100 Cap Club: Joe-Max Moore

When Landon Donovan earned his membership into the ‘100 Cap Club’ in the 0-0 draw against No. 1-ranked Argentina – becoming the fourth youngest player in soccer history to achieve that mark! - he joined 10 American men in this highly exclusive fraternity. Each U.S. player before him reached the century mark in a unique and, in some cases, historic way. With Donovan’s story now told, ussoccer.com has set out to provide a chronicle of the memorable ways in which the previous 10 players joined the elite group who have proudly worn the jersey at least 100 times for the United States.

Joe-Max Moore
Caps: 100
First Cap: Sept. 3, 1992
100th Caps: June 14, 2002 vs. Poland (FIFA World Cup)
Era: 1992- 2002

Another player who earned his 100th cap in a World Cup game, Joe-Max Moore deservedly hit the milestone in the USA’s third group game of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The Americans had already upset Portugal - a dark horse favorite to win the tournament - and tied a very determined home team in South Korea. They entered the game against Poland needing a victory in order to determine their own fate and advance to the second round. Even though the U.S. lost the game, they reached the knockout phase because of a Korea win against Portugal. The U.S. would go on to handily earn a 2-0 win against Mexico, collecting their first knock-out round victory since 1950 and reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in 72 years.



Perhaps the most memorable moments for Moore came in the run-up to Korea/Japan. Reeling from a three-match losing streak and with the shadow of Sept. 11 still hanging over the nation, Moore scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against Jamaica in front of his MLS hometown fans at Foxboro Stadium. That win, coupled with an improbable home loss by Honduras, booked the USA’s date with destiny in the World Cup that followed. The midfielder also notched four goals in the USA's 7-0 thrashing of El Salvador in December of 1993. He actually scored what would have been a U.S. record fifth in the match, but the ball slipped through a hole in the net and the referees disallowed the goal. Moore has exactly 100 appearances for the U.S. from 1992-2002.



On earning his 100th cap:
“The 100th cap I got against Poland in the 2002 World Cup was a special day for me. I had played 10 years with the U.S. national team, and it's a pretty special accomplishment. The fact that we lost 3-1 wasn't all that great, but the results went our way, and we went on and did very well beating Mexico and then losing to Germany in the quarterfinals. Without question, I reached a goal which I had set a long time ago.”