Ezra Hendrickson
Encyclopedia
Ezra Hendrickson is a retired Vincentian
footballer. He played professionally in the United States' Major League Soccer
with New York MetroStars, Los Angeles Galaxy
, Dallas Burn
, and Chivas USA
, and was also a member of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team
. Since 2009 he is an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC
.
in Kokomo, Indiana
. He then played college soccer
at Drake University
from 1990 to 1993, where he was named all-Missouri
Valley Conference three times, and was named an NSCAA third team All-American as a senior.
Upon graduating, Hendrickson joined the amateur Des Moines Menace
in 1994, where he played striker
, scoring 13 goals in his first year. After a season with the Menace, Hendrickson was signed to a professional contract by the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers
of the USISL. Hendrickson played for the Riverboat Gamblers, and was named Select League Defender of the Year in 1996.
by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars
, for whom he played eight forgettable matches in 1997. During his time with NY/NJ, fans gave him the nickname 'The Caribbean Beckenbauer'. Midseason, Hendrickson was cut and picked up by the Los Angeles Galaxy
, where he solidified his role as a starter, and earn a reputation as one of the best wing backs in MLS. After seven seasons with the Galaxy, Hendrickson was traded to the Dallas Burn
in 2003.
When the Burn reorganized the team following their dismal 2003 campaign, Hendrickson found himself without a team in MLS, and briefly signed with the Charleston Battery
of the A-League
. However, not long into the 2004 season, D.C. United
acquired him to play a backup role in their central defense. Hendrickson was selected fifth overall by C.D. Chivas USA
in the Expansion Draft
after the season. After a year with Chivas, he was on a move again, sent to Columbus early in the 2006 season. He retired after helping the Crew to its first MLS title during the 2008 season.
, and was one of the team's best players since earning his first cap in 1995 against Barbados
. He made 24 appearances for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cup
qualifiers and 123 overall.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
footballer. He played professionally in the United States' Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
with New York MetroStars, Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
, Dallas Burn
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
, and Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada....
, and was also a member of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team is the national team of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is controlled by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation....
. Since 2009 he is an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
.
Youth years
Hendrickson played high school soccer at Western High SchoolWestern High School
Western High School may refer to:*Western High School – Anaheim, California*Western High School – Barry, Illinois*Western High School – Davie, Florida...
in Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....
. He then played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
from 1990 to 1993, where he was named all-Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Valley Conference three times, and was named an NSCAA third team All-American as a senior.
Upon graduating, Hendrickson joined the amateur Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games at Valley...
in 1994, where he played striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, scoring 13 goals in his first year. After a season with the Menace, Hendrickson was signed to a professional contract by the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers
New Orleans Storm
The New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers was an American soccer club that competed in the USISL from 1993 to 1999. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, the club was renamed the New Orleans Storm in 1998. The team folded after the 1999 season.-History:...
of the USISL. Hendrickson played for the Riverboat Gamblers, and was named Select League Defender of the Year in 1996.
Professional career
After his exceptional 1996 season, Hendrickson was drafted 5th overall in the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft1997 MLS Supplemental Draft
The 1997 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 2, 1997.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-External links:*...
by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...
, for whom he played eight forgettable matches in 1997. During his time with NY/NJ, fans gave him the nickname 'The Caribbean Beckenbauer'. Midseason, Hendrickson was cut and picked up by the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
, where he solidified his role as a starter, and earn a reputation as one of the best wing backs in MLS. After seven seasons with the Galaxy, Hendrickson was traded to the Dallas Burn
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
in 2003.
When the Burn reorganized the team following their dismal 2003 campaign, Hendrickson found himself without a team in MLS, and briefly signed with the Charleston Battery
Charleston Battery
Charleston Battery is an American professional soccer team based in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
of the A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
. However, not long into the 2004 season, D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
acquired him to play a backup role in their central defense. Hendrickson was selected fifth overall by C.D. Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada....
in the Expansion Draft
2004 MLS Expansion Draft
The 2004 MLS Expansion Draft was held on November 19, 2004 and consisted of 10 rounds. The two new teams, C.D. Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, drafted players from the other 10 Major League Soccer teams....
after the season. After a year with Chivas, he was on a move again, sent to Columbus early in the 2006 season. He retired after helping the Crew to its first MLS title during the 2008 season.
International career
Hendrickson also spent time as the captain of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national teamSaint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team is the national team of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is controlled by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation....
, and was one of the team's best players since earning his first cap in 1995 against Barbados
Barbados national football team
The Barbados national football team, nicknamed Bajan Pride, is the national association football team of Barbados and is controlled by the Barbados Football Association. It has never qualified for a major international tournament...
. He made 24 appearances for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifiers and 123 overall.
D.C. United
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
MLS Cup (1): 2004
Columbus Crew
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
MLS Cup (1): 20082008 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.-Changes from the 2007 season:... - Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
Supporter's Shield (1): 20082008 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.-Changes from the 2007 season:...
Los Angeles Galaxy
- CONCACAF Champions' CupCONCACAF Champions LeagueThe CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
:- Winner (1): 2000CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2000The 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 36th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region , the CONCACAF Champions' Cup...
- Runner-up (1): 1997
- Winner (1): 2000
- MLS CupMLS CupThe MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
:- Winner (1): 2002MLS Cup 2002The 2002 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2002 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 20, 2002, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Los Angeles Galaxy beat the host New England Revolution 1-0 in the second overtime on a sudden-death goal from regular...
- Runner-up (2): 1999, 2001
- Winner (1): 2002
- MLS Supporters' ShieldMLS Supporters' ShieldThe Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system...
:- Winner (2): 1998, 2002
- Runner-up (1): 1999
- U.S. Open CupLamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
:- Winner (1): 20012001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup-Schedule:Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.-First round:Four PDL and four USASA teams start.-----Second round:...
- Runner-up (1): 2002
- Winner (1): 2001