Jeff Cunningham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jeff Cunningham

Cunningham training with the Columbus Crew in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1976-08-21) August 21, 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Montego Bay, Jamaica
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Forward
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1997	South Florida Bulls	63	(41)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2004	Columbus Crew	182	(62)
2005	Colorado Rapids	26	(12)
2006–2007	Real Salt Lake	38	(19)
2007–2008	Toronto FC	32	(6)
2008–2010	FC Dallas	66	(33)
2011	Columbus Crew	21	(2)
2012	Comunicaciones	12	(4)
2012	San Antonio Scorpions	8
Total		385	(139)
International career
1999	Jamaica	1	(0)
2001–2010	United States	14	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is a retired professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is famous for being one of the top goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS), with 134 goals in regular-season games.

Cunningham was born in Jamaica and first played for the Jamaican national team. Later, he became a U.S. citizen and played for the United States national team for the rest of his international career.

Early Life and College Soccer

Cunningham was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica. When he was fourteen, he moved to Crystal River, Florida. He played college soccer for the University of South Florida from 1994 to 1997.

He was a star player in college. In his second and third years, he was named to the All-Conference USA first team. As a senior, he was named the Conference USA Player of the Year. He finished his college career with an impressive 41 goals and 36 assists. In August 2024, Cunningham was honored by being added to the USF Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional Club Career

Cunningham played for several teams in Major League Soccer, becoming one of the league's greatest scorers.

Columbus Crew (1998–2004)

After college, Cunningham was chosen by the Columbus Crew in the 1998 MLS College Draft. In his first year, he tied the record for most goals by a rookie with eight.

He soon became a starting player and was a key part of the team for many years. In 182 games for Columbus, he scored 62 goals and had 43 assists. In 2002, he was named to the MLS Best XI, an award for the best players in the league that season. After the 2004 season, he was traded to the Colorado Rapids.

Colorado, Salt Lake, and Toronto (2005–2008)

Cunningham played for the Colorado Rapids in 2005 and scored 12 goals. He also played well in the 2005 MLS All-Star Game against the English team Fulham F.C..

In 2006, he was traded to Real Salt Lake. That year, he won the MLS Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals in the league, with 16. He also had 11 assists, which was the second-most in the league.

Cunningham playing for Toronto FC.

In 2007, Cunningham was traded to Toronto FC. He wore the number 96 on his jersey to show that he had scored 96 goals in his MLS career.

FC Dallas and the Scoring Record (2008–2010)

On August 8, 2008, Cunningham was traded to FC Dallas. He scored his 100th MLS goal in his very first match with the team. This made him one of the few players to ever reach that milestone.

In 2009, he had an amazing season, scoring 17 goals and winning his second MLS Golden Boot. This included a game where he scored four goals against the Kansas City Wizards.

Return to Columbus and Final Years

In 2011, Cunningham returned to the Columbus Crew. On July 7, 2011, he scored his 133rd career MLS goal, tying the all-time record. A month later, on August 27, he scored his 134th goal, becoming the sole record holder for most goals in MLS history at the time.

After leaving Columbus, Cunningham played briefly for teams in Guatemala and for the San Antonio Scorpions FC before retiring.

International Career

An international career in soccer means playing for a national team against teams from other countries. A player earns a "cap" for each international game they play.

Cunningham first played for his birth country, Jamaica, in a friendly match in 1999.

In November 2001, he became a U.S. citizen. Just a month later, he played his first game for the United States. He played 14 times for the U.S. team. On November 18, 2009, he scored his first and only international goal for the United States in a game against Denmark.

Personal Life

Jeff and his wife, Jocelyn, have a daughter named Mikayla, who was born in 2008, and a son named Eli, born in 2014. Cunningham officially became a citizen of the United States on November 13, 2001.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cunningham goal.

List of international goals scored by Jeff Cunningham

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	November 18, 2009	NRGi Park, Aarhus, Denmark	Denmark	1–0	1–3	Friendly

Honors

Columbus Crew

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2002
• MLS Supporters' Shield: 2004

FC Dallas

• Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship: 2010

Individual

• MLS Golden Boot: 2006, 2009
• MLS Best XI: 2002, 2006, 2009
• MLS 100 goals club
• MLS 50/50 Club

See also

In Spanish: Jeff Cunningham para niños

• List of association footballers who have been capped for two senior national teams