Earnie Stewart

A forward-midfielder who was one of the United States’ leading players in the 1990s, and one of the somewhat controversial members of the U.S. national team who were born and raised in Europe with one American parent.

Stewart, who made his debut in the U.S. national team in December 1990, when he was 21 years old, was the son of an American serviceman and a Dutch woman. He lived for five years in California as a child before the family returned to Holland when he was 7 years old. Stewart turned pro with VVV Venlo in the Dutch second division in 1989, and then was transferred to first-division Willem II Tilberg in 1990 and to NAC Breda in 1996.

Stewart played for the United States in three World Cups, including scoring the winning goal of the United States’ upset over Colombia in the 1994 World Cup and serving as captain of the United States in its upset over Portugal in the 2002 World Cup. He played in four of the United States’ five games in the 2002 World Cup, when it made an unexpected run to the quarterfinals. In addition, he played six games in the United States’ run to the semifinals of the 1995 Copa America and four games in the United States run to the semifinals of the 1999 Confederations Cup. By the time he retired from the U.S. national team in 2004, he had played 101 full internationals for the United States, and scored 17 goals in those games. He was a regular for the United States in World Cup qualifying in 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2004, and his 30 appearances in World Cup qualifiers were a U.S. national team record at the time he retired.

Stewart played two seasons in MLS at the end of his career, in 2003 and 2004, winning an MLS title with D.C. United in 2004.

Inducted in 2011.