Frankie Hejduk
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Daniel Hejduk | ||
| Height | 1.72m (5ft 8in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender / Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Columbus Crew (Captain) | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 June, 2008 | |||
Francis Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974 in La Mesa, California) is an American soccer player who currently plays defender for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, where he is team captain.
He is also a frequent starter for the USA Men's National Team, and is the only individual to have represented the USA in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games and the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals tournaments. His most recent stint with the USMNT was in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, held in June in the United States[1].
He began his career with the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer (MLS) before moving to German club Bayer Leverkusen. After a brief stint with Swiss club St. Gallen, he returned to the U.S. to join the Columbus Crew of MLS.
Youth and college
Born in La Mesa, California Hejduk attended San Dieguito High School where he played on the boys' soccer team. He was also a member of the powerhouse La Jolla Nomads Soccer Club which won the California state youth championship in 1989, 1990 and 1991. After high school, Hejduk attended UCLA. He spent three seasons, 1992 to 1994, as a defender on the UCLA Bruins soccer team. While a defender, he was the second leading scorer in 1994 with six goals. He was also named an NCAA second-team All-American his junior year.
U-17 national team and Olympics
In 1990, Hejduk spent time on the U.S. U-17 national team, but was not selected for 1991 U-17 World Cup. Upon leaving UCLA, Hejduk trained full-time with the U.S. U-23 as it prepared for the upcoming 1996 Summer Olympics. This time, Hejduk made the U.S. Olympic roster, playing all three games as the U.S. went 1-1-1 and failed to make the second round. Following the Olympics, Hejduk joined his professional club and made his debut with the senior U.S. national team.
MLS
In February 1996, the Tampa Bay Mutiny drafted Hejduk in the seventh round (67th overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. Hejduk went on to play the first league's first three years seasons. However, commitments to the Olympic team limited him to only eight games as a rookie. In 1997, Hejduk established himself on the Mutiny defense, playing 22 games and registering 1 goal and 6 assists. He did much of the same in 1998, registering 3 goals and 1 assist with the team over 18 games while missing significant time while playing in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Move to Europe
Hejduk's performance in the World Cup inspired German First Division giants Bayer Leverkusen to purchase his contract from MLS on July 13, 1998. He remained with the Mutiny through the end of the 1998 season then joined Leverkusen. After initially struggling at Leverkusen, Hejduk came on strong at the end of the 1998-1999 season when the club experienced several critical injuries. He started ten of the last eleven games, helping the team earn a place in the UEFA Champions League. At the beginning of the 1999-2000, Leverkusen manager Christoph Daum changed Leverkusen's tactical formation which took Hejduk out of the starting line up. Although Hejduk only appeared in 6 Bundesliga games for the team in 1999-2000, he played a significant role for the club in their Champions League campaign, appearing in 5 of 6 games Levekusen played. Hejduk's role at Leverkusen continued to dwindle in 2000-2001 as he only appeared in three league games for the team and a single Champions League match, spending most of his time with their third division affiliate. In the 2001-2002 season, Hejduk's role was even further diminished, as a shoulder injury kept him out of early season action, and he did not receive any playing time following his recovery. It became so bad, that Daum's replacement as manager Klaus Toppmöller stated that Hejduk had no future with Leverkusen.[1] Leverkusen eventually sold Hejduk's contract to Swiss club FC St. Gallen, during the 2001-02 season. Hejduk then signed for an additional year at Gallen but made only seven appearances with the first team, losing his spot as the season progressed.
Columbus Crew
Unable to find playing time in Europe, Hejduk returned to the United States and Major League Soccer for the 2003 season, where he was allocated to the Columbus Crew. Hejduk immediately found a spot as team leader right back for the Crew, and went on to start 23 games for the team that season, assisting on four goals. He played a similar role at right back and right midfield in 2004, starting 19 games and scoring 2 goals for a club that won the MLS Supporters Shield. On January 25, 2007, the Columbus Crew announced that they had signed Hejduk to a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Crew through the 2008 MLS season.
National team
Hejduk received his first cap for the United States August 31, 1996 against El Salvador. In his first start in December of the same year, he scored a goal against Guatemala in a World Cup Qualifier. Hejduk became a regular on the U.S. team but became known for his lackadaisical "surfer" approach to his game. This attitude persisted until he missed a team flight to China on January 23, 1997 having spent the night with friends and overslept. U.S. coach Steve Sampson dropped Hejduk from the U.S. roster. Over the next year, Hejduk saw precisely six minutes on the field with the U.S., in an August 7, 1997 loss to Ecuador. During that year, he married his long time girlfriend, Kim Walters, and after considerable thought decided to commit himself to a professional soccer career.[2]
Beginning with a February 1, 1998 victory over Cuba in the 1998 Gold Cup, Hejduk again became a regular with the national team. Since then he has remained a mainstay, despite the consternation of many fans concerning his lack of technique. Following the Gold Cup, Hejduk went on to help the team qualify for the World Cup, where he started two of the United States' three matches. Although Hejduk's role with the United States waned during his years with Leverkusen, he seized an opportunity to regain his starting role at the 2002 Gold Cup when he took over the left back position vacated by David Regis. Hejduk held onto it to play an important role for the United States in the 2002 World Cup, starting four games from a left back position. On May 2, 2006, Hejduk was named to his third successive US World Cup roster for the tournament in Germany, but was replaced after suffering a torn ACL.
In 2007, he returned to the USMNT roster after playing for the Crew in the spring, and started his first game for USA in June's 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. In that tourney's semifinal vs. Canada (June 21), Frankie made the first goal of the match in a USA's 2-1 win, a spectacular long shot that earned him the match's "Play of the Game" honor from Fox Soccer Channel.
Surfing
Hejduk is also an avid surfer and was a member of San Dieguito High School's state and national championship surfing team. He was a 1988 National Junior High School Surfing Champion and qualified for the 1989 U.S. Amateur Surfing Team by finishing 10th overall. He is a huge fan of Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley and celebrates his scorings by replicating the hypnotic dances Marley did during his performances.
International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996-12-21 | San Salvador, El Salvador |  Guatemala |
2-0 | 2-2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qualifying |
| 2 | 1998-04-28 | Vienna, Austria |  Austria |
1-0 | 3-0 | Friendly match |
| 3 | 1999-03-11 | Los Angeles, California | Guatemala |
3-1 | 3-1 | 1999 USA Cup |
| 4 | 1999-03-13 | San Diego, California |  Mexico |
1-1 | 1-2 | 1999 USA Cup |
| 5 | 2000-05-06 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Mexico |
2-0 | 3-0 | 2000 USA Cup |
| 6 | 2007-06-09 | Chicago, Illinois |  Canada |
1-0 | 2-1 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Miscellaneous
In the 2000 movie Preston Tylk, a poster of Frankie can be seen in Art's bedroom.
See also
References
See also
External links
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- 1974 births
- Living people
- American expatriate soccer players
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen players
- Tampa Bay Mutiny players
- Columbus Crew players
- Olympic soccer players of the United States
- Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- 2002 FIFA World Cup players
- People from San Diego, California
- UCLA Bruins soccer players
- United States men's international soccer players
- Major League Soccer players
- First Bundesliga footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Germany