More Than Goals:From Backyard Games to World Cup Competition »

Claudio Reyna is recognized around the world as America's most accomplished soccer player ever. Reyna is currently with Manchester City of the English Premier League and is also captain of the U.S. national team. Reyna is the only American to have played in the top flight of three major European leagues, captaining teams in Germany, Scotland, and England. He is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 1996) and three-time World Cup player for the United States (1994, 1998, 2002), and he was captain of the U.S. team at the 2002 World Cup, their most impressive showing in history.

From backyard games with his brother and nightly practices with his dad, soccer has always been an integral part of Reyna's life. In high school he was named Parade magazine's National Player of the Year at St. Benedict's Prep High School in Newark, New Jersey, in 1989 and 1990 and was New Jersey's State Player of the Year in 1990.

Reyna went on to become one of the most decorated players in college soccer history. He helped lead the University of Virginia to three straight NCAA titles (1991, 1992, and 1993). He was a three-time first-team All-American, won the Missouri Athletic Club's Player of the Year Award in 1992 and 1993, and was awarded Soccer America's Player of the Year Award in 1992 and 1993. He was also named the Soccer America College Player of the Century in 2000.

In 1994, at the age of 21, Reyna signed a pro contract with Germany's Bayer Leverkusen. Three years later he joined VfL Wolfsburg where he became the first American product ever to captain a German first division team. In 1999, Reyna was transferred to the Glasgow Rangers, where he established himself as a key midfielder and veteran team leader. Reyna moved from Glasgow to Sunderland of the English premiership league in December 2001.

Reyna, his wife, Danielle, and their sons, Jack and Giovanni, live in Manchester, England.

Mike Woitalla is the executive editor for Soccer America, where he has worked since 1985. He has covered three World Cups for Soccer America and soccer games in 16 different nations and is the only five-time winner of the NSCAA soccer writing award. He has written freelance articles about soccer for more than 20 publications in six nations. He is a regular contributor to the British soccer monthly, When Saturday Comes.

Woitalla, who has lived in the San Francisco Bay area since 1982, is a graduate of the University of California. He was a member of the Golden Bears varsity soccer team and won a Hawaii state soccer championship with Iolani High School.

Woitalla is married to Holly Kernan, a public radio journalist.

Experience the sport of soccer like never before! More Than Goals will take you inside each level of competition and development of the most successful U.S. men's soccer player ever.

Coaches, teammates, and opponents recognize that Reyna's value on the field and to a squad extends far beyond the goal-scoring situations he creates. More Than Goals captures the consummate leader and captain's passion and knowledge for the game. You'll gain both an appreciation of what it takes to excel in the sport and insights on how to play it.

Author Claudio Reyna has been a champion performer from youth club through professional levels. The following are among his accomplishments:

• Two-time state champion and two-time Parade magazine High School Player of the Year at St. Benedict's Prep (New Jersey)
• Three-time national champion and All-American, two-time Player of the Year, and College Player of the Century at the University of Virginia
• Three-time World Cup competitor and World Cup all-star team selection in 2002
• Captain of teams in top professional leagues in Germany, Scotland, and England

Reyna is currently with Manchester City of the English Premier League and is also the U.S. national team captain.