Craig Waibel
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Waibel | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 April 2006 | |||
Craig Waibel (born August 21, 1975 in Portland, Oregon) is an American soccer defender, who currently plays for Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.
Waibel played college soccer at University of Washington. Upon graduating, Waibel was not selected in the 1999 MLS College Draft. He was, however, picked by the Seattle Sounders 17th in the 1999 A-League draft.
He played solidly for the Sounders; enough so that he was called up briefly by the Colorado Rapids in the early part of the 2000 season. Waibel was selected by the Earthquakes 31st in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft but then waived a month later. The Los Angeles Galaxy signed him soon after as a discovery player. Waibel was part of the Galaxy's run to win the 2002 MLS Cup, making 12 appearances for the eventual champions.
The following year, Craig was waived by the Galaxy only to be selected again by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2002 Waiver Draft. Good fortune followed Craig, as he won his second straight MLS Cup, this time with the Quakes. For the 2004 season, Craig stayed with the Earthquakes and played his best soccer to date. His 2005 season was cut short by an injury.
Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season, in which he scored a career-high five goals. Waibel notched his first career two-goal game in the October 14 season finale against Colorado. While in Houston, Waibel is serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the Rice University women's soccer team.
As a member of the Dynamo, Waibel as become somewhat of a cult hero, becoming one of the team's most popular players and spurring one of the most popular Dynamo message board threads.