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) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
UConn Huskies (head coach) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | UConn Huskies | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2007 | FC Dallas | 111 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Haugesund | 37 | (5) |
| 2010 | Miami FC | 19 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004 | Liberia | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011 | University of Connecticut (assistant) | ||
| 2012–13 | Holy Cross (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Dartmouth Big Green (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2021 | Northeastern Huskies | ||
| 2022– | UConn Huskies | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 25, 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 16, 2006 |
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Chris Gbandi was born on April 7, 1979. He is a former Liberian footballer. Today, he is the head coach for the UConn Huskies men's soccer team.
Contents
Chris Gbandi's Football Journey
College Career
Chris Gbandi played college soccer at the University of Connecticut. He was a very talented player there. He was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 1999 and 2001. This award goes to the best college soccer player in the United States. Chris won the Hermann Trophy in 2000. He was also named a First Team All-American in his last two years of college.
Professional Playing Career
Chris Gbandi was the very first player chosen in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. He was picked by the Dallas Burn team. However, he missed his first season in 2002. This was because he had to recover from a serious knee injury called a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
He returned to play in the 2003 season. He played 22 games for the Burn that year. In 2005, Chris played 17 games, all as a starter. He scored the very last goal by an FC Dallas player at the Cotton Bowl stadium. The year 2006 was his best season with FC Dallas. He played in 28 games and was named the team's defender of the year.
In 2007, Chris had another good year. He played in 21 games and scored an amazing goal against Real Salt Lake. On February 8, 2008, he moved to a Norwegian club called FK Haugesund. He played there for two seasons. He scored 5 goals in 37 games for the team. Chris came back to the United States in 2010. He signed with USSF Division 2 club Miami FC.
International Play
Many people thought Chris Gbandi might play for the United States national team. But in 2004, he chose to play for his home country, Liberia. He played in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers for Liberia. This decision meant he could not play for the U.S. team.
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Chris Gbandi became a coach. He worked as an assistant coach at several universities. These included UConn, Holy Cross, and Dartmouth. He then got his first head coaching job at Northeastern. On December 17, 2021, he was named the head coach at UConn.
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
