Carlos Bocanegra (born May 25, 1979 in Upland, California) is an American soccer (football) player who currently plays for Fulham F.C. of the English Premiership. Although primarily a center fullback at the beginning of his pro career with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, he has seen occasional time at left back with Fulham and the U.S. national team.
After playing college soccer at UCLA, Bocanegra signed a Project-40 contract with MLS and was drafted by the Chicago Fire with the fourth overall pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. He proceeded to win Rookie of the Year for a team that made it to the MLS Championship match as well as winning the US Open Cup. Bocanegra went on to become one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer, becoming the first player to be named MLS Defender of the Year twice, doing so in 2002 and 2003. Carlos scored five goals and eight assists in his four years in MLS. He was signed by Fulham in January of 2004.
Bocanegra played for the United States at the 1999 World Youth Championship. Carlos earned his first cap for the US on December 9, 2001 against South Korea. He became a stalwart for the team in 2003, solidifying a position during the 2003 Gold Cup before leading all defenders with 13 appearances during that year. In 2005 Wold Cup qualifying, his role with the national team became less clear, as he bounced between roles at center back and left back, a position that appears to have since been claimed by Eddie Lewis.
Carlos is 180.5 cm tall and weighs 79.4 kg.
