Position: Defender
Club: Newcastle United (English Premier League)
Caps: 17
International Goals: 1

A big, solid defender who is great in the air ... Has the ability to get forward and be a scoring threat ... Emerged as a regular part of the U.S. rearguard in 2005 .. His 'stare-down' of Jared Borgetti in the Sept. 3, 2005, victory against Mexico proved one of the seminal moments of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign ... Played every minute for the USA at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina and at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.

His strong play at the 2006 World Cup drew interest from powerhouse clubs such as Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan in the January 2007 transfer window. However, Onyewu choose a move to Newcastle of the English Premier League in a high-profile loan on January 30, 2007.

National Team Highlights:
2006 - Made six appearances with the U.S. national team in 2006, including three starts in the 2006 World Cup ... Was red-carded on a controversial call in the penalty box during the U.S. side's 2-1 loss to Ghana in the third match of Group Play.
2005 - Made quite an impression as newcomer, winning nine of his 11 career caps ... Scored his first ever goal with the U.S. in dramatic fashion, heading home a Landon Donovan free kick in added time to beat Honduras and put the U.S. side through to the Gold Cup final ... Recognized for his play by being voted to the tournament'ss best XI ... Named Man of the Match in opening round against Canada ... Started in four of six Gold Cup matches, including the final ... His other five starts were all in World Cup qualifying ... On Sept. 3, in his strongest performance of the year, helped the U.S. stifle the Mexican attack and maintain a clean sheet while taking Man of the Match honors as the United States beat Mexico 2-0 to advance to World Cup finals
2004 - Has been called into camp with the US Men's National Team multiple times and is looking to step up and provide answers for the US back four. Earned first cap as a reserve in the World Cup Qualifier against Panama on Oct. 13.
2001 - Was a key US member in the U-20 World Cup in Argentina
1999 - Led the US to a qualifying position in the 1999 CONCACAF U-17 World Championship
1998 - Debuted with the United States U-17 team against Guatemala. His first international goal came with that team on December 10, 1998 against the Solomon Islands in New Zealand.

Professional Highlights:
2005-06 - Remained a fixture in the first XI for Standard de Liege, appearing in every match for which he was available in all competitions to start the 2005-06 season ... Anchored a defense that had kept nine clean sheets by the winter break
2004-05 - Liege exercised an option in October to keep Onyewu. Clinched a starting role with Liege and is considered one of the best defenders in Belgium.
2004 - Was loaned from FC Metz to Standard Liege (Belgium) 2003 - Was loaned from FC Metz to La Louviere (Belgium)
2002 - Signed a four-year contract with FC Metz of the French First Division.

Youth and college: Played two seasons at Clemson. Was named an All-American and nominated for the Hermann Trophy, college soccer's highest individual honor. His Clemson team reached the elite eight of the NCAA soccer tournament

Personal: The son of Nigerian-born parents, Onyewu has two sisters and two brothers.