Carlos Manuel Bocanegra (born May 25, 1979) is an American sports executive and former professional soccer player. A two-time

MLS Defender of the Year Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in th ...

, Bocanegra also played professionally in England, Scotland, France, and Spain. He earned over 100 caps with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, serving as captain for six years. He is currently serving as technical director and vice president for

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...

Early life and education

Bocanegra was born in Upland, CA on May 25, 1979, to Manuel and Kelly Bocanegra. He was raised in

Alta Loma, Rancho Cucamonga, California Alta Loma (Spanish for "Tall Hill") is one of three unincorporated areas that became part of the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States in 1977. The community is located at in the foothills of the south face of the San Gabriel Moun ...

, where he attended

Alta Loma High School Alta Loma High School is a public high school located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States, and is part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. History With funding received from state bonds, expansion work was done between 1998 ...

. He has one brother, Diego, who played soccer at

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on c ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and Fresno State. Diego is currently the head coach of the University of Houston women's soccer team. His father is of Mexican descent. While attending UCLA, Bocanegra studied history and geography. Prior to attending UCLA, Bocanegra was offered scholarships for American football but opted for soccer, which he thought of choosing as his career. He was inducted into the

UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPS ...

in 2013.

Club career

Chicago Fire

After playing

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

, Bocanegra signed a Project-40 contract with Major League Soccer and was drafted by the Chicago Fire with the fourth overall pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. He spent most of the year with the Fire, playing two games on loan with Project 40. He won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award for a team that made it to the MLS Championship match and won the

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

. He became one of the top defenders in MLS, becoming the first player to win the

MLS Defender of the Year Award Major League Soccer — the highest professional soccer league in the United States and Canada — has handed out a Defender of the Year award since the league's inception in 1996.

twice, in 2002 and 2003. Bocanegra scored five goals and had eight assists in his four years in MLS.

Fulham

Bocanegra was signed by Fulham in January 2004, quickly becoming a fan favorite, garnering the nicknames ''the Jackal'' and ''the Black Snake''. With Fulham, Bocanegra played primarily as a center back, but also as a left back and briefly as a

holding midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. During the 2006–07 Premier League season, he was Fulham's second leading scorer with five goals, behind fellow American

Brian McBride Brian Robert McBride (born June 19, 1972) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward for Columbus Crew, Fulham and Chicago Fire. He is the fifth-highest all-time leading goalscorer for the United States national team. For m ...

. On September 1, 2007, Bocanegra captained Fulham for the first time in a Premier League match, a come from behind 3–3 draw with

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

. On September 15, 2007, he made his 100th appearance in the Premier League, all for Fulham, against

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

. He was released by Fulham on May 23, 2008.

Rennes

Bocanegra was signed by Rennes in June 2008. He received the number 3 shirt, which is his number for the United States. Bocanegra performed well in his first season in France, appearing in all 38 league matches. He scored his first league goal on March 8, 2009, in Stade Rennais's 2–0 victory over

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

. He also scored a goal in a

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

match and started all the club's

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

matches. These included the

2009 Coupe de France Final The 2009 Coupe de France Final was the 91st final of France's most prestigious cup competition, the Coupe de France. The final was played at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on 9 May 2009 and was contested between Rennes ...

at the Stade de France on May 9, 2009, where he scored Stade Rennais' first goal against Guingamp, in the 69th minute.

Saint-Étienne

On July 16, 2010, Bocanegra was purchased by fellow Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne for a reported fee of £400,000. He wore the number three shirt, as he did captaining the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

during the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. Bocanegra made his debut for the club, on the opening game of the season, in a 3–1 loss against PSG. On December 5, 2010, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–2 draw against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

; followed up his second goal in the Derby du Rhône, but couldn't help Saint-Étienne win, as they lost 4–1. Bocanegra would be often used in first-team ins and out in his first season. In a match against

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

, on October 17, 2010, Bocanegra suffered whiplash injury, that kept him out for three weeks. In the 2011–12 season, Bocanegra took the captaincy temporarily following Loïc Perrin's absence, on the opening game of the season, as Saint-Étienne win 2–1 against Bordeaux. This turned out to be his only appearance. He was linked with a move to Rangers, but was warned by Saint-Étienne that they would not sell him.

Rangers

On August 17, 2011, Bocanegra joined Scottish Premier League side Rangers, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Bocanegra made his debut for Rangers against NK Maribor on August 18, 2011, in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

qualifier. His involvement in this match later caused controversy when Maribor filed a complaint to UEFA regarding the eligibility of Bocanegra's appearance, questioning whether he had the required clearance and paperwork. The protest was rejected by UEFA on August 24 as Maribor did not submit it within twenty-four hours of the match. The club's chief later described the complaint by Maribor regarding Bocanegra's eligibility as 'pathetic mischief making'. He scored his first goal for Rangers in the second leg of the Maribor tie as Rangers crashed out 3–2 on aggregate. Bocanegra scored his first league goal for the club on September 24 against

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

in a 4–0 win. His second goal came three months later, on December 17, 2011, during a 2–1 win over

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

. Bocanegra quickly became a fan favorite after a series of solid and impressive performances alongside his center-back partner, Dorin Goian. He was nicknamed Captain America by the Rangers fans and captained Rangers for the first time on January 8, 2012, during a 4–0 win over Arbroath in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Georgios Samaras Georgios Samaras ( el, Γεώργιος Σαμαράς, ; born 21 February 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. Samaras started his career at OFI Crete, before moving on to Eredivisie side Heerenveen in 200 ...

