Josh Wolff
Encyclopedia
Joshua David "Josh" Wolff (born February 25, 1977 in Stone Mountain, Georgia
) is an American
soccer player currently playing for D.C. United
of Major League Soccer
.
at the University of South Carolina
, where he scored 21 goals and eight assists in 43 games. He played at South Carolina with future United States national team
star Clint Mathis
.
. MLS assigned Wolff to the Chicago Fire. He set the MLS rookie scoring record (together with Jeff Cunningham
, since broken by Damani Ralph
) by scoring eight goals, doing so in just 14 games with only four starts. Wolff played the following four seasons for the Fire, scoring 24 goals, developing a reputation as one of the league's most explosive offensive players, but unfortunately also one of its most injury prone.
Before the 2003 MLS Superdraft
, the Fire traded Wolff, in a cost-cutting move, to the Kansas City Wizards
in exchange for the third overall pick, which the Fire used to select Nate Jaqua
. In 2003, Wolff lived up to his reputation, missing most of the season due to injuries. He rebounded in 2004 by scoring ten goals and seven assists during the season. Wolff scored his first career playoff goal on a penalty kick
during the MLS Cup 2004
. He scored ten goals and ten assists in 2005.
In September 2006, Wolff had a try out with English Championship
club Derby County
. The team was pleased enough with his performance to offer MLS a $500,000 transfer fee. However, British immigration officials denied Wolff a work permit
based on the fact he had failed to play the required 75% of the U.S. national team
's games in the previous two years.
From England, Wolff traveled to Germany for a try out with 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
club 1860 Munich
. On December 6, 2006, 1860 Munich signed Wolff to a contract through the 2007-2008 season. Munich paid MLS a $191,000 transfer fee. Wolff joined the team during its January 2007 mid-winter training camp but was waived at the end of the 2008 season.
Wolff signed with the Kansas City Wizards
on June 30, 2008. At the end of the 2010 MLS season, after two and a half seasons back in Kansas City, Wolff's contract option was declined by the club.
On December 15, 2010, Wolff was selected by D.C. United
in Stage 2 of the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft
and immediately signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2012.
on September 8, 1999. He also starred for the US in the 2000 Summer Olympics
, scoring two goals and helping the team to a fourth-place finish. As with his club teams, however, Wolff has had trouble securing a definite spot because of continual injury problems. He did play for the United States in the 2002 World Cup
, assisting on the opening goal in the second-round win against Mexico
. On May 2, 2006, Wolff was named to the US roster for the FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player currently playing for 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...
of 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...
.
College
Wolff played three years of college soccerCollege 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 the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, where he scored 21 goals and eight assists in 43 games. He played at South Carolina with future United States national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
star Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis is a retired American soccer player.-Youth and college:Mathis played club soccer at a young age for Rockdale Youth Soccer Association, and then for AFC Lightning, a Georgia powerhouse producing players such as current U.S. international Ricardo Clark, in Fayetteville...
.
Professional
After his junior season, Wolff left college and signed with Major League SoccerMajor 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...
. MLS assigned Wolff to the Chicago Fire. He set the MLS rookie scoring record (together with Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham is a Jamaican-born American soccer player who played on multiple Major League Soccer teams. He is the MLS all-time leader in goals scored with 134.-College:...
, since broken by Damani Ralph
Damani Ralph
Damani Ralph is a Jamaican football player, who last played for Russian team FC Rubin Kazan in Russia.- Amateur/College :...
) by scoring eight goals, doing so in just 14 games with only four starts. Wolff played the following four seasons for the Fire, scoring 24 goals, developing a reputation as one of the league's most explosive offensive players, but unfortunately also one of its most injury prone.
Before the 2003 MLS Superdraft
2003 MLS SuperDraft
The 2003 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:References=* USA Today MLS Draft List...
, the Fire traded Wolff, in a cost-cutting move, to the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
in exchange for the third overall pick, which the Fire used to select Nate Jaqua
Nate Jaqua
Jonathan "Nate" Jaqua is an American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-High School:...
. In 2003, Wolff lived up to his reputation, missing most of the season due to injuries. He rebounded in 2004 by scoring ten goals and seven assists during the season. Wolff scored his first career playoff goal on a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
during the MLS Cup 2004
MLS Cup 2004
The 2004 MLS Cup was a soccer match that took place at 12:30 EST on November 14, 2004 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California to determine the champion of the 2004 Major League Soccer season. D.C. United defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-2. The winning goal for United came from an own goal...
. He scored ten goals and ten assists in 2005.
In September 2006, Wolff had a try out with English Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. The team was pleased enough with his performance to offer MLS a $500,000 transfer fee. However, British immigration officials denied Wolff a work permit
Work permit (United Kingdom)
The UK Work Permit scheme was an immigration category used to encourage skilled workers to enter the United Kingdom up till November 2008, when it was replaced by the points-based immigration system...
based on the fact he had failed to play the required 75% of the U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
's games in the previous two years.
From England, Wolff traveled to Germany for a try out with 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
club 1860 Munich
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
. On December 6, 2006, 1860 Munich signed Wolff to a contract through the 2007-2008 season. Munich paid MLS a $191,000 transfer fee. Wolff joined the team during its January 2007 mid-winter training camp but was waived at the end of the 2008 season.
Wolff signed with the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
on June 30, 2008. At the end of the 2010 MLS season, after two and a half seasons back in Kansas City, Wolff's contract option was declined by the club.
On December 15, 2010, Wolff was selected by 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...
in Stage 2 of the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft
2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft
The two-stage 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 8, 2010 and December 15, 2010. The Stage 1 Draft of the Re-Entry Process took place on Wednesday, December 8, at 2 p.m. ET via teleconference. The Stage 2 Draft took place on Wednesday, December 15, at 2 p.m. ET...
and immediately signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2012.
International
Wolff has scored nine goals in fifty-two caps since his debut against JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
on September 8, 1999. He also starred for the US in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, scoring two goals and helping the team to a fourth-place finish. As with his club teams, however, Wolff has had trouble securing a definite spot because of continual injury problems. He did play for the United States in the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, assisting on the opening goal in the second-round win against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. On May 2, 2006, Wolff was named to the US roster for the FIFA World Cup in Germany.
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 25, 2000 | Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |
| 2 | February 28, 2001 | Columbus, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city... |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 3 | April 25, 2001 | Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties... |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 4 | February 2, 2002 | Pasadena, California Pasadena, California Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet... |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean .... |
|
| 5 | May 16, 2002 | East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan.... |
1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly match | |
| 6 | 3–0 | |||||
| 7 | June 20, 2004 | St. George's St. George's, Grenada St. George's, population 89,018 , with an agglomeration of 4,500 people , is the capital of Grenada, . The city is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbor.... , Grenada Grenada Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea... |
2–1 | 3–2 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 8 | July 16, 2005 | Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile... |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament... |
|
| 9 | November 12, 2005 | Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match |
Chicago Fire
- Lamar Hunt 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...
(2): 1998, 20002000 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:... - 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): 1998 - 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...
Western Conference Championship (1): 1998
Kansas City Wizards
- Lamar Hunt 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...
(1): 20042004 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:Eight PDL and eight USASA teams start.-----Second round:Six PSL and two A-League teams enter.... - 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...
Western Conference Championship (1): 2004
United States
- CONCACAF Gold CupCONCACAF Gold CupThe CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
(2): 20022002 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
, 20052005 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...