John Harkes

John Harkes
Harkes talking and pointing on a soccer field
Harkes coaching FC Cincinnati in 2016
Personal information
Full name John Andrew Harkes[1]
Date of birth (1967-03-08) March 8, 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Kearny, New Jersey, United States
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1987 Virginia Cavaliers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989 Albany Capitals 20 (0)
1990–1993 Sheffield Wednesday 82 (7)
1993–1995 Derby County 67 (5)
1995–1996 → West Ham United (loan) 12 (0)
1996–1998 D.C. United 83 (14)
1999 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 3 (0)
1999–2001 New England Revolution[2] 55 (2)
2001–2002 Columbus Crew 29 (0)
Total 351 (28)
International career
1987–2000 United States 90 (6)
Managerial career
2006–2007 New York Red Bulls (assistant)
2015–2017 FC Cincinnati
2018–2023 Greenville Triumph
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Andrew Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who last coached Greenville Triumph SC.[3]

A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame,[4] Harkes was the first American to play in the English Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday, the second American to score at Wembley, and the first American soccer player to appear in the final of a major English tournament, in the 1991 Football League Cup Final with Sheffield Wednesday. After moving to Major League Soccer in 1996, he won two MLS Cup titles with D.C. United.

A mainstay in the U.S. national team midfield for most of the 1990s, Harkes appeared in two FIFA World Cup tournaments. He was named the team's "Captain for Life" by then-head coach Steve Sampson before having that title stripped ahead of the 1998 World Cup. Harkes ended his national team career with 90 caps and six goals.

Following his retirement, he served as a color commentator for ESPN's coverage of MLS and U.S. international matches, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[5]

  1. ^ John Harkes at Olympedia Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "John Harkes Named Club's First Head Coach". Greenville Triumph SC. August 27, 2018. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "John Harkes - 2005 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame". John Harkes - 2005 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "John Harkes Out as Lead ESPN US Soccer Analyst: Replaced by Taylor Twellman". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011.