, conceding a penalty. After Rangers FC went into administration, in June 2012 the company's assets, including the players' contracts, were purchased by Charles Green's consortium. Although many players departed because of this, Bocanegra's future was uncertain after not attending training, as he wanted to leave in order to play at a higher level. A few weeks later, on July 29, 2012, McCoist appointed Bocanegra captain for the first round of the Challenge Cup- a 2–1 win over

Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...

. After the game Bocanegra announced his intention to stay, vowing not to walk away from the club. He then made six appearances at the start of the season. After being dropped by the national team, Bocanegra joined

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league syst ...

on a season-long loan in an attempt to keep his international career alive.

Racing Santander

On August 31, 2012, Bocanegra joined Spanish Segunda División side

Racing Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Span ...

on a season-long loan. Bocanegra expressed a desire to return to Rangers once his loan deal has expired. He made his debut for the club, on September 22, 2012, in a 1–0 win over

CD Mirandés Club Deportivo Mirandés is a Spanish football team based in Miranda de Ebro, Province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 3 May 1927, the club competes in the Segunda División, holding home matches at ''Es ...

. However, his time at Santander was considered "disastrous", as he failed to start the remainder of the matches, though still played regularly, coming on as a substitute. The club was relegated to next division. On April 9, 2013, Carlos announced on his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

page that he would return to Rangers for the 2013–14 season. Though announcing his return, U.S. National Team Coach

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...

warned Carlos not to play for Rangers next season.

Chivas USA

In the summer of 2013, Bocanegra left Rangers and signed with

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

. Chivas USA traded up the allocation order with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

to land his signature, sending a first-round

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Janua ...

pick and an international slot to the Canadian club. Bocanegra retired at the end of the 2014 MLS season.

International career

Bocanegra played for the United States at the

1999 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between 3 and 24 April 1999. This was the 12th edition of the tournament. Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. :1.Teams that ...

and earned his first senior cap for the U.S. on December 9, 2001, against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. He became a stalwart for the team in 2003, solidifying his position during the 2003 Gold Cup and leading all defenders with thirteen appearances during that year. During

World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

in 2005, his role with the national team became less clear, as he bounced between roles at center back and left back. On May 2, 2006, Bocanegra was named to the United States World Cup roster for the tournament in Germany. He started two of three games at left back during the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, 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 had won the right to host the ...

. Bocanegra was first-choice captain of the U.S. squad under manager

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

. Bocanegra captained the national team for the first time in a 4–1 U.S. victory in a June 2, 2007, friendly against China. Bocanegra captained the United States national team that defeated No. 1 ranked

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

to win one of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final games on June 24, 2009. He then continued his leadership duties throughout the

, starting at left back against England and Slovenia and then as the left-center back against Algeria and Ghana. On November 15, 2011, Bocanegra joined the 100 cap club achieving his 100th international cap in a friendly against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. In March 2013, Bocanegra was initially included on the preliminary team for the start of the final stage of World Cup qualification; however, he did not make the final team. Bocanegra's further exclusion from qualification, in part due to his unstable club situation, led to the appointment of

Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...

as captain of the USMNT. Bocanegra was subsequently not a part of the team at the 2013 Gold Cup or the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

Post-playing career

Bocanegra was appointed technical director of

in March 2015. In October 2017, he signed a new four-year contract with the club, which also added the title of vice president to his role. He was appointed to co-chair the Technical Development Committee at U.S. Soccer in April 2018. In September 2020, Bocanegra was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bocanegra goal''

Honors

Chicago Fire * U.S. Open Cup:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, 2003 United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

: 2002, 2007 Individual * MLS Rookie of the Year: 2000 *

: 2002, 2003 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

: 2002, 2003

References

External links

* * * *
Carlos Bocanegra
at

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bocanegra, Carlos 1979 births Living people 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in France Alta Loma High School alumni American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland American Youth Soccer Organization players Chicago Fire FC players MLS Pro-40 players Fulham F.C. players Ligue 1 players Scottish Premier League players Sportspeople from Upland, California Premier League players Stade Rennais F.C. players AS Saint-Étienne players Rangers F.C. players Racing de Santander players Chivas USA players UCLA Bruins men's soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent FIFA Men's Century Club A-League (1995–2004) players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Scottish Football League players Segunda División players Chicago Fire FC draft picks American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland American expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in Spain American expatriate sportspeople in Spain Men's association football defenders National Soccer Hall of Fame members American men's soccer players Sportspeople from Rancho Cucamonga, California Soccer players from San Bernardino County, California Footballers at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in football