Christian Ramirez (soccer, born 1991)
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Christian Ramirez[1] | ||
Date of birth | April 4, 1991 | ||
Place of birth | Santa Ana, California, United States | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
Number | 13 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2009–2010 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 24 | (1) |
2011–2012 | Concordia Eagles | 42 | (41) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2010–2012 | Orange County Blue Star | 27 | (4) |
2013 | Charlotte Eagles | 23 | (8) |
2014–2016 | Minnesota United (NASL) | 90 | (51) |
2017–2018 | Minnesota United | 50 | (21) |
2018–2019 | Los Angeles FC | 24 | (6) |
2019– | Houston Dynamo | 25 | (7) |
International career‡ | |||
2019– | United States | 2 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 11, 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of February 2, 2019 |
Christian Ramirez (born April 4, 1991) is an American soccer player who plays for the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.
Early life and education
Born in Santa Ana, California, Ramirez attended La Quinta High School in Westminster, California near his hometown of Garden Grove where he played center midfield and forward. As a freshman, he scored 17 goals and tallied 10 assists. During his sophomore year, he scored 18 goals and served eight assists. He opted not to play for the high school team during his junior and senior seasons.[2] Ramirez played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and earned the Golden Boot award at the nationals in 2008 after the squad won the tournament. He was named team captain for three seasons.[3]
Ramirez played two years at Concordia University Irvine (CUI) in California after starting his college career at UC Santa Barbara, where he appeared 24 times in two years, making two starts and scoring one goal. The 6'2" forward finished his CUI career with 44 goals and 18 assists. While at Concordia, Ramirez was named NAIA First Team All-American in 2012 while recording 23 goals and 6 assists and was also the GSAC 2012 Player of the Year. In 2011, Ramirez was named All-GSAC First Team and broke the school record for points in a game with five goals and three assists for 13 points against William Jessup. Ramirez tied the school single season mark for points with 48 in 2011 and would go on to set the school record for points in a season with 52 in 2012.[4][5][6]
Club career
Charlotte Eagles
In 2013, Ramirez signed with the Charlotte Eagles of the USL PRO.[7] He made his debut for the squad in a match against Antigua Barracuda FC, in which he tallied his first professional goal and was named to the USL Pro Team of the Week.[8][9] Ramirez finished the regular season with 8 goals and 5 assists. He continued his form into the postseason, scoring 4 goals in 3 playoff appearances and helping lead the Eagles to the USL Pro Championship, where they lost to Orlando City SC.
Minnesota United FC
On January 8, 2014, Minnesota United FC announced that they had signed Ramirez for the 2014 NASL season.[10] After first-choice striker Pablo Campos suffered a torn ACL in preseason, Ramirez enjoyed a breakout season while starting every game. Ramirez was named NASL Player of the Week three times,[11][12][13] and the NASL Player of the Month three times, for May/June, August, and October/November.[14]
On the final game of the 2014 NASL Season, Ramirez scored his 20th goal, equaling the league record held by Campos and Etienne Barbara.[15] Ramirez won the 2014 NASL Golden Boot by an 8-goal margin and the NASL Young Player of the Year award.[16] Due to his performances, Ramirez was named in NASL's Best XI for 2014 and went on to earn the same honor in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.[17][18] Ramirez again won the NASL Golden Boot in 2016 after tallying 18 goals in 31 appearances. Ramirez holds the club record for both appearances and goals (95 and 53 respectively) for the now defunct NASL version of Minnesota United after they folded due to being selected for MLS expansion.
