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Marcelo Balboa (born August 8, 1967 in Chicago,
Illinois|Chicago, Illinois) is an American soccer
defender (football)|defender, captain
(football)|captain of the United States men's
national soccer team|US National Team for a large
part of the 1990s.

After playing in college at San Diego State
University, Balboa anchored the American defense
in the Football World Cup 1990|1990 and the
Football World Cup 1994|1994 World Cups (his first
cap came on January 10, 1988 against Guatemala
national football team|Guatemala). He was named
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1994.
In 1995, he became the first US player to break
the 100-cap (football)|cap barrier. 

Marcelo played for Club Leon|Leon in Mexico in
1995 and 1996, before signing with Major League
Soccer and the Colorado Rapids. Balboa played six
seasons for the Rapids, leading as the team's
all-time leader in many statistical categories. In
Football World Cup 1998|1998, he joined Tab Ramos
and Eric Wynalda as the first US players to play
in three World Cups. Traded to the MetroStars in
2002, Marcelo played only five minutes all year,
sitting out the rest with injuries, and retiring
afterwards. He ended his US career with 128 caps
and 13 goals, and his MLS career with 24 goals and
23 assists in 152 games.

Balboa is known for his bicycle kicks, two of
which come to mind -- a spectacular miss in the US
win over Colombia national football team|Colombia
in the 1994 World Cup; and a goal for the Rapids
in 2000 against the Columbus Crew, named the MLS
Goal of the Year for that season. After retiring
as a player, Balboa worked as a TV broadcaster for
ESPN and HDNet. After the 2004 MLS season, he
assumed a front office position with the Rapids.

Balboa was elected to the National Soccer Hall of
Fame on the first ballot, in 2005.