Closed Face Reel

Everyone that I know of is marked Made In China. Some better than others... but if your buds are cracking jokes on you because of some backlash with your open face reel... you show up with a "Kids Reel" and it will be merciless.
Try a Baitcast reel.
http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/low_profile_baitcasting.html
The Low Profile units are very sweet and allow very accurate casting. The technique I use is to control the spool directly with my thumb. I'll switch the lever for a cast before I cast, and release the spool and line by letting off pressure on the spool... cast it as far as I like, and ease my thumb back onto the spool and line to prevent backlash. Works great, no tangled lines.
Now, these don't cast as far as open face reels, but you can compensate for that with a stiffer rod and use a heavier lure. Either way, you spend time fishing and not undoing knots.
These are not kiddie reels here... watch some pro bass tournament fishers... they all use these kinds of reels. My favorite are the Shimanos. But other guys are making this type too. They can go from Cheap to Expensive as Hell... depends on how you want to roll.

Thanks for the input. I can live with the "kids reel" remarks because I often have the biggest fish. I've looked at Baitcast reels but stayed away because of the backlash issue. The Shimano I have now was made in Malyasia.

Penn makes a line of spinning reels that would fit your American made requirement.

Thanks for the tip. Currently going town to town in Texas promoting my employer's products so all fishing is on hold. The payoff will be some free time and a bucket of cash. Where is a good store to find them?