With Minnesota United's move to Major League Soccer, Ramirez was signed to an MLS contract, which was announced in January 2017.[19] On March 3 Minnesota played their first game in MLS history, a 5–1 loss at the Portland Timbers, with Ramirez scoring the goal, MNUFC's first in MLS.[20] He helped Minnesota earn their first point in league history on March 18, scoring once in a 2–2 draw at the Colorado Rapids. On April 1, Ramirez scored twice to help give the Loons a 4–2 win over Real Salt Lake.[21] Ramirez scored once in a 4–0 win over D.C. United on July 29, but had to leave the game early due to a hamstring injury.[22] After missing 4 games, he returned to action on September 16, coming off the bench in a 3–0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps. Ramirez scored his first goal since returning from injury on September 16 to help the Loons to a 3–1 win over the Montreal Impact. On September 23, he scored once and added two assists to help Minnesota defeat FC Dallas 4–1. On October 3, Ramirez scored in the 90th minute to level the score with Atlanta United at 2. Kevin Molino would score in the 96th minute to give the Loons a 3–2 win. Ramirez ended the season with 14 goals and 3 assists from 30 appearances.[21] Despite the strong play from Ramirez, Minnesota finished 9th in the Western Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs.[23]
Minnesota opened 2018 on March 3 with a 3–2 loss at the San Jose Earthquakes, with Ramirez picking up an assist in the game. After being scoreless in the first 6 games, he found the back of the net on April 22 in a 3–1 defeat to the Seattle Sounders. Between May 12 and June 23, Ramirez scored 3 times in a 5-game stretch in MLS play. On July 18, he scored once to help Minnesota to a 2–1 win over the New England Revolution. On July 22, Ramirez scored 2 goals and had one assist as the Loons beat LAFC 5–1.[24]
Los Angeles FC
On August 6, 2018, Ramirez was traded to Los Angeles FC in exchange for $250,000 in General Allocation Money in 2018 and 2019, $100,000 in Targeted Allocation Money in 2018, $200,000 in Targeted Allocation Money in 2019, and up to $200,000 in future Allocation Money based on the player's performance.[25] Should Ramirez satisfy all performance metrics, the total transfer fee will be $1,000,000.[26] Ramirez made his LAFC debut on August 11, coming on as a sub in a 2–0 loss to Sporting Kansas City. On August 15, 2018, Ramirez scored his first two LAFC goals in a 2–0 win against Real Salt Lake. He would go scoreless for his next 5 appearances, but in the 1st game of the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, Ramirez would score to give LAFC a lead in the 54th minute. However, Real Salt Lake would come back to win 3–2 to eliminate LAFC and Ramirez.[24] He finished his debut season for LAFC with 8 appearances and 3 goals across all competitions.[24]
In 2019, LAFC got off to a strong start to the season. Ramirez picked up his first goal of the season in matchweek 2 in a 4–1 win over the Portland Timbers. Ramirez started the season as the team's starting striker, in part due to Adama Diomande not being fully fit. On July 3, Ramirez had one goal and one assist in a 5–1 win over Sporting Kansas City.[27] He ended his 2nd season for LAFC having scored 4 goals from 20 appearances in all competitions.[28]
Houston Dynamo
On August 7, 2019, Ramirez was traded to Houston Dynamo in exchange for $250,000 in allocation money.[29] Ramirez made his Dynamo debut and scored his first goal for his new club on August 11 in a 2–1 loss to the Philadelphia Union. On September 11, the Dynamo hosted Ramirez's old team, Minnesota. He scored once as the Dynamo defeated the Loons 2–0. In the final game of the season, Ramirez scored twice, including the winner in the 83rd minute, to help Houston defeat the LA Galaxy 4–2. He enjoyed good form to end the year, scoring 5 and assisting 1 in his 10 games with the Dynamo.[27] His good performances weren't enough to save the Dynamo's season however, with Houston failing to qualify for the playoffs.[30]
After the first two games of the 2020 season, with Ramirez appearing off the bench in both, the season was paused for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] Houston returned to play in July with the MLS is Back Tournament, however Ramirez did not take part, leaving the "bubble" to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.[32] He rejoined the team after the tournament and made his first start of the year on August 21 in a 0–0 draw with FC Dallas. On August 25 Ramirez scored once and added an assist as Houston won 5–2 at Sporting Kansas City. He found the back of the net again on September 9 to give Houston a 1–1 draw at the Colorado Rapids.[31] In a shortened season due to COVID-19, Ramirez ended the season with 2 goals and 2 assists from 15 games, 8 of them being starts.[33] It was another disappointing season for the Dynamo as a team, finishing bottom of the Western Conference and missing the playoffs again.[34]
International career
On January 8, 2018, Ramirez received a call-up for the United States men's national soccer team for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[35] He made his first appearance as a substitute against Panama on January 27, 2019, along with scoring his first goal for the senior team.
Career statistics
Club
Club | League | Season | League | Playoffs | US Open Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Charlotte Eagles | USL Pro | 2013 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 12 | |
Club total | 23 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 12 | ||
Minnesota United FC
(NASL) |
NASL | 2014 | 27 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | 21 | |
2015 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 13 | |||
2016 | 31 | 18 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 33 | 19 | ||||
Club total | 88 | 50 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 53 | ||
Minnesota United FC | MLS | 2017 | 30 | 14 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 14 | ||
2018 | 20 | 7 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 7 | ||||
Club total | 50 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 74 | ||
Los Angeles FC | MLS | 2018 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 3 | |
2019 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | |||
Club Total | 24 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ||
Houston Dynamo | MLS | 2019 | 10 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | |
2020 | 15 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | ||||
Club Total | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | ||
Career total | 210 | 92 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 226 | 100 |
International
As of November 14, 2020.[39]
National Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 2019 | 2 | 1 |
Total | 2 | 1 |
International goals
- Scores and results list United States' goal tally first.
