Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos won a record five MLS championships: three with D.C. United and two with the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

. He also won the 1996 U.S. Open Cup and was the 2001 MLS Defender of the Year. He was inducted into the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

in 2009. Post-playing-career, Agoos served as the Technical Director and Sporting Director of the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

, and then Vice President of Competition for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

. He is currently President and General Manager of Soccer Operations for

Portland Thorns FC Portland Thorns FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL ...

Early life

Agoos (nicknamed ''

Goose A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egy ...

'') was born in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland, as his father was working overseas there for Caterpillar Construction Company. He grew up in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and attended J.J. Pearce High School in

Richardson, Texas Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas. It is home to the Universit ...

. He was named a two-time ''Parade Magazine'' High School All-American as well as a Dallas All-Sports Athlete-of-the-Year. Agoos is Jewish, and during the summer of 1985, represented the United States at the 1985 Maccabiah Games and was at 17 the youngest player on the team.

Youth career

From 1986 to 1990, Agoos played soccer for Bruce Arena at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. During his four seasons with the Cavaliers, earned First-Team All-American honors twice, in 1988 and 1990 and is the only 4-time All American in Uva's history. He finished second in Hermann Award voting his senior season. In 1989, his junior year, Virginia went to the NCAA championship game where it fought the

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

to a 1–1 draw after 4 overtimes. While the teams wanted to continue to play, NCAA officials ended the game and declared the two teams co-champions. At the time there were no penalty kicks to end a tie. At the end of the season, Agoos represented the United States at the 1989 Maccabiah Games.

Club career

Upon graduating from college, Agoos played for the

Maryland Bays The Maryland Bays were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League (1988-1989), American Soccer League in 1988. They were based in Catonsville, Maryland, and played their games at the University of Maryland-Baltim ...

of the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

in 1991. On February 13, 1991, the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Indoor Soccer League drafted Agoos with the second overall pick of the 1991 draft. He played in thirty games in the 1991–1992 season, scoring seven goals. In 1992, he left the Sidekicks to play full-time for the U.S. national team, but Dallas again selected him in a draft, this time the 1993

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

(CISL) draft, but he did not re-sign with the team. On June 26, 1994, after being cut from the U.S. roster for the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

, Agoos signed with the Los Angeles Salsa for the 1994 American Professional Soccer League season. The Salsa went to the playoff semifinals that season as Agoos was selected Second Team All League. In the fall of 1994, he moved to Germany, where he played for SV Wehen during the 1994–95 season.

Major League Soccer

Agoos returned from Germany in 1995 to sign with

. While waiting for the new league's first season, Agoos served as an assistant coach to Bruce Arena at the

. In order to create a league, MLS allocated various recognized players to each team. As part of this process, the league allocated Agoos to D.C. United where he joined Bruce Arena, the team's first coach. That year, Agoos won the first MLS Championship as well as the U.S. Open Cup. He followed it up the next year with his second MLS Championship. In 1998, D.C. United achieved its greatest accomplishment when it defeated Vasco de Gama to take the Interamerican Cup. Agoos then won his third MLS Championship with D.C. United in 1999. He spent 2001 through 2004 with the

, and proceeded to win his fourth and fifth MLS Championships. Agoos was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2001 and earned a place in the

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

three times (1997, 1999, and 2001). In 2005, Agoos was named to the league's tenth anniversary All-Time Best XI. He was traded to the MetroStars after the 2004 season for a fourth-round draft pick. In ten years in MLS, Agoos scored 11 regular-season goals and added 25 assists in 244 matches. In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI, before retiring December 8, 2005.

International career

Agoos represented Team USA at the 1985 Maccabiah Games in Israel. At 17 years of age, he was the youngest player on the team. Agoos made his debut with the United States national team on January 10, 1988, against

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. His first national team goal came just three days later on January 13, 1988, also against Guatemala. He was the last member to be cut from the U.S. squad for the

and he burned his uniform upon hearing the news. He made the squad for the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

in France but did not play a single minute, in favor of David Regis. In the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

in South Korea/Japan at the age of 34, Agoos started the first three games (he scored an

own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...

to finish the scoring in the surprising win against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

) until he suffered a calf injury against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He later missed the rest of the tournament. He was capped a total of 134 times for the U.S. Agoos earned his last cap against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on May 26, 2003. Agoos was also a member of the 1992 Team USA

Futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

team which won a silver medal at Hong Kong. He earned ten caps and scored two goals with the futsal team.

Post-playing career

Agoos was named as

' Technical Director on September 28, 2006, serving under head coach Bruce Arena. He officially joined the Bulls organization on January 1, 2007. On January 7, 2008, he was promoted to Sporting Director. In 2009 Agoos was inducted into the

. On March 28, 2011, Agoos was hired by MLS as their Technical Director of Competition. He will work on planning and competition strategies. In January 2025, Agoos was announced as the President and General Manager of Soccer Operations for

, a team in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honors

D.C. United *

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

MLS Supporters' Shield The 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. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...

* U.S. Open Cup:

CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

* InterAmerican Cup:

San Jose Earthquakes *MLS Cup:

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Individual *MLS 25 Greatest *

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

: 1997, 1999, 2001 *

MLS Defender of the Year Award The Major League Soccer Defender of the Year Award is an annual award handed out to the top defender in Major League Soccer annually since the league's inception in 1996.

: 2001 * MLS All-Time Best XI *

: 2009 Inductee

References

External links

Dallas Sidekicks profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agoos, Jeff 1968 births Living people Soccer players from Texas 1993 Copa América players 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players All-American college men's soccer players American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Expatriate men's footballers in England American expatriate men's soccer players in Germany American expatriate sportspeople in England American expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland American men's futsal players Men's association football defenders Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players D.C. United players CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players FIFA Men's Century Club Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Jewish American soccer players Los Angeles Salsa players Maccabiah Games competitors for the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Maryland Bays players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars New York Red Bulls players National Soccer Hall of Fame members Olympic soccer players for the United States Sportspeople from Richardson, Texas San Jose Earthquakes players Swiss men's footballers Swiss people of American descent Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England United States men's international soccer players Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer coaches Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Competitors at the 1985 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1989 Maccabiah Games Footballers from Geneva American soccer coaches Jewish American sports coaches CONCACAF Champions Cup–winning players International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Swiss sportsmen Portland Thorns FC non-playing staff