Oguchi Onyewu's Top 5 USMNT Moments
United States men's national team defender Oguchi Onyewu turns 33 on May 13, 2015.
Although the center back's club situation has been far from consistent over the years, he was a stalwart in the middle of the USMNT defense for quite some time.
Onyewu, who has rarely featured during the Jurgen Klinsmann era, has 69 international appearances and six goals to his name.
To celebrate Onyewu's birthday, we decided to take a look back and revisit his top five moments in the red, white and blue.
4th-Place Finish at the 1999 U17 Championships
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Long before he earned consistent minutes for the senior team, Onyewu was a key figure in the United States side that finished fourth at the FIFA U17 World Championships in 1999.
While this may seem like a small accomplishment in the eyes of some, the high finish in New Zealand kick-started the careers of three of the most productive USMNT players of the last decade.
Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley started on the team that also featured Kyle Beckerman and Bobby Convey.
Onyewu provided the Yanks with their only goal in their final Group A contest against Uruguay. The 1-0 win helped the United States clinch first place in their group.
The center back scored again in the semifinals, as his 52nd-minute strike equalized the match with Australia. The United States would go on to lose to the Aussies on penalty kicks, and they fell to familiar foe Ghana in the third-place game.
Senior Team Debut Against Panama
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Onyewu's first appearance for the senior team came in the same fashion many young players earn their debuts.
In the 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Panama on October 13, 2004, Onyewu came off the bench in the 86th minute to replace USMNT mainstay Eddie Pope.
While Onyewu's involvement in the match wasn't significant, the appearance set the tone for his importance to the squad over the next 12 months.
Another player off the bench made a massive impact at RFK Stadium that night, as Eddie Johnson netted the first-ever hat-trick by a substitute in USMNT history.
Onyewu Scores 1st Goal in 2005 Gold Cup Semifinal
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The first goal of Onyewu's international career was quite an important one.
In the 92nd minute of the USMNT's 2005 Gold Cup semifinal with Honduras, Onyewu headed in a Donovan free-kick to send the Yanks into the final of the tournament.
Onyewu's goal came six minutes after John O'Brien leveled the match at Giants Stadium, in which the Hondurans almost pulled off an historic upset.
After the USMNT defeated Panama on penalties three days later at the same site, Onyewu was named in the tournament's best 11.
Vital Role in the 2005 Dos a Cero Match
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There is no better tradition in American soccer than beating Mexico by the famous Dos a Cero scoreline.
In the September 3, 2005, installment of Dos a Cero, Onyewu silenced Mexico forward Jared Borgetti six months after he struggled to contain the player at the Estadio Azteca.
The most memorable moment from that specific 2-0 victory for Onyewu was his staredown with Borgetti after the pair were involved in a challenge.
When the final whistle sounded that night in Columbus, Ohio, the Yanks became the first CONCACAF side to earn a spot in the field for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The disaster that followed in Germany the next summer is not mentioned much in American soccer circles.
The Silencing of Spain in South Africa
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One of Onyewu's last major involvements with the USMNT came in 2009 during the historic run through the FIFA Confederations Cup.
After miraculously making it through the group stage on the final day, the Yanks were set to play Spain in Bloemfontein on June 24.
The end result of the match still amazes some that watched the USMNT defeat Spain 2-0 and advance to the final of the tournament, where they had a 2-0 half-time lead on Brazil.
Thanks to his standout role in the middle of defense against Spain, Onyewu earned a move to AC Milan, where he played one game in two years before bouncing around from club to club.
Since his move away from AC Milan, Onyewu has suited up for FC Twente, Sporting Lisbon, Malaga, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic. He parted ways with Charlton after the end of the Championship campaign, as reported by Thomas Duffy of Goal.com.
Follow Joe on Twitter: @JTansey90.
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