John Harkes
Encyclopedia
John Harkes is an American
former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium
. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup
tournaments, and won two MLS Cup
titles with D.C. United
, and was the second American footballer to appear in the final of a major English tournament since Julian Sturgis
in 1876
. Harkes is of Scottish
descent.
A mainstay in the US national team
midfield
for most of the 1990s, Harkes was named the team's "Captain for Life" by then head coach Steve Sampson
before having that title stripped from him by Sampson soon after. Harkes ended his national team career with 90 caps and 6 goals. Harkes was formerly a color commentator
for the MLS on ESPN
, since being replaced by Taylor Twellman. He called matches in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
with JP Dellacamera
, and at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
with Ian Darke
.
. Ian is the class of 2013 at Gonzaga College High School, and plays on their Varsity team as a midfielder.
, and played youth and high school soccer with future national team teammates Tony Meola
and Tab Ramos
.
Harkes graduated from Kearny High School in 1985. During his high school career, Harkes played in four New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
championship matches and led his team to the 1984 Group 4 State Championship and a 24-0 record. He was the 1984 Parade High School Player of the Year.
In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s.
under his future D.C. United head coach Bruce Arena
. He was named the Hermann Trophy
winner by the Missouri Athletic Club
in 1987. He decided to forego his senior year in order to play full time for the national team
in 1988. That was the year the team played in the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul and began the qualification process for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
.
of the American Soccer League
in 1989. He was a first team All Star that year.
of the English
Football League in 1990. In a game that season against Derby County, his 35 yard blast glided into the net past former England World Cup goalkeeper Peter Shilton and earned him English football's "Goal of the Year" award. That season, Harkes became the second American (after Bill Regan, Romford 1948-49) to play at Wembley Stadium when Sheffield Wednesday reached the 1991 League Cup
final. There, the Second Division (now Football League Championship
) Wednesday upset the First Division (now Premier League) side Manchester United 1-0. Also that year, Wednesday won promotion to the First Division.
In 1993, Harkes became the only American to score in a League Cup Final, in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal
. His goal was the second by an American at Wembley Stadium following Mike Masters' goal for Colchester United in the F.A. Trophy Final the year before. He appeared in the FA Cup Final
one month after that League Cup disappointment, with Sheffield Wednesday again losing to Arsenal (2-1 in the replay, after a 1-1 draw in the first game). Harkes played one more season in England after moving to Derby County
in the summer of 1993. In 1995, Major League Soccer
(MLS) began preparing for its first season, which it first thought would come in the fall of 1995. As part of that process, MLS signed prominent U.S. players to league contracts. Harkes was one of the players who signed with MLS, only to discover the league would not begin play until 1996. Therefore, he, and MLS, negotiated a one year loan to West Ham United
.http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/players/john_harkes/
. MLS had signed numerous prominent U.S. players and eventually allocated them throughout the league's teams in order to create an initial equitable distribution of talent. MLS allocated
Harkes to D.C. United
, making him the team's first player ever. That first season, he led the club to a MLS Cup
win and a U.S. Open Cup title. D.C. United successfully defended its MLS Cup title in 1997, with Harkes assisting on the match-winning goal in the cup final.
Despite the disappointment of being left off the 1998 World Cup
squad, Harkes helped United capture the Supporters Shield for the best regular season record in the league, before losing in the MLS Cup Final to the Chicago Fire. He also helped United become the first MLS club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and upset Brazil
's Vasco Da Gama
in the Interamerican Cup.
At the end of the 1998 season, he traveled back to England for a two week trial with Nottingham Forest. On January 28, 1999, the team accepted Harkes for a two month loan period. He played only three games for Forest (including the infamous 8-1
defeat to Manchester United) before returning to the U.S. While he was in England, D.C. United
traded him to the New England Revolution
for the Revs first and second round 1999 MLS College Draft
picks. United traded Harkes in order to make room under the salary cap
.
Harkes played three seasons in New England before being traded to the Columbus Crew
in the mid-season of 2001. After an injury-plagued 2002 season, Harkes announced his retirement in 2003.
s and was controversially cut from the team weeks before the 1998 tournament by national team coach Steve Sampson
.
Harkes made his national team debut on 23 March 1987 against Canada
. He quickly established himself as a national team regular and was selected for the 1988 Olympics
. That year the U.S. went 1-1-1 and failed to qualify for the second round. Harkes continued to play for the national team as it went through the qualification process for the upcoming World Cup. The team qualified for those games after an improbable 1-0 road victory over Trinidad and Tobago
in the final qualification match.
In 1990, he was a member of a World Cup squad made up mostly of college and semi-professional players. The United States side was routed 1-5 by Czechoslovakia
, but were respectable losing 0-1 to host nation and eventual semi-finalist Italy
, and 1-2 to Austria
. Despite losing all three matches, many players from the 1990 squad, including Harkes, Ramos, Meola, Marcelo Balboa
and Eric Wynalda
, formed the core of the US national team for most of the decade and played an important role in the development of MLS.
USA fared better as the host nation in the 1994 World Cup, upsetting Colombia
2-1 in a group stage match to advance to the Round of 16. Harkes contributed to the Andrés Escobar
own goal
which likely led to the Colombian defender's shooting death weeks later. Harkes delivered a cross from the left aimed at Earnie Stewart, which Escobar attempted to clear, but instead sent the ball past his goalkeeper.
However, Harkes missed the Round of 16 match against Brazil
after receiving his second yellow card of the group stage against Romania
, earning a one-match suspension. Brazil won the match 1-0 and went on to win the World Cup.
In Copa América 1995
, Harkes led the United States, a guest team at the tournament, to a 3-0 upset of defending champion Argentina
and a semi-final finish. He was named co-Most Valuable Player of the tournament, along with Uruguyan Enzo Francescoli
.
In 1996, before the beginning of the qualifying for the 1998 World Cup
, head coach Steve Sampson
named Harkes "Captain For Life", which meant Harkes would be the captain of the national team as long as he wished and Sampson was the coach. He responded by leading the team in assists in qualifying and helped the United States qualify for a third straight World Cup finals appearance.
revealed that an alleged affair between Harkes and Wynalda's wife had prompted Harkes' sudden dismissal. The bitterness resulting from the omission and the irony of the "Captain for Life" title would serve as the inspiration for his autobiography, Captain for Life: And Other Temporary Assignments (ISBN 1-886947-49-X), co-written with Denise Kiernan and published in 1999. In the book, Harkes criticized Sampson for lacking "credibility to a group of guys who had hundreds and hundreds of caps among them" and "putting a huge amount of pressure on young, internationally inexperienced players", and concluded, "I can't think of one thing that Steve did right in the months leading up to the World Cup". The 1998 team went on to lose all three games in the group stage, finishing last overall.
Harkes was called up to the national team again by his former college coach, Bruce Arena
in 1999, and helped the United States win the bronze medal in the Confederations Cup that year. He ended his international career in 2000 with 90 appearances.
magazine's annual "The 50 Most Beautiful People" issue.
In 2003, John Harkes announced his retirement from professional soccer. He became the Director of Youth Development for D.C. United and a color commentator
for soccer broadcasts on Fox Sports Channel.
Harkes was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame
on the first ballot in 2005.
Harkes appeared in the 2005 film The Game of Their Lives in the role of Ed McIlvenny
, a member of the US World Cup team that upset England
1-0 in the 1950 FIFA World Cup
.
Harkes worked as an analyst for ESPN and ABC in broadcasting the 2006 World Cup
, also working in 2008 as lead soccer analyst for both networks. Harkes returned to his role offering color commentary for ESPN and ABC in those networks' coverage of the 2010 World Cup
.
In July 2006, John Harkes left his job at D.C. United to become an assistant coach for New York Red Bulls under coach Bruce Arena
. He was let go, though, after Arena was fired.
