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
Playing position	Forward
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	(1)
Total		385	(139)
National team
1999	Jamaica	1	(0)
2001–2010	United States	14	(1)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is a former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals. He is one of the top goal scorers in Major League Soccer (MLS) history, with 134 goals. Jeff was born in Jamaica and first played for their national team. Later, he became a U.S. citizen and played for the United States national team.

Early Life and College Soccer

Jeff Cunningham was born in Jamaica. When he was fourteen, he moved to Crystal River, Florida, in the United States. He played college soccer at the University of South Florida from 1994 to 1997.

During his time in college, Jeff was a star player. He was named one of the best players in his conference (Conference USA) in his second and third years. In his final year, he was named the Conference USA Player of the Year. He scored 41 goals and made 36 assists during his college career. In August 2024, Jeff was honored by his college and added to the USF Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional Club Career

After college, Jeff Cunningham was chosen as the ninth player in the 1998 MLS College Draft by the Columbus Crew. In his first year, he played in 25 games and scored eight goals. This tied a record for goals scored by a rookie player.

Playing for Columbus Crew

Jeff became a regular starter for the Columbus Crew in 1999. He played 182 games for the team, scoring 62 goals and making 43 assists. In 2002, he was named one of the best players in MLS (called the MLS Best XI) after scoring 16 goals and making 5 assists. After the 2004 season, Jeff was traded to the Colorado Rapids. He left the Crew as one of their all-time top goal scorers.

Time with Colorado and Real Salt Lake

In 2005, Jeff scored 12 goals for the Colorado Rapids. He also scored two goals in the 2005 MLS All-Star Game against a team from England called Fulham F.C.. He played well in another all-star game against the famous Spanish team Real Madrid. After one year, Colorado traded him to Real Salt Lake.

In 2006, Jeff had an amazing season with Real Salt Lake. He scored 16 goals, which was the most in the league, earning him the MLS Golden Boot award. He also made 11 assists, which was the second-highest in the league. Both of these numbers set new records for the Real Salt Lake team in a single season.

Moving to Toronto and FC Dallas

Cunningham with Toronto FC

On May 22, 2007, Jeff was traded to Toronto FC. In Toronto, he wore the number 96 on his jersey. This number showed how many MLS goals he had scored up to that point.

In 2008, Jeff was traded again, this time to FC Dallas. He scored a goal in his very first game with FC Dallas on August 16, 2008. This goal was his 100th career goal in MLS, a huge milestone! He played 11 games for FC Dallas that year and scored 5 goals.

In 2009, Jeff had another fantastic season, scoring 17 goals. This included scoring four goals in one game against the Kansas City Wizards. He became the main goal scorer for FC Dallas and won the MLS Golden Boot award for the second time. By the end of 2010, Jeff was the second-highest goal scorer in MLS history with 132 goals.

Return to Columbus and Later Career

After the 2010 season, Jeff returned to the Columbus Crew. On July 7, 2011, he scored his 133rd MLS goal, which tied the league's all-time scoring record. This goal was a header in the last minute of the game, winning it for his team. On August 27, he scored his 134th goal from a penalty kick, breaking the record and becoming the all-time leading scorer in MLS history.

After leaving Columbus again, Jeff played for Comunicaciones in Guatemala in 2012. He then joined the San Antonio Scorpions in the NASL.

International Career

Jeff Cunningham played for two different national soccer teams during his career. In 1999, he played one game for the Jamaica national team.

In November 2001, Jeff became a U.S. citizen. Less than a month later, he played his first game for the United States national team. He played in a total of 14 games for the U.S. team. In November 2009, after not playing for the national team for four years, he was called up again. On November 18, 2009, he scored his first goal for the United States in a game against Denmark.

Personal Life

Jeff Cunningham is married to Jocelyn, and they have two children. Their daughter, Mikayla, was born in 2008, and their son, Eli, was born in 2014.

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

Awards and Achievements

Jeff Cunningham won several awards and honors during his soccer career:

With Columbus Crew

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2002 (a major soccer tournament in the U.S.)
• MLS Supporters' Shield: 2004 (awarded to the team with the best regular season record)

With FC Dallas

• Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship: 2010 (won their conference title)

Individual Awards

• MLS Golden Boot: 2006, 2009 (awarded to the league's top goal scorer)
• MLS Best XI: 2002, 2006, 2009 (named one of the best 11 players in the league)
• MLS 100 goals club: He scored over 100 goals in MLS.
• MLS 50/50 Club: He had at least 50 goals and 50 assists in MLS.

See Also

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