Over the years, The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has produced a number of the Premier League’s greatest ever players.

Here, we’ve taken a look at five players from the region who shone during their time in the Premier League.

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1) Tim Howard

With almost 400 Premier League appearances to his name, former Manchester United and Everton stopper Howard enjoyed a stellar career after making the trip across the pond and is one of USA’s most capped players with 121 appearances.

He remarkably scored from his own half against Bolton Wanderers in the 2011/12 campaign and was a consistent goalkeeper for 12 years in England’s top flight.

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2) Dwight Yorke

A clinical goalscorer with 123 Premier League goals to his name, Dwight Yorke was one of the division’s hottest prospects throughout the 1990s and became an integral part of Manchester United’s historic treble winning side of 1998/99.

During his time at Old Trafford, Yorke formed a deadly partnership with fellow striker Andy Cole as the pair terrorised defences both at home and away. Whilst at United, Yorke lifted three league titles, one UEFA Champions League, one FA Cup and one Intercontinental Cup, and is widely regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever strikers.

On the international stage, Yorke captained his country Trinidad & Tobago at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was capped 72 times by the ‘Soca Warriors’.

3) Brad Friedel

The second goalkeeper, and American, to feature in this list, Brad Friedel was one of the standout stoppers of the 2000s.

After initially leaving Turkish side Galatasaray for giants Liverpool in 1997, the Ohio native made his name at Blackburn Rovers and made almost 300 league appearances whilst at Ewood Park. His impressive performances for Rovers earned him a spot in the Premier League team of the season and the Most Clean Sheets award of 2002/03.

He famously scored a dramatic equaliser against Charlton Athletic in 2004, and is commonly referred to as Blackburn’s greatest ever goalkeeper. His form for the club sparked interest from a host of other clubs, and after eight seasons, he eventually departed for Aston Villa in 2008.

He would later finish his career at Tottenham Hotspur and made a grand total of 450 appearances in England’s top flight, whilst also appearing 82 times for the United States.

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4) Javier Hernandez

Commonly referred to as ‘Chicharito’, Javier Hernandez arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2010 following an impressive performance with Mexico at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and quickly became a fans’ favourite at Old Trafford.

During his first season at the club, Chicharito’s 13 Premier League goals helped fire United to their record breaking 19th league title.

A pace merchant who was equally as dangerous in the air, the Mexican later lifted a second Premier League title in 2012/13, before departing for Bayer Leverkusen three years later.

Hernandez returned to England 2017 with West Ham United, and currently plies his trade with LA Galaxy in MLS. 

5) Wes Morgan

A delegate on GIS’ MSc Sports Directorship program, former Jamaica defender Wes Morgan enjoyed seven seasons in England’s top flight with Leicester City.

He captained the Foxes to their, and perhaps the competition’s, greatest ever moment in 2015/16 when they defied all odds to lift their first ever Premier League title, despite being strongly tipped for relegation at the start of the season.

Alongside Robert Huth, and later the likes of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, Morgan formed formidable and defensively solid partnerships at the heart of Leicester’s back four and made 170 appearances in England’s top flight.

He later won the FA Cup with the club, before announcing his retirement from the game in 2021.

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