Stuart Alistair Holden (born August 1st, 1985) is a USA International and most recently a member of Bolton Wanderers in England. He has represented his country 25 times scoring 3 goals.

Holden made a name for himself in the U.S. youth ranks before earning his first call-up to the full national team in 2008. He represented the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and scored the opening goal in a 1-0 win vs Japan. In the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he was selected to the Gold Cup All-Tournament Team.

Holden was a part of the 23-man roster for the U.S. National Team during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and played as a substitute in the opening 1–1 draw with England. Despite being hampered by several serious injuries, Holden made his return to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He played in the final, with the U.S. taking the title, but it was later revealed that Holden had suffered a torn ACL in his knee.

On the club level, Holden played with top clubs in the Barclays Premier League, beginning with Sunderland in 2005. He returned home to play for the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer on January 1st, 2006. He led the team to back-to-back MLS Cup Championships in 2006 and 2007, scoring a penalty in the 2006 Final. An MLS All-Star and MLS Best XI in 2009, Holden moved to England to play for Bolton Wanderers on January 1st, 2010. He made several appearances with the club leading them to a seventh-place finish in 2011 and the FA Cup semifinals. In his first season at Bolton Wanderers, Holden was voted by “The Guardian” readers as the best player in the premier league at the halfway point.

Personal

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised in Texas, Holden played two seasons of college soccer at Clemson University before moving across the pond. He is marrying Fiance, Karalyn West, on June 7th. His mother, Moira is a realtor in the Houston area, brother Euan, a former professional soccer player and sister Rachel, a TCU Grad currently working for Better Homes & Garden Gary Greene.

Off the field, Holden founded Holden’s Heroes in 2006, a charity dedicated to bettering the lives of children with cancer. He partnered with Texas Children’s Hospital, making regular visits with the children and hosted a large number of fundraisers for them and their families.