Tony Meola

Former U.S. national team goalkeeper and MLS MVP, now a radio host.

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Antonio Michael Meola (born February 21, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the United States national team at the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. From 1996 to 2006, he played in Major League Soccer, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors. Meola is currently a radio host on SiriusXM FC.

Quick Facts

Full name: Antonio Michael Meola
Born: 21 February 1969
Birthplace: Belleville, New Jersey, U.S.
Position: Goalkeeper
Total caps: 309

Lore & Background

Meola was born in Belleville, New Jersey, and grew up in Kearny. He played boys' soccer for Kearny High School, where he was All-State as a goalkeeper (1985) and a forward (1986), recording 41 clean sheets and scoring 42 goals. He also lettered in basketball and baseball, and was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school but did not sign. He attended the University of Virginia on a soccer/baseball scholarship, winning the Hermann Trophy as a freshman in 1988 and the MAC Award as a sophomore in 1989.

He left UVA in December 1989 to pursue a career with the U.S. national team. Meola made his U.S. debut on June 10, 1988, against Ecuador. He became the undisputed starter after the 1989 Marlboro Cup and played every minute of the 1990 World Cup. After the 1994 World Cup, he informed coach Bora Milutinović he intended to pursue an American football career, and Milutinović never called him back.

Meola later claimed in a 2024 interview that the lack of callbacks was related to family leave and that an unnamed USSF official effectively blackballed him. He earned his 100th cap in 2006 and was third-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup. Meola was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.

Reader's Guide

Meola played for the MetroStars (1996–1998), Kansas City Wizards (1999–2004), and returned to the MetroStars/Red Bulls (2005–2006). He also played for the New Jersey Ironmen of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 2007. In 2000, he was named MLS MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year, and MLS Cup MVP, setting a league record with 16 shutouts. He was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI after the 2005 season. Meola's first coaching position was with Jacksonville Armada FC in the NASL, where he was hired on November 24, 2015, and fired on August 7, 2016, after a record of 2 wins, 6 draws, and 10 losses.

Did You Know?

He attempted to become a placekicker with the NFL's New York Jets in July 1994.
Meola appeared off-Broadway in Tony and Tina's Wedding in 1995.
A soccer video game for the SNES, Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer, was released in 1993.
Meola was the original drummer for New Jersey cover band Mushmouth.