Chris Wondolowski

Wondolowski was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft with the 41st overall pick by the San Jose Earthquakes. Although he made only two MLS appearances for San Jose in 2005, he led the Earthquakes reserve team in scoring with eight goals in 12 games.[7]

Wondolowski playing for the Dynamo in 2009

Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season and once again led the reserve team in scoring, tallying 13 goals in 11 games. He scored his first MLS goal on August 30, 2006 against the Chicago Fire.[8]

In 2007, Wondolowski scored against Pachuca in the semifinal round of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, although Houston was eliminated in the second leg. Wondolowski scored his first US Open Cup goal in a 3–0 victory against FC Dallas on August 23 of that same year.[9] He scored his second career MLS goal – a tap-in against Chicago – on July 12, 2007.

In 2008 Wondolowski continued to make appearances for the reserve squad as well as the first team in various competitions. He captained the team in its US Open Cup loss against Charleston Battery, converting his shot in the penalty shootout as well.[10]

He scored his fourth career goal for Houston against the New York Red Bulls on May 16, 2009.

Wondolowski was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for Cam Weaver in June 2009.[11] With the move to San Jose, Wondolowski began to receive more playing time and appeared in 14 games in which he scored 3 goals for San Jose.

Wondolowski had a break-out season in 2010 in which he led Major League Soccer in scoring with 18 goals in 26 matches, leading San Jose into the MLS Playoffs.[12] The 18 regular season goals scored was the highest in the league, and made for Wondolowski to win his first MLS Golden Boot.[13] He scored his first playoff goal with the series winning goal against New York in their playoff game, propelling San Jose to a 3–2 aggregate win.[14]

Wondolowski's first brace of 2011 started in the fifth minute of play against FC Dallas. After receiving a ball in the box, Wondolowski took the ball off a volley with time to turn and punch the shot past a helpless Kevin Hartman. His second goal would come in just the 23rd minute after Dallas was unable to clear the ball on a set piece.[15] He finished the season with 16 goals, tied with Dwayne De Rosario for 1st overall in scoring but lost the Golden Boot on an assists tie breaker.[16]

San Jose signed Wondolowski to a new contract in February 2012.[17] Terms were undisclosed.

Wondolowski was elected to the 2012 MLS All-Star Game versus Chelsea. He was defended by John Terry, and managed to score in the 21st minute. NBC Sports Network aired an episode of MLS 36 following Wondolowski for 36 hours through his arrival in Philadelphia for the All-Star festivities and the game itself. It shows Terry personally complimenting Wondolowski at halftime on his movement, adding that it was a "nightmare" to cover him. On October 6, 2012, Wondolowski became the San Jose Earthquakes' all-time leading goal-scorer at Colorado Rapids, a night where he notched his fourth career hat-trick. That season he also matched Roy Lassiter's MLS record of 27 goals in a season. The conclusion of the regular season also saw Wondolowski become the first and only MLS player so far to win the Player of the Month award four times in a single season, for his performances during the months of April, June, September, and October.[18]

Wondolowski in 2013

Wondolowski's high scoring rate fell a bit in 2013 with the striker scoring only 13 goals in all competitions, the lowest total since arriving in San Jose in 2009. The low total may have been partially due to the fact that he played the majority of 2013 with a broken foot.[19]

On August 24, 2014, Wondolowski became only the third MLS player to ever score double digit goal totals for five seasons in a row, following the lead of Carlos Ruiz and Juan Pablo Angel.[20] Wondolowski finished the season with 14 goals, leading the San Jose Earthquakes for the fifth consecutive season.[21]

On May 24, 2015, Wondolowski drew a penalty against Orlando City SC at Levi's Stadium and scored his hundredth goal in MLS play. He became only the ninth player in MLS history to achieve this feat.[22]

On September 11, 2016, Wondolowski scored his tenth goal of the 2016 season in a 1–1 home draw with Seattle Sounders FC, achieving his seventh consecutive season with ten or more goals and making him the only player in league history to have accomplished this in over five consecutive seasons.[23]

On July 4, 2017, Wondolowski made his 229th career start for San Jose against Atlanta United FC at Bobby Dodd Stadium, surpassing Ramiro Corrales to take the record for most starts made for the club.[24] His 66th minute tally, assisted by Nick Lima, tied him with Landon Donovan for the league record of most goals scored on the road at 63 each, and also marked the 22nd MLS team scored upon by Wondolowski, leaving only expansion side Minnesota United FC.[25]

Wondolowski wore the number 38 in San Jose's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match on July 10, 2017, against the LA Galaxy in honor of teammate Matheus Silva, who nearly drowned the week before while swimming at Lake Tahoe.[26] He scored a brace, both goals assisted by Tommy Thompson, to lead the Earthquakes to a 3–2 victory that advanced them to the Cup semifinals for the first time since 2004 and for only the second time in club history.[27]

Wondolowski became the first player in league history to score 10 or more goals in 8 consecutive seasons on August 19, 2017, after converting an equalizing penalty in the final seconds of stoppage time in a 2–2 home draw against the Philadelphia Union, after Joshua Yaro brought down Shea Salinas in the box.[28] On October 22, 2017, he received his seventh overall and fourth consecutive Team MVP award after finishing the 2017 regular season with 13 goals and 8 assists.[29]

On May 18, 2019, Wondolowski scored four goals against the Chicago Fire at Avaya Stadium to tie and break Landon Donovan's goal-scoring record, scoring 148 goals in his 338th MLS appearance.[30][31]

On November 7, 2021, Wondolowski scored his 171st goal for the Earthquakes in his final professional match, a 1–1 draw against FC Dallas. He announced his retirement following the contest.[32]

Wondolowski was selected as one of the final 23 players chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup to represent the United States.[35] On June 22, 2014, Wondolowski came in as a substitute for Clint Dempsey in the 87th minute during the Group G game against Portugal. On July 1 he came in as a substitute for Graham Zusi in the 72nd minute in the Group of 16 elimination game against Belgium. In the final minutes of normal time in what was then a 0–0 game,[36] Wondolowski failed to direct his shot on the net from just yards out and Belgium won in extra time. "I'm gutted to have let down everyone but especially my teammates," said Wondolowski about the missed opportunity.[37] In extra time Wondolowski nearly set up the game tying goal, but the chance was missed by teammate Clint Dempsey.[38]

Chris Wondolowski was selected as one of the final 23 players chosen for the Copa América Centenario to represent the United States.[39]

Statistics accurate as of November 7, 2021

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	July 5, 2013	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States	Guatemala	3–0	6–0	Friendly
2	July 9, 2013	Jeld-Wen Field, Portland, United States	Belize	1–0	6–1	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3				2–0
4				3–1
5	July 13, 2013	Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, United States	Cuba	3–1	4–1	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
6				4–1
7	February 1, 2014	StubHub Center, Carson, United States	South Korea	1–0	2–0	Friendly
8				2–0
9	April 2, 2014	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States	Mexico	2–0	2–2	Friendly
10	July 3, 2015	Nissan Stadium, Nashville, United States	Guatemala	4–0	4–0	Friendly
11	October 7, 2016	Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba	Cuba	1–0	2–0	Friendly