The U.S. men’s team has scored 2 direct free-kick goals in World Cup history. Eric Wynalda scored one in 1994, and Malik Tillman scored another in the recent World Cup tournament coverage cited by major reporting; the latter was described as the first American free-kick goal since 1994.

What that means

  • A direct free kick is a shot that can go straight into the net for a goal.
  • The recent report specifically noted that Tillman’s goal was the first American score off a free kick since the 1994 tournament.
  • That lines up with the U.S. having only one other well-known World Cup free-kick scorer before that: Wynalda in 1994.

Quick note

This count is for World Cup matches only , not all international matches.