Chris Gbandi facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chris Gbandi | ||
| Date of birth | April 7, 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Bong Mines, Liberia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | UConn Huskies (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2007 | FC Dallas | 111 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Haugesund | 37 | (5) |
| 2010 | Miami FC | 19 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Liberia | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2011 | University of Connecticut (assistant) | ||
| 2012–13 | Holy Cross (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Dartmouth Big Green (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2021 | Northeastern Huskies | ||
| 2022– | UConn Huskies | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Chris Gbandi was born on April 7, 1979. He is a former professional football (soccer) player from Liberia. Today, he is the head coach for the UConn Huskies men's soccer team.
Contents
Chris Gbandi's Football Journey
College Soccer Career
Chris Gbandi played college soccer at the University of Connecticut. He was a very talented player there. In 2000, he won the Hermann Trophy. This award goes to the best college soccer player in the United States. He was also named a top player (First Team All-American) in his last two years.
Professional Playing Career
In 2002, Chris Gbandi was the very first player chosen in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. He was picked by the Dallas Burn team. Sadly, he missed his first season because of a knee injury.
He came back to play in 2003. He played 22 games for the Burn. In 2005, he scored the last goal ever by an FC Dallas player at the Cotton Bowl. The team changed its name from Dallas Burn to FC Dallas.
The year 2006 was his best season with FC Dallas. He played in 28 games. He was even named the team's best defender. In 2007, he played 21 games and scored an amazing goal against Real Salt Lake.
In 2008, Chris moved to Norway to play for FK Haugesund. He played there for two seasons. He scored 5 goals in 37 games for the team. In 2010, he returned to the United States. He joined the Miami FC team.
Playing for His Country
Many people thought Chris Gbandi might play for the U.S. national team. But in 2004, he chose to play for his home country, Liberia. He played in the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This made him unable to play for the U.S. team.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Chris Gbandi became a coach. He started as an assistant coach at several universities. These included UConn, Holy Cross, and Dartmouth.
Later, he got his first main coaching job at Northeastern University. On December 17, 2021, he was named the head coach for the UConn Huskies men's soccer team. This was the same university where he played college soccer.
Personal Life
Chris Gbandi has a brother named Sandy Gbandi. Sandy also used to be a professional football player.
See also
In Spanish: Chris Gbandi para niños
