Player Bio

Possessing strength and deceptive speed, Bocanegra is a key component to the U.S. backline. He has developed into a confident captain of the side during the past three years, as his role has grown both on and off the field. His perpetual scoring prowess from set pieces continued when he headed home the game-winner against Honduras in June, sparking a come-from-behind victory that began the momentum for the team’s run in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. After four years and more than 100 appearances with English Premier League club Fulham, ‘Los’ moved across the English Channel to start the next phase of his career with Stade Rennais in France’s top flight where he is a regular in the back line, deployed as either a left back or in the center.

• The U.S. captain made a career-high 14 appearances for the U.S. in 2009, surpassing his previous mark of 13 games played in 2003
• Played in 15 of 18 World Cup qualifiers in this cycle, notching game-winning goals in Guatemala in the semifinal round and against Honduras in the final phase
• Became one of the few players in U.S. Soccer history to simultaneously captain both his club side as well as the national team, which he did after captaining Fulham to a 3-3 draw against Tottenham on Sept. 1, and then took the armband for the USA in their game against Brazil on Sept. 9, 2007, in Chicago
• A powerful aerial presence, he is equally adept at both heading away attacks and finishing off set pieces on the opposite end of the field
• A two-time MLS Defender of the Year in four seasons with the Chicago Fire, he settled into a regular position at left back for Rennes, as his team went 17 matches unbeaten to finish out 2008 in third place in the Ligue 1 table