The Winning Goal (Final Draft)
By: Dylan Shackelford
Tears were rushing down his face, dripping down onto the green grass of the Rose Bowl. He was on his knees, pointing to the heavens, and finding it hard to take a breath. His teammates had just arrived to join him at the corner flag and piled on top of him. He was savoring every moment. His dreams had just become a reality. His greatest wish had come true. His main goal in life had been accomplished. Dylan Shackelford had just scored the winning goal in the 2026 World Cup Final in his home nation.
“I used to believe there was no greater feeling in the world than representing the United States at the World Cup. That was until I scored the winning goal for the United States in the World Cup final,” said America’s number 10. I was able to sit down with the overnight sensation and dig deeper into his rise from an amateur college player to star on a club and international level.
Playing professional soccer had not even crossed Shackelford’s mind until he had been offered a trial with F.C. Dallas in 2020. He was in Fort Worth playing for his college’s, Stephen F. Austin State University, club team in a match against TCU. The striker had bagged himself a hat-trick in the game, impressing FC Dallas scout Lucas Johnson, who just so happened to be in the stands watching his son play for the other team. Johnson would later be called “the greatest scout of all time” by many American soccer fans.
“I was so shocked,” Shackelford said about when Johnson approached him after his club game against TCU. “...I was just out there having fun with my friends. I had no intention of playing professional because I didn’t think I was good enough, but (Johnson) saw something in me that I didn’t, and thank God for that.”
Ever since he signed his first professional contract at the age of 22, Dylan Shackelford had one thing on his mind. represent the United States in a World Cup. The United States has had little success on the big stage in years prior, as they were knocked out in the group stages in 2022 after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition. It took the Texas-native two years of professional soccer and a move from FC Dallas to West Ham United in London for Shackelford to get his first international call-up. “I lost my mind,” Shackelford said on his first international call-up. “I called my family, my best friend, my old teammates, and then I called Landon (Donovan) to thank him and promise I wouldn’t let him down.” After scoring two goals and assisting one in his first game with the USMNT against Mexico in an international friendly, Shackelford never missed a game for the national team.
His success on the international stage helped him earn his dream move at club-level, as last summer Shackelford was bought by his favorite club Tottenham Hotspur for about 100 million euros from West Ham. The hefty-transfer fee made Shackelford the most expensive American soccer player of all-time, shattering his best friend Christian Pulisic’s record of 64 million euros when he was bought by Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in 2019. Pulisic, now the captain of Tottenham-rival Chelsea, has recently said the club-rivalry has not affected his friendship with Shackelford in any way, in fact, it actually brought them closer together as both teams are based in London. It proved to be no problem at all as it was Pulisic’s low-cross from the right side that found Shackelford’s left foot around the penalty spot as he slipped it past Gianluigi Donnarumma to put the USA on top of Italy 1-0 in the World Cup final.
“Pulisic deserves more credit for that goal,” said the world champion. “Yeah, it was my left foot that officially put the ball in the back of the net, but if it wasn’t for his beautiful ball into the box then I would have never had the chance to score.”
Success isn’t something new in Shackelford’s family. His sister and world-renowned actress, Savannah Rosenstein, had won her second Oscar earlier in the year at the age of 20. His brother, Logan Shackelford, was announced as the Tottenham Hotspur official club doctor around the same time Dylan made the switch to the North London club. “Up until winning the World Cup, I used to believe I was the least successful out of my siblings” Shackelford joked. Shackelford then went on to explain how their parents never put any pressure on them to be what they are today. “We were given a lot of freedom as kids. It allowed us to dream more and chase those dreams. My brother and sister were always destined to be successful in the movie business and medical field respectively.”
When asked about his greatest obstacle in the days leading up to the World Cup final, Shackelford had one simple answer, “Ari.” In June, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicked off, Shackelford’s longtime friend, Ari Gonzalez, passed away in a car accident. The two met in college and moved in together just months after meeting. The love of soccer brought the two together nine years ago. “He was the first person I thought of when I scored that goal,” Shackelford said with tears in his eyes. “I could imagine him losing his mind jumping up and down, I looked over to where he always sits and he wasn’t there. Those tears on my face weren’t just tears of joy. That trophy was for him.”
Growing up a fan of the USMNT, Shackelford cites many moments of heartbreak, with the national team losing to Trinidad & Tobago in 2017 to miss out on qualification for the 2018 World Cup being at the top of the list. “That was the worst night of my life,” he reflects. “I wished I was out there on the field that night, instead of being holed up all alone in my dorm room.” He eventually got his chance to get on that field, however, and now the whole world knows his name.
Shackelford promises this was not the end of the United States Men’s National Team and he and the rest of his teammates plan on repeating their miracle over the summer in four years. “We are just getting started,” he says.