Terrence Boyd

Terrence Anthony Boyd (born February 16, 1991) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Born in Germany, he represented the United States national team. Boyd is the son of an African American serviceman and his German wife. The family returned to the U.S. shortly after his birth, settling in Queens, New York. However, his parents soon divorced, and his mother returned to Germany along with Terrence. His father was soon out of his life, and his mother eventually remarried. Born to an African American serviceman and a German mother, Boyd holds dual citizenship. His path to the U.S. national team began when his Hertha youth teammate Bryan Arguez, then a United States U-20 international, told then U-20 Head Coach Thomas Rongen that there were several Americans on Hertha's books that Rongen needed to recruit. Rongen soon invited him to a U-20 training camp, but Boyd did not yet have a U.S. passport. For Boyd, the process of obtaining a passport forced him to deal with the pain of his family's breakup, as he needed his biological father to sign the necessary paperwork. He eventually connected with other relatives on Facebook and used his paternal aunt as a go-between to get his papers signed. With his passport in hand, Boyd made several appearances for the United States U-20 team. Boyd was called into the U-23 camp in Europe in November 2011. Boyd also participated in the December 2011 U-23 camp in Florida. Boyd was initially called into the U-23 pre-Olympic Qualifying camp and was set to join the team for its February 29, 2012 match against Mexico's U-23 team. However, he instead made his debut with the full U.S. national team in its February 29 victory over Italy, coming on in the second half. Boyd was called to the U-23 Olympic Qualifying squad in March 2012. He scored two goals in the U-23 team's must-win game against El Salvador, but a late goal conceded sent the team out of the tournament in the group stage. On May 20, Boyd was announced as one of the final additions to the U.S. squad for a five-game series set to culminate in two 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. On May 26, he earned his first start ever for the United States in a 5-1 win against Scotland. He cemented his status as an American in international soccer by playing in the FIFA World Cup qualifier on June 8, 2012 against Antigua and Barbuda. Later in 2012, Boyd played a major role in a landmark result for the U.S. in a friendly match against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. His back heel allowed Michael Orozco Fiscal to score the only goal of the match, the United States' first ever victory at the stadium. Boyd was included on Jürgen Klinsmann's 30-man preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup; however, he did not make the final 23-man roster for Brazil. Boyd has affirmed his commitment to the USMNT by getting a tattoo of the American flag on his arm.