Benny

Feilhaber

Pronunciation: FAIL-haber

Though he made only first appearance for the squad as recently as March 2007, Feilhaber has since been ever-present as a member of Bob Bradley's up and coming midfield. His partnership in the center of the park with Michael Bradley holds much promise, with Feilhaber providing most of the creative flare, attacking presence and quickness in the combination. His technical proficiency on the ball, not to mention his visionary eye when it comes to through balls, mean that he is equally adept at playing any position across the midfield, as he has already done in his first year with the team.

• Though he scored his first goal for the National Team in June against China, in all likelihood it will be his second goal for the U.S., a fully volley from 20 yards against Mexico in the Gold Cup Final, that is remembered for far longer.
• His outside of the foot pass to Eddie Johnson led to the penalty which saw the U.S. jump out to a 1-0 lead over Argentina in Copa America in June.

U.S. National Team - 2007: After making his debut against Ecuador in March, he went on to become one of only seven other players to make ten or more appearances in their first calendar year with the team ... Quickly elevated himself to the first team, staking a claim to fill the void left in center midfield after the 2006 World Cup ... A member of the team which won the 2007 Gold Cup, he made five appearances for the team throughout the tournament ... Provided the Gold Cup moment played on highlight films around the world when he volleyed home the game winner against Mexico in the final ... Also traveled to Venezuela as a member of the 2007 Copa America team ... Started the first two matches for the United States, playing 90 minutes against both Argentina and Paraguay ... Under-20s: As a late addition to a U-20s pool, he made his first appearance with any youth national team in December of 2004 ... Went on to figure heavily for the team in 2005, and was included in the U-20 World Cup squad ... At that tournament, he impressed while starting every game for the United States before they were eliminated in the second round ... His spirited displays in Holland caught the eye of European scouts abroad, and paved the way for his move to Hamburg SV in July of 2005 ... First Appearance: March 25, 2007 vs. Ecuador ... First Goal: June 7, 2007 vs. China.

Professional - 2007-08: After a successful summer with the U.S. National Team, he opted to move to Derby County in the English Premier League ... Made his first appearance for Derby County on Sept 17, 2007 in a 1-0 win against Newcastle ... 2006-07: Started his second year with Hamburg by earning a more prominent spot with the first team ... Made his first career Bundesliga appearance on October 12, 2006 against Schalke 04 ... Made his first career Bundesliga start later that month when he played the fully 90 minutes in a 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen ... Also appeared for Hamburg in the UEFA Champions League, when he came on as a second half sub at the Emirates Stadium against Arsena in 2006 ... Finished the season making nine appearances in all competitions for Hamburg as his club finished seventh in the Bundesliga ... 2005-06: Signed his first professional contract for Hamburg SV of the German Bundesliga after he caught the eye of their scouts while on U-20 duty in Holland ... During his first year for the club, he was limited to only reserve team appearances.

College - A walk-on at UCLA, he went on to play 16 games in his season with the Bruins in 2003 ... In his next year, he played in every match, helping UCLA to a 14-4-2 record ... Scored five goals and had three assists for 13 points as UCLA advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament ... Earned All Pac-10 Second Team honors.

Quick Facts

• Born in Brazil to a Brazilian mother and Austrian father, he moved to America when he was 6
• Played in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel.