Carlos Bocanegra is the American national soccer team captain.
The centre back currently plays for Rennes, a Ligue 1 French team.
Though his name stays largely out of the papers, with the American success in the first round of the World Cup he's become a bit of a minor celebrity in the in recent days.
Bocanegra played as a UCLA Bruin before being signed into the professional leagues.
He was drafted by Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire in 2000.
That year the Fire won the U.
S.
Open Cup, and Bocanegra was awarded the title Rookie of the Year.
He played with the Fire until 2004, and won Defender of the year in 2002 and 2003.
In 2004 he was signed by Fullham Football Club, in one of the Burroughs of London.
He played with them as a centre back until 2008, when he moved to France to play for Rennes, where he wears the same #3 jersey he wears for the US team.
Bocanegra played as a left back for the 2006 World Cup team, but they did not make it past the elimination round.
He was the first choice to become captain of the team in 2008.
Under his leadership the American team became a real contender for the 2010 World Cup.
The US national team was the only team to beat Spain in the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup games.
In the 2010 World Cup games the American Team made it through the elimination round.
Bocanegra played as a left back in the England and Slovenia games, and left-center back against Algeria.
America was eliminated in their first group stage game against Ghana, in which Bocanegra was also a left-center back.
Bocanegra, 31, will return to Rennes for the regular season.