John Harkes
John Harkes was born in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States on March 8th, 1967 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 57, John Harkes biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 57 years old, John Harkes has this physical status:
John Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is a retired American soccer player who is currently serving as head coach for Greenville Triumph SC.A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday, the second American to score at Wembley Stadium, and the first American soccer player to appear in the final of a major English tournament, in the 1991 Football League Cup Final with 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 from ahead of the 1998 World Cup.
Harkes ended his national team career with 90 caps and 6 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.
Amateur career
Harkes grew up in Kearny, New Jersey, and competed in youth and high school soccer with future national team teammates Tony Meola and Tab Ramos.
Harkes graduated from Kearny High School in 1985. Harkes competed in four New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association championship matches during his high school career and led his team to the 1984 Group 4 State Championships, with a 24–0 record. He was named the Year of the Year in 1984 by Parade High School.
He was listed by The Star-Ledger as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s in 1999.
Professional career
In 1990, Harkes moved to Sheffield in the English Football League's Sheffield. In a game against Derby County this season, his 35-yard blast soared into the net past former England World Cup goalkeeper Peter Shilton, earning him England football's "Goal of the Season" award. Harkes became the third American (after Bill Regan's departure from Romford, F.C. ). In the 1991-92 FA Cup final and Mike Masters for Colchester United, the 1948–49 FA Amateur Cup final and Mike Masters respectively, will play at Wembley Stadium. The Second Division (now Football League Championship) was beaten 1–0 on Wednesday by Manchester United's 1–0 defeat of the First Division (now Premier League). Also in that year, Wednesday gained promotion to the First Division.
In 1993, Harkes became the first American to score in a League Cup Final, defeating Arsenal 2–1. At Wembley Stadium in the F.A., Mike Masters' goal for Colchester United was the second by an American. The year before, there was the Trophy Final. He appeared in the FA Cup Final one month after the League Cup loss to Arsenal (2–1) in the replay after a 1–1 draw in the first round. Harkes spent one more season in England before transferring to Derby County in the summer of 1993. Major League Soccer (MLS) started training in 1995 for its first season, which the first thought was coming in 1995. MLS has signed well-known U.S. players to league contracts as part of the process. Harkes was one of the first players to sign with MLS but learned that the league did not begin playing until 1996. He and MLS also agreed to a one-year loan to West Ham United.
In 1996, Harkes, along with his U.S. national teammates based in the United States, returned to the United States for Major League Soccer's debut. In order to ensure a consistent distribution of talent, MLS signed numerous well-known Americans and then divided them among the league's clubs. Harkes was recalled by MLS to Washington, D.C. United, making him the team's first player ever. He coached the club in their first season and the U.S. Open Cup title. United States successfully defended its MLS Cup crown in 1997, with Harkes assisting with the match-winning goal in the cup final.
Despite the sadness of being left off the 1998 World Cup team, Harkes helped United capture the Supporters Shield for the highest 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 beat Brazil's Vasco Da Gama in the Interamerican Cup.
He returned to England for a two-week trial with Nottingham Forest at the end of the 1998 season. The team accepted Harkes for a two-month loan term on January 28, 1999. He played only three games for Forest (including the infamous 8–1 loss to Manchester United) before returning to the United States. For the Revs first and second round 1999 MLS College Draft picks, he was in England, Washington, D.C. United traded him to the New England Revolution. In order to make more space under the salary ceiling, Harkes was transferred.
Harkes spent three seasons in New England before being traded to the Columbus Crew in 2001. Harkes resigned in 2003 after an injury-plagued 2002 season, but the former footballer said he will return to college in 2003.
International career
John Harkes competed in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups and was controversially dropped from the team weeks before the 1998 tournament by national team coach Steve Sampson.
Harkes made his national team debut against Canada on March 23, 1987. At the 1987 Pan American Games, he was on the US team. He quickly established himself as a national team regular and was selected for the 1988 Olympics. That year, the United States went 1–1–1 and did not qualify for the second round. Harkes continued to participate for the national team as it went through the qualifying process for the forthcoming World Cup. After defeating Trinidad and Tobago in the final qualifying match, the team qualified for those games.
He was a member of a World Cup squad that featured a majority of college and semi-professional players in 1990. Czechoslovakia defeated the United States side 1–5, but the hosts were able to host country and eventual semi-finalist Italy, and 1–2 to Austria. Despite losing all three games, several members of the 1990 squad, including Harkes, Ramos, Meola, Marcelo Balboa, and Eric Wynalda, were key to the success of MLS in the early 1990s and played a key role in the development of MLS.
In a group stage match that advanced to the Round of 16, the United States fared better than the host country in the 1994 World Cup, defeating Colombia 2–1. Harkes contributed to Andrés Escobar's own goal, which may have resulted in the Colombian defender's shooting death just weeks later. Earnie Stewart, who Escobar attempted to clear, was shot from the left, but Harkes sent the ball past his goalkeeper.
Nevertheless, Harkes skipped the Round of 16 matches against Brazil after being issued his second yellow card of the group stage against Romania, earning a one-match suspension. Brazil defeated the game 1–0 and went on to win the World Cup.
Harkes led the United States, a visiting team at the tournament, to a 3–0 loss of defending champion Argentina and a semi-final finish in Copa América 1995. He and Uruguayan Enzo Francescoli were named co-Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Harkes "Captain For Life" was released in 1996, before the start of the 1998 World Cup, meaning Harkes would be the captain of the national team as long as he wanted, while Sampson was the head coach. He responded by leading the team in assists in qualifying and helped the United States qualify for their third straight World Cup finals appearance.
Sampson, on the other hand, dropped Harkes off the World Cup team, citing "leadership issues" as the reason, although the decision was never fully explained at the time. Captain for Life: And Other Temporary Assignments, co-written with Denise Kiernan and published in 1999, the bitterness resulting from the omission and the humour of the "Captain for Life" title would inspire his autobiography, Captain for Life (ISBN 1-886949-X). Harkes wrote a book in which she chastised Sampson for "lacking credibility to a group of guys with hundreds and hundreds of caps" and "putting a great deal of pressure on young, internationally inexperienced players" and "not one thing that Steve did wrong in the months leading up to the World Cup." The 1998 team lost all three games in the group tournament, finishing last overall.
Harkes' suspension was caused by an alleged affair involving Harkes and Wynalda's wife, Amy Wynalda, in February 2010. In a 2016 podcast interview with Alexi Lalas, Sampson confirmed Wynalda's claim.
Harkes was called up to the national team by his former college coach, Bruce Arena, in 1999, and he helped the United States capture the bronze medal in the Confederations Cup that year. With 90 appearances, he came to an end in 2000.