Athletes - John Harkes

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	Athletes - John Harkes

John Harkes (born March 8, 1967 in Kearny, New Jersey) was a talented American soccer player. A mainstay of the United States national soccer team for most of the 1990s, he became known as "Captain for Life" with 90 career appearances on the team.

After playing soccer at the University of Virginia, he began his professional career at Sheffield Wednesday in 1990. In 1993, he became the only American to score in a League Cup Final in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal. That goal was also the first one ever scored by an American at Wembley Stadium. Harkes then went on to play for English teams Derby County and West Ham United.

John Harkes played in the 1990 and s and was controversially cut from the team weeks before the 1998 tournament by national team coach Steve Sampson.

Sadly, Harkes may be well-known for the Andrés Escobar own goal which may have resulted in the Colombian defender's death in a shooting weeks later, from the 1994 World Cup first-round match. Harkes delivered a cross from the left aimed at Earnie Stewart, which Escobar attempted to clear, and in the attempt, sent the ball past his goalkeeper. While Escobar was charged with the own-goal, some sports fans would credit Harkes for the goal because of his shot.

In 1996, John Harkes returned to America to be captain for D.C. United in their inaugural season. That year he led the team to a Major League Soccer championship and a U.S. Open Cup win. With Harkes at the helm, D.C. United successfully defended their MLS title the following year. He later played with the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, and English squad Nottingham Forest.

In 2003, John Harkes announced his retirement from professional soccer. He is currently the director of youth development for D.C. United and acts as a color commentator for soccer broadcasts in the United States. His autobiography, titled Captain for Life (ISBN 188694749X) was co-written with Denise Kiernan and published in 1999.

Harkes was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on the first ballot, in 2005.

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