Frankie Hejduk
Hejduk playing in the 2005 MLS All-Star Game.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Frank Daniel Hejduk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 5, 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | La Mesa, California, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Wingback/Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | UCLA Bruins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 57 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Bayer Leverkusen | 19 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Bayer Leverkusen II | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | → St. Gallen (loan) | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Columbus Crew | 147 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 262 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | United States U23 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2009 | United States | 85 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is a retired American soccer player who last played for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. He also played as right back for the Columbus Crew, where he was team captain, and the United States national team. Hejduk is serving as "Brand Ambassador" in the Crew front office.
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.
In February 1996, Tampa Bay Mutiny drafted Hejduk in the seventh round (67th overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. Hejduk went on to play the league's first three 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 one goal and six assists. He did much of the same in 1998, registering three goals and one assist with the team over 18 games while missing significant time while playing in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
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 in January 1999. After initially struggling at Leverkusen, Hejduk came on strong at the end of the 1998–99 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 season, Leverkusen manager Christoph Daum changed Leverkusen's tactical formation which took Hejduk out of the starting line up. Although Hejduk only appeared in six Bundesliga games for the team in 1999–2000, he played a significant role for the club in their Champions League campaign, appearing in five of Leverkusen's six games and twice being named as Man of the Match. Hejduk's role at Leverkusen continued to dwindle in 2000–01 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 2001–02 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. 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.
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