Carlos Bocanegra Bio Send To Friend  

Bocanegra, who plays for French club Rennes, is the U.S. captain and a lock to make the team. One question remains: Does he play center or left back?

It probably doesn't matter: Bocanegra has been getting it done in the back for a long time. After four years of shutting down the Pac-10, Bocanegra signed a Project-40 contract with the MLS, and the Chicago Fire signed him with the fourth overall pick in the 2000 SuperDraft.

He helped Chicago to the MLS Cup final. The Fire won the U.S. Open Cup and Bocanegra even picked up some hardware of his own: the MLS Rookie of the Year award. For good measure, Bocanegra won the MLS Defender of the Year award in 2002-03. No player had ever done that.

That's when the EPL came calling: Bocanegra signed with Fulham in January of '04, where he played center and left back. Even in the back, Bocanegra managed to score five goals during the 2006-07 season, second behind countryman Brian McBride. He would go on to captain Fulham and appear in over 100 matches.

Bocanegra became one of the few players in U.S. soccer history to simultaneously captain his club and national team. He led Fulham in a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sept. 1, 2007, and eight days later wore the armband for the U.S. in a game against Brazil in Chicago .

Bocanegra's four-year run came to an end last May when Fulham released him. A month later, France's Rennes signed Bocanegra, and he appeared in all 38 league matches for the team last season.

Bocanegra scored his first league goal in March in Rennes' 2-0 win over Auxerre. He added a goal in a UEFA Cup match and started all of the club's prestigious Coupe de France matches.

Bocanegra earned his first senior cap for the U.S. on Dec. 9, 2001, against South Korea. By '03, he was a staple on the team, leading all American defenders with 13 appearances that year. In '05, he started six of 10 final-round World Cup qualifiers, and Bocanegra led all defenders in minutes played (958) in 2006 qualifying.

He easily earned a spot on the '06 World Cup team. He didn't start in the U.S.'s first match against the Czech Republic, but started the next two matches against Italy and Ghana.

Bocanegra captained the U.S. to a win in the '07 CONCACAF Gold Cup and proudly wore the armband in all nine of his appearances for the U.S. last year. Bocanegra has been a stabilizing force for the U.S. this year, and the same is expected from him in the next World Cup.

Strengths: Toughness and ability to score from the back, especially on set pieces.

Weaknesses: Lacks speed, but makes up for it with his skill as a tactician.

Career high: Two-time MLS Defender of the Year with the Chicago Fire (2002-03).

Career low: Released from Fulham last May.

Style: Calm under pressure, plays in control.

Quote: "I love England and had a great four-and-a-half years at Fulham. I would like to stay in the Premier League but I'm focused on the U.S. team right now, so I will let my agent handle all that. We have some big games coming up and then we have World Cup qualifiers." -- shortly after leaving Fulham.

Trivia: MLS Rookie of the Year in 2000.

Soccernet says: Bocanegra would prefer to play in the center, but wherever he lines up, U.S. coach Bob Bradley knows he will get efficient play.