Frankie Hejduk
Frankie Hejduk (2005)
Frank Daniel " Frankie" Hejduk (* August 5, 1974 in La Mesa, California ) is a former American football player who played the position of right-back.
- 3.1 With its clubs
- 3.2 With the national
Career
Youth
His first stop was the soccer school team, the San Dieguito High School in Encinitas, California. After high school he went to the University of California, where he played three years for the UCLA Bruins.
Professional stations
Beginning of the career and move to Europe
In February 1996, before the start of the first American professional league Major League Soccer, Hejduk was drafted by the Tampa Bay Mutiny. He established himself as a regular player. His good performances during the football tournament at the Olympic Games in 1996 did not go unnoticed by clubs from Europe. One of these clubs was Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 1998 fell Frankie Hejduk in the first group match of the U.S. boys on at the soccer World Cup finals in France against Germany. In that game, he showed good performance. From Bayer 04 Leverkusen of Americans a contract that he signed also received five weeks later.
Unsuccessful years in Europe
He was the end of the 1998/99 season team regular since Bayer in time had many problems with injuries. He came in ten of the last eleven games from the beginning to use and made for it with that Leverkusen has secured a place in the UEFA Champions League. At the beginning of the 1999/2000 season, the then coach Christoph Daum changed the tactical team, so that Hejduk was no longer on the grid. He was only six games during the season on the court, but was used in as many games in the Champions League. In the following season he was only used three times in league matches, which also injury-related reasons had. When Klaus Toppmöller new coach of Bayer Leverkusen, Hejduk saw no more chance to keep playing in the club or to secure a regular place. 2001/ 02 Hejduk was no use. Without him, Bayer 04 Leverkusen played with for a long time for the championship, but Borussia Dortmund won in the end. In addition, Leverkusen lost without Hejduk the DFB Cup final and the final of the Champions League.
In August 2002, Hejduk joined on loan to FC St. Gallen in Switzerland, for which he also sporadically was used.
Return to the U.S. and career finale
In early 2003 he dissolved his contract of loan in St. Gallen and his contract at Leverkusen in February 2003 and went back to the U.S. to Columbus Crew. There he became captain and won after the MLS Supporters' Shield 2004, the MLS Cup in 2008. He scored the decisive goal in the final of the North American Championship.
According to the MLS 2010 season his contract was not renewed at the crew. Thus he participated in the MLS Re-Entry Draft part. He was selected on December 15, 2010 by Sporting Kansas City and on the same day at Los Angeles Galaxy given in exchange for Luke Sassano. After the 2011 season, he finished his career.
National
Hejduk played since 1990 for the youth teams of the United States Soccer Federation. After leaving UCLA in 1994, he trained full-time with at the U23 national team, and participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics. He got all three games on the court.
His first cap for the senior team he made on 31 August 1996 against El Salvador. He stood over the coming years in almost all American contingents for the football World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. For the 2006 World Cup, he was also on the national team, but was unable to attend due to a torn ACL. It would have been his third World Cup.
A year later he was playing for the U.S. in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007. Through his goal in the semifinals, the team reached the finals and then won the tournament. He made his last international match on 18 November 2009, when he. During the 1-3 defeat against Denmark in Aarhus At the 2010 World Cup, the then coach Bob Bradley did not take him with.
Achievements
With its clubs
- German Championship: runner-up 1999, 2000 and 2002
- DFB Cup: 2002 final
- UEFA Champions League: 2002 final
- North American Championship: Champion 2009
With the national
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: Finale 1998 and winning the title in 2002, 2005 and 2007
Private
Hejduk married on 31 December 2005 Elissa Zurcher. With her he has three children. During high school, he was also a surfer. He was a member of the San Dieguito High School 's state and national championship surfing team. He was 1988 National Junior High School Surfing Champion and qualified for the U.S. Amateur Surfing Team where he reached the tenth place.