A long time supporter of childhood youth development, Harkes joined the National Board of America SCORES in 2010. America SCORES provides afterschool programming to elementary and middle school children in under-resourced communities around the country, providing soccer, poetry and community service.
|1990-91
||rowspan="3"|Sheffield Wednesday
||Second Division
||23||2||0||0||1||0||0||0||24||2
|-
|1991-92
||First Division
||29||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||29||3
|-
|1992-93
||Premier League||29||2||2||0||1||1||0||0||32||3
|-
|1993-94
||rowspan="2"|Derby County
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||32||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||32||2
|-
|1994-95
||35||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||35||3
|-
|1995-96
||West Ham United
||Premier League||12||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||12||0
|-
|1996||rowspan="3"|D.C. United
||rowspan="8"|Major League Soccer
||29||3||0||0||6||0||0||0||35||3
|-
|1997||25||5||1||0||5||0||0||0||31||5
|-
|1998||29||6||0||0||6||0||0||0||35||6
|-
|1999||rowspan="3"|New England Revolution
||22||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||22||0
|-
|2000||28||2||1||0||3||0||0||0||32||2
|-
|2001||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|Columbus Crew
||18||0||3||0||2||0||0||0||23||0
|-
|2002||11||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
160||12||2||0||2||1||0||0||164||13
167||16||5||0||22||0||0||0||194||16
327||28||7||0||24||1||0||0||358||29
D.C. United
Columbus Crew
U.S. National Team
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
tournaments, and won two MLS Cup
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
titles with D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, and was the second American footballer to appear in the final of a major English tournament since Julian Sturgis
Julian Sturgis
Julian Russell Sturgis was an American-born novelist, poet, librettist and lyricist who lived and worked in Britain nearly all of his life. He played football as an amateur for the Wanderers F.C...
in 1876
1876 FA Cup Final
Match rules:90 minutes normal time.30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.Replay if scores still level.No substitutes.-Summary:The replay took place one week later at the same venue...
. Harkes is of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent.
A mainstay in the US national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
for most of the 1990s, Harkes was named the team's "Captain for Life" by then head coach Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson is a soccer coach and the former head coach of the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer...
before having that title stripped from him by Sampson soon after. Harkes ended his national team career with 90 caps and 6 goals. Harkes was formerly a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the MLS on ESPN
ESPN Major League Soccer
ESPN Major League Soccer is a promotion of Major League Soccer on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD and ESPN2HD. Major League Soccer on ESPN2 debuted in 1996, the league's first season, and is guaranteed to stay on the network till at least 2014...
, since being replaced by Taylor Twellman. He called matches in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
with JP Dellacamera
JP Dellacamera
John Paul Dellacamera , known as JP , is an American sportscaster for Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union and the Fox Soccer Channel.-Soccer:...
, and at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
with Ian Darke
Ian Darke
Ian Darke is an English football and boxing commentator who currently works for ESPN US. Darke was previously one of Sky's 'Big Four' football commentators alongside Martin Tyler, Alan Parry and Rob Hawthorne. He was also the main commentator for Sky's big boxing fights, along with Jim Watt, they...
.
Personal life
John Harkes currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Cindi Harkes, and his son Ian Harkes. Cindi was recently named as an assistant coach of D.C. United WomenD.C. United Women
D.C. United Women is an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the W-League, the second tier of professional women's soccer in the United States. The team is an affiliate of Major League Soccer club, D.C...
. Ian is the class of 2013 at Gonzaga College High School, and plays on their Varsity team as a midfielder.
High school
Harkes grew up in the soccer hotbed of Kearny, New JerseyKearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
, and played youth and high school soccer with future national team teammates Tony Meola
Tony Meola
Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played for the United States national team at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, and from 1996 to 2006 played in Major League Soccer, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors...
and Tab Ramos
Tab Ramos
Tabaré Ramos Ricciardi, known as Tab Ramos is a retired U.S. Olympic Team and National Team soccer midfielder. He played professionally for 13 seasons in Spain, Mexico and the United States. Ramos was the first player to sign with Major League Soccer, where he played seven years with the MetroStars...
.
Harkes graduated from Kearny High School in 1985. During his high school career, Harkes played in four New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
championship matches and led his team to the 1984 Group 4 State Championship and a 24-0 record. He was the 1984 Parade High School Player of the Year.
In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s.
College
From 1985 to 1987, Harkes played soccer at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
under his future D.C. United head coach Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player...
