his last five appearances for the national team and is expected to play an important role at Copa America. All time, he has netted eight times for USA, and it would not be a surprise to see him add to this tally over the next few weeks. He spent the second half of the season on loan at Nottingham Forest, playing nine games but scoring zero goals. He will be hoping to bounce back from a poor campaign.

Coventry’s Haji Wright has been named in the squad, and played a big role in the team’s Nations League success. In the semi-final against Jamaica, USA were heading for elimination, but Wright scored an equaliser at the death, before putting them ahead in extra-time. This brought his total tally for USA to four goals, which he could be adding to this summer. For his club, he enjoyed a fantastic season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, including a last minute penalty in the FA Cup semi-final to equalise against Manchester United.

USA will host the tournament, and have been drawn in group C, alongside Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay. Here is who they will face, when they kick off, and where they will play.

Sunday, 06/23 - United States vs Bolivia – 3:00 PM PT– AT & T Stadium, Arlington TX

Thursday, 06/27 – Panama vs United States – 3:00 PM PT – Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

Monday, 07/01 – United States vs Uruguay – 6:00 PM PT – GEHA Field at Arrowhead, Kansas City, MO