Frankie Hejduk

Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder.

At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA Galaxy.

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.

A full international between 1996 and 2009, he won 85 caps for the United States national team and represented his nation at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups.

He also represented the United States at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.

Hejduk serves as the manager of team strategic partnerships within the Crew front office.[

Hejduk attended San Dieguito High School where he played on the boys' soccer team.

In February 1996, Tampa Bay Mutiny drafted Hejduk in the seventh round (67th overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft.

Hejduk played in the league's first three seasons.

However, commitments to the Olympic team limited him to only eight games as a rookie.

Hejduk was a frequent starter for the U.S. Men's National Team, and is the only individual to have represented the U.S. in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games and the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals tournaments.

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 side 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.

Unable to find playing time in Europe, Hejduk returned to the United States and Major League Soccer for the 2003 season, where he was allocated to the Columbus Crew.

Hejduk immediately found a spot as team leader right back for the Crew, and went on to start 23 games for the team that season, assisting on four goals.

He played a similar role at right back and right midfield in 2004, starting 19 games and scoring two goals for a club that won the MLS Supporters Shield.

On January 25, 2007, the Columbus Crew announced that they had signed Hejduk to a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Crew through the 2008 MLS season.

On November 23, 2008, Hejduk headed home a pass from Guillermo Barros Schelotto to provide the final goal in a 3–1 victory securing the Crew's first MLS Cup.

After the 2010 MLS season Columbus declined Hejduk's contract option and Hejduk elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

On December 15, 2010, Hejduk was selected by Sporting Kansas City in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry draft, and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy later the same day.

He played six first-team games and another five games with the Galaxy reserve team.

At season's end, Los Angeles declined his 2012 contract option and Hejduk entered the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

After no other club selected him, Los Angeles exercised its option to retain his MLS rights.

However, on January 30, 2012, the club announced that it was unable to come to terms with Hejduk and that he would not play for the Galaxy in 2012.

Rather than having microfracture surgery on his ankle and additional surgery to repair a broken wrist, Hejduk officially announced his retirement from professional soccer on April 19, 2012, opting to accept a position in the Crew front office.