. He was named the Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
winner by the Missouri Athletic Club
Missouri Athletic Club
The Missouri Athletic Club , founded in 1903, is a traditional gentlemen's club and athletic club in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA, with a separate athletic campus in the St. Louis County suburb of Town and Country. The MAC awards the annual Hermann Trophy, the highest award in American...
in 1987. He decided to forego his senior year in order to play full time for the national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in 1988. That was the year the team played in the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul and began the qualification process for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
.
U.S. minor leagues
Harkes began his professional career with the Albany CapitalsAlbany Capitals
The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1989. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
in 1989. He was a first team All Star that year.
England: 1990–1996
Harkes moved to Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Football League in 1990. In a game that season against Derby County, his 35 yard blast glided into the net past former England World Cup goalkeeper Peter Shilton and earned him English football's "Goal of the Year" award. That season, Harkes became the second American (after Bill Regan, Romford 1948-49) to play at Wembley Stadium when Sheffield Wednesday reached the 1991 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final. There, the Second Division (now Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
) Wednesday upset the First Division (now Premier League) side Manchester United 1-0. Also that year, Wednesday won promotion to the First Division.
In 1993, Harkes became the only American to score in a League Cup Final, in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. His goal was the second by an American at Wembley Stadium following Mike Masters' goal for Colchester United in the F.A. Trophy Final the year before. He appeared in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
one month after that League Cup disappointment, with Sheffield Wednesday again losing to Arsenal (2-1 in the replay, after a 1-1 draw in the first game). Harkes played one more season in England after moving to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in the summer of 1993. In 1995, Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(MLS) began preparing for its first season, which it first thought would come in the fall of 1995. As part of that process, MLS signed prominent U.S. players to league contracts. Harkes was one of the players who signed with MLS, only to discover the league would not begin play until 1996. Therefore, he, and MLS, negotiated a one year loan to West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/players/john_harkes/
Major League Soccer: 1996–2003
In 1996, Harkes, along with his U.S. national teammates based overseas, returned to the U.S. for the launch of Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. MLS had signed numerous prominent U.S. players and eventually allocated them throughout the league's teams in order to create an initial equitable distribution of talent. MLS allocated
1996 MLS Inaugural Allocations
The Major League Soccer Inaugural Allocations were signed by the league in 1996 and distributed to the ten initial teams prior to the beginning of the first MLS season...
Harkes to D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, making him the team's first player ever. That first season, he led the club to a MLS Cup
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
win and a U.S. Open Cup title. D.C. United successfully defended its MLS Cup title in 1997, with Harkes assisting on the match-winning goal in the cup final.
Despite the disappointment of being left off the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
squad, Harkes helped United capture the Supporters Shield for the best regular season record in the league, before losing in the MLS Cup Final to the Chicago Fire. He also helped United become the first MLS club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and upset Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's Vasco Da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama |Rowing Club]]), usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
in the Interamerican Cup.
At the end of the 1998 season, he traveled back to England for a two week trial with Nottingham Forest. On January 28, 1999, the team accepted Harkes for a two month loan period. He played only three games for Forest (including the infamous 8-1
Nottingham Forest F.C. 1–8 Manchester United F.C.
The 1998–99 season match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester United at the City Ground took place on 6 February 1999. Manchester United won the match 8–1, thereby recording the largest away win in the history of the Premier League...
defeat to Manchester United) before returning to the U.S. While he was in England, D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
traded him to the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
for the Revs first and second round 1999 MLS College Draft
1999 MLS College Draft
The 1999 Major League Soccer College Draft.Major League Soccer held its fourth annual college draft on February 6 and 7, 1999 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The first round of the draft took place on Saturday with the second and third rounds on Sunday morning. The College Draft was followed by the...
picks. United traded Harkes in order to make room under the salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
.
Harkes played three seasons in New England before being traded to the Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
in the mid-season of 2001. After an injury-plagued 2002 season, Harkes announced his retirement in 2003.
International career
John Harkes played in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cup1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
s and was controversially cut from the team weeks before the 1998 tournament by national team coach Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson is a soccer coach and the former head coach of the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer...
.
