Five North Americans with most number of Premier League appearances

Bengaluru, May 28: Europe and South America have dominated world football for decades but Asia, Africa and North America are also catching up with more and more talented players coming out of these continents.

We have seen some amazing North American players plying their trades in Europe over the years and the Premier League is no exception. With the language barrier not being much of an issue in England, Premier League has always been the perfect place in Europe for the best players of North America.

Here, we will take a look at five North Americans to have made the most number of appearances in the Premier League.

5. Jason Euell -266 Appearances

Although Euell was born at Lambeth in England, the hard-working midfielder chose to represent Jamaica at the international level with his father belonging from Jamaican descent. During his long career in English football, Euell became more of a journeyman having plied his trade for various clubs like Wimbledon, Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough, Southampton, Blackpool and Doncaster Rovers. He started his career at central midfield but gradually became more of a second striker and scored a total of 55 goals in the Premier League in 266 games.

4. Frank Sinclair -287 Appearances

Another Jamaican international born in Lambeth of England makes this list. Frank Sinclair was a prominent name for Chelsea at the back for almost a decade after graduating for the academy of the Blues.

He won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup with the Blues and later won the League Cup again with Leicester City. The 28-time capped Jamaica international made a total of 287 Premier League appearances over the years and now manages Hednesford Town.

3. Dwight Yorke -375 Appearances

An Aston Villa legend, Dwight Yorke was one of the biggest stars of the Premier League in the '90s. After being the main man of Aston Villa for a decade, he moved to Manchester United in 1998 and had a considerable amount of success being a part of the 1999 treble-winning team. He won a total of six major honours at Old Trafford and a Premier League Golden Boot as well. The Trinidad and Tobago striker will forever be remembered as one of the greatest players from North America.

2. Tim Howard -399 Appearances

After impressing in his homeland the United States, Manchester United made the to sign the talented goalkeeper which in a way did pay off but he is widely known for his time with Everton and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to have graced the pitch at the Goodison Park.

Though he did not win any trophies with the Merseyside club, his tally of 132 clean sheets in the Premier League is the joint-most by an American keeper. Aged 41 now, Howard is yet to hang up his boots and currently plies his trade for USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC which he also owns partially.

1. Brad Friedel -450 Appearances

With 450 appearances in the Premier League to his name, Friedel is truly a role model for any player from North America with ambitions to make it big in England. Now the manager of MLS side New England Revolution, Friedel played for a number of clubs in England. He got his breakthrough with Liverpool but couldn't get too many playing opportunities. He joined later joined Blackburn Rovers and won the League Cup with the Riversiders. He later joined Aston Villa and then Spurs. The former US international is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310.