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | January 27, 2019 | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States | Panama | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Source: US Soccer
Personal life
Ramirez's father, Juan, is a Colombian former footballer, who immigrated to the United States prior to Christian's birth.[40] Juan stopped pursuing his soccer career in order to move his family to California. Ramirez says one of his motivations for playing soccer is to "live out [Juan's] dream that he wasn't able to."[41] He was raised in a Catholic home and is a Christian[42] Christian and his wife Valerie have two daughters together.[43][44] Ramirez developed a strong friendship with fellow Californian and former Orange County Blue Star and Minnesota United teammate Miguel Ibarra. Ramirez and Ibarra were nicknamed "Superman" and "Batman" by the Minnesota fans.[45]
Honors
Team
Minnesota United
Individual
- NASL Best XI: 2014, 2015, 2016
- NASL Golden Boot: 2014, 2016
- North American Soccer League Young Player of the Year: 2014
- NASL Player of the Month – May/June 2014, August 2014, October/November 2014, July 2015, July 2016
- NASL Player of the Week – Week 4 2016, Week 12 2016
References
- ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via Bernews.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez". Concordia University. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "COLLEGE: A perfect 10". ESPN. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "COLLEGE: Our all-area teams". ESPN. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Open Cup starts with local fight". ESPN. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Ramirez and Prado Sign with Pro Team in Charlotte". Golden State Athletic Conference. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez named to USL PRO Team of the Week". Charlotte Eagles. Archived from the original on 2013-03-23. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Timbers U-23s forward Mark Sherrod named to PDL Team of the Week". Portland Timbers. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Minnesota United Signs Colombian-American Forward Christian Ramirez". Minnesota United FC. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "MNU Forward Christian Ramirez Named NASL Player Of Week 6". NASL. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Ramirez Awarded Player of the Week". NASL. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Ramirez NASL Player of the Week". NASL. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Ramirez NASL Player of the Month". NASL. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "United Comes Back to Draw 2–2". Minnesota United FC. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "North American Soccer League Announces 2015 Best XI". Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "North American Soccer League Announces 2016 Best XI". Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Tansey, Joe (January 5, 2017). "Minnesota United sign Miguel Ibarra and Christian Ramirez to MLS deals". SBISoccer.com. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (March 3, 2017). "Portland Timbers 5, Minnesota United 1 | 2017 MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ a b "Christian Ramirez 2017 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ Romero, Jose (July 29, 2017). "Minnesota United 4, DC United 0 | 2017 MLS Match Recap". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "2017 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ a b c "Christian Ramirez 2018 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Ryan, Megan (August 7, 2018). "Minnesota United deals longtime star Christian Ramirez to LAFC". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "Christian Ramirez 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "USA - C. Ramírez - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ "LAFC Acquires Allocation Money From Houston Dynamo in Exchange For Forward Christian Ramirez". Los Angeles FC. 7 August 2019.
- ^ "2019 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ a b "Christian Ramirez 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ Butler, Dylan (July 13, 2020). "Houston Dynamo forward Christian Ramirez leaves MLS is Back Tournament for birth of his child". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ "Sarachan Calls 30 Player Roster to National Training Center for 2018 January Camp". Ussoccer.com. United States Soccer Federation. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Christian Ramirez at Soccerway
- ^ "Christian Ramirez 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez". National Football Teams. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "United's Christian Ramirez plays for his inspiration – his family". Twincities.com. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ Andy Greder | agreder@pioneerpress. com | Pioneer Press (2016-03-31). "United's Christian Ramirez plays for his inspiration – his family". Twin Cities. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "LAFC's Christian Ramirez strives to 'put myself second to God' as he leads West's top club". Sports Spectrum. 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "Christian Ramirez ready for homecoming in debut with LAFC". Los Angeles Times. 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ Hill, Glynn A. (2020-08-04). "How Christian Ramirez balanced a new baby and the MLS bubble". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ "'Dynamic Duo' goes head-to-head when Loons play Houston and fan favorite Christian Ramirez". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
External links
- Minnesota United player profile
- Charlotte Eagles player profile at archive.today (archived June 16, 2013)
- Concordia player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived September 7, 2014)
- UC Santa Barbara player profile
- Christian Ramirez at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1991 births
- Living people
- American soccer players
- American sportspeople of Colombian descent
- Association football forwards
- Charlotte Eagles players
- Houston Dynamo FC players
- Los Angeles FC players
- Major League Soccer players
- Minnesota United FC (2010–2016) players
- Minnesota United FC players
- North American Soccer League players
- Orange County Blue Star players
- People from Garden Grove, California
- Soccer players from California
- Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California
- UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players
- United States men's international soccer players
- USL Championship players
- USL League Two players