Harkes made his national team debut on 23 March 1987 against Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. He quickly established himself as a national team regular and was selected for the 1988 Olympics
United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The United States competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. 527 competitors, 332 men and 195 women, took part in 230 events in 27 sports.- Gold:* Jay Barrs — Archery, Men's Individual Competition...
. That year the U.S. went 1-1-1 and failed to qualify for the second round. Harkes continued to play for the national team as it went through the qualification process for the upcoming World Cup. The team qualified for those games after an improbable 1-0 road victory over Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
in the final qualification match.
In 1990, he was a member of a World Cup squad made up mostly of college and semi-professional players. The United States side was routed 1-5 by Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, but were respectable losing 0-1 to host nation and eventual semi-finalist Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, and 1-2 to Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
. Despite losing all three matches, many players from the 1990 squad, including Harkes, Ramos, Meola, Marcelo Balboa
Marcelo Balboa
Marcelo Balboa is an American former soccer defender who played in the 1990s for the U.S. national team, becoming its captain. After retiring from playing, he has worked as a commentator for ESPN and ABC and MLS games on HDNet and Altitude...
and Eric Wynalda
Eric Wynalda
Eric Boswell Wynalda is a retired American soccer player, and former sports broadcaster. He was the co-host of Fox Football Fone-In on Fox Soccer Channel and is currently employeed as the president of international operations at Mexican third division club Murcielagos.Wynalda scored the first goal...
, formed the core of the US national team for most of the decade and played an important role in the development of MLS.
USA fared better as the host nation in the 1994 World Cup, upsetting Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
2-1 in a group stage match to advance to the Round of 16. Harkes contributed to the Andrés Escobar
Andrés Escobar
Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga , nicknamed "The Gentleman of Football", was a Colombian footballer who was shot and killed in Medellín. It is widely believed that he was murdered due to his own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which supposedly would have caused gambling losses to several powerful drug...
own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
which likely led to the Colombian defender's shooting death weeks later. Harkes delivered a cross from the left aimed at Earnie Stewart, which Escobar attempted to clear, but instead sent the ball past his goalkeeper.
However, Harkes missed the Round of 16 match against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
after receiving his second yellow card of the group stage against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, earning a one-match suspension. Brazil won the match 1-0 and went on to win the World Cup.
In Copa América 1995
Copa América 1995
The 1995 Copa América football tournament was staged in Uruguay. It was won by Uruguay, who beat Brazil 5-3 in the penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the final. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, with Mexico and the USA invited in order to reach 12 teams....
, Harkes led the United States, a guest team at the tournament, to a 3-0 upset of defending champion Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and a semi-final finish. He was named co-Most Valuable Player of the tournament, along with Uruguyan Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli Uriarte is a former uruguayan football player of Italian and Spanish origin, who retired in 1997. An elegant and highly skillful dribbler, passer, and goal-scorer, Francescoli was nicknamed El Príncipe or Le Prince...
.
In 1996, before the beginning of the qualifying for the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, head coach Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson is a soccer coach and the former head coach of the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer...
named Harkes "Captain For Life", which meant Harkes would be the captain of the national team as long as he wished and Sampson was the coach. He responded by leading the team in assists in qualifying and helped the United States qualify for a third straight World Cup finals appearance.
1998 World Cup controversy
However, Sampson controversially left Harkes off the World Cup squad, citing "leadership issues", although the decision was never fully explained. In February 2010 Sampson and former teammate Eric WynaldaEric Wynalda
Eric Boswell Wynalda is a retired American soccer player, and former sports broadcaster. He was the co-host of Fox Football Fone-In on Fox Soccer Channel and is currently employeed as the president of international operations at Mexican third division club Murcielagos.Wynalda scored the first goal...
revealed that an alleged affair between Harkes and Wynalda's wife had prompted Harkes' sudden dismissal. The bitterness resulting from the omission and the irony of the "Captain for Life" title would serve as the inspiration for his autobiography, Captain for Life: And Other Temporary Assignments (ISBN 1-886947-49-X), co-written with Denise Kiernan and published in 1999. In the book, Harkes criticized Sampson for lacking "credibility to a group of guys who had hundreds and hundreds of caps among them" and "putting a huge amount of pressure on young, internationally inexperienced players", and concluded, "I can't think of one thing that Steve did right in the months leading up to the World Cup". The 1998 team went on to lose all three games in the group stage, finishing last overall.
Harkes was called up to the national team again by his former college coach, Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player...
in 1999, and helped the United States win the bronze medal in the Confederations Cup that year. He ended his international career in 2000 with 90 appearances.
Off the field
In 1994, Harkes appeared in PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine's annual "The 50 Most Beautiful People" issue.
In 2003, John Harkes announced his retirement from professional soccer. He became the Director of Youth Development for D.C. United and a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for soccer broadcasts on Fox Sports Channel.
Harkes was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
on the first ballot in 2005.
Harkes appeared in the 2005 film The Game of Their Lives in the role of Ed McIlvenny
Ed McIlvenny
Edward John "Ed" McIlvenny , also known as Eddie McIlvenny, was a Scottish-American soccer player who most notably captained the United States national team in their 1–0 upset of England in the 1950 FIFA World Cup.He learned the game as a youth and was selected to Scottish...
, a member of the US World Cup team that upset England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
1-0 in the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
.
Harkes worked as an analyst for ESPN and ABC in broadcasting the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, also working in 2008 as lead soccer analyst for both networks. Harkes returned to his role offering color commentary for ESPN and ABC in those networks' coverage of the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
In July 2006, John Harkes left his job at D.C. United to become an assistant coach for New York Red Bulls under coach Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player...
. He was let go, though, after Arena was fired.
A long time supporter of childhood youth development, Harkes joined the National Board of America SCORES in 2010. America SCORES provides afterschool programming to elementary and middle school children in under-resourced communities around the country, providing soccer, poetry and community service.
Career statistics
|-|1990-91
The Football League 1990-91
The 1990–1991 season was the 91st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Arsenal took their second league title in three seasons despite a season during which it often looked as though the good points would be outnumbered by the bad points...
||rowspan="3"|Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||23||2||0||0||1||0||0||0||24||2
|-
|1991-92
The Football League 1991-92
The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||29||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||29||3
|-
|1992-93
FA Premier League 1992-93
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the first season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with...
||Premier League||29||2||2||0||1||1||0||0||32||3
|-
|1993-94
The Football League 1993-94
The 1993–1994 season was the 94th completed season of the The Football League. From 1993 to 1996 the league was sponsores by Endsleigh.-Football League Division One:...
||rowspan="2"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||32||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||32||2
|-
|1994-95
The Football League 1994-95
The 1994–1995 season was the 95th completed season of the The Football League. It was the third season of The Football League since the formation of the Premier League...
||35||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||35||3
|-
|1995-96
FA Premier League 1995-96
-Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:...
||West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
||Premier League||12||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||12||0
|-
|1996||rowspan="3"|D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
||rowspan="8"|Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||29||3||0||0||6||0||0||0||35||3
|-
|1997||25||5||1||0||5||0||0||0||31||5
|-
|1998||29||6||0||0||6||0||0||0||35||6
|-
|1999||rowspan="3"|New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
||22||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||22||0
|-
|2000||28||2||1||0||3||0||0||0||32||2
|-
|2001||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
||18||0||3||0||2||0||0||0||23||0
|-
|2002||11||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
160||12||2||0||2||1||0||0||164||13
167||16||5||0||22||0||0||0||194||16
327||28||7||0||24||1||0||0||358||29
Honors
Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
- 1993 F.A. Cup: finalist
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Champion 1991, finalist 1993
D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
- MLS CupMLS CupThe MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
1996, 1997 - U.S. Open Cup 1996
- MLS Supporters' ShieldMLS Supporters' ShieldThe Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system...
1997 - CONCACAF Champions' Cup 1998
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
- U.S. Open Cup 2002
U.S. National Team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
- Copa AmericaCopa AméricaThe Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
3rd Place - FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
1999 3rd Place
External links
- U.S. Soccer Players biography
- Soccer Times profile
- New York Red Bulls biography
- National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
- Yanks-Abroad Interview and Article
- John Harkes ESPN Bio