Gyasi Zardes facts for kids
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Zardes with the United States at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gyasi A. Zardes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | September 2, 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hawthorne, California, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | LA Galaxy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners | 56 | (38) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Ventura County Fusion | 12 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | LA Galaxy | 131 | (34) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | LA Galaxy II | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Columbus Crew | 110 | (54) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Colorado Rapids | 26 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Colorado Rapids 2 | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Austin FC | 61 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2022 | United States | 68 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:15, October 20, 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of January 30, 2022 |
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Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player. He plays as a forward, which means he mainly tries to score goals.
Gyasi was born in Hawthorne, California. He started playing soccer at the LA Galaxy youth academy. Later, he played college soccer for Cal State Bakersfield. After three seasons, Zardes joined the LA Galaxy as a "homegrown player." This means he came from their own youth system.
In his first year with the Galaxy, he quickly became a regular player. The next season, he scored 16 goals. He helped the Galaxy win the MLS Cup 2014, a big championship. His great playing in 2014 led to his first game for the United States in January 2015.
Before the 2018 season, Zardes moved to the Columbus Crew. He became a starter right away. He scored 19 goals in his first season with the Crew. Zardes was even named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award for 2018. In 2020, Zardes helped the Columbus Crew win their second MLS Cup. They beat Seattle Sounders FC in the final.
Contents
About Gyasi Zardes
Gyasi Zardes grew up in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles. He has four brothers and sisters. His father is from New Orleans, and his mother is from Michigan. In 2016, the city of Hawthorne honored Zardes. They put up a mural of him at new futsal courts. Futsal is a type of indoor soccer.
Playing for Clubs
Early Soccer Days
Zardes played for the Galaxy Academy's youth teams. He was with the U-18s and U-20s. In 2010, he led the Galaxy U-20 team to a national championship.
In his first year of college soccer, he scored five goals. He also had seven assists, which means he helped set up goals. In 2011, as a sophomore, he scored 18 goals in 20 games. He helped Bakersfield get into the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time. His 18 goals were among the most in college soccer that year. He was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year.
In 2012, Zardes continued to play well. He scored 15 goals and had nine assists in 17 games. These were the most on his team. He helped his team have a winning record for the fourth year in a row.
Playing for LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy signed Zardes as a Homegrown Player on December 20, 2012. On April 15, 2013, Zardes played his first game as a substitute for the LA Galaxy Reserves. On April 27, 2013, he played his first game for the main team. He came in as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Real Salt Lake.
On May 11, 2013, Zardes scored his first goal for the Galaxy. This happened in a 3–1 loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Chivas USA on June 23, 2013.
Zardes scored two goals in one game for the first time on July 16, 2014. This was against New England Revolution in a 5–1 win. On September 5, 2014, he scored two more goals. This was in the Galaxy's 6–0 home win against Colorado Rapids. With these goals, Zardes made history in Major League Soccer. He became the highest-scoring Homegrown Player in a single season.
On December 7, 2014, Zardes became the first Homegrown Player to score in the MLS Cup final. He scored in the 53rd minute. The Galaxy won the game 2–1 against the New England Revolution. This made LA Galaxy the first team to win the trophy five times. Zardes was the sixth-highest scorer that season with 16 goals.
Playing for Columbus Crew
On January 20, 2018, Zardes joined the Columbus Crew. This was part of a trade deal. After some injuries and a position change at Galaxy, Zardes found new success in Columbus. He scored 11 goals in his first 19 games. Zardes finished the 2018 season with 19 goals. He won the 2018 MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award.
On May 13, 2019, Zardes signed a new contract with the Crew. He was named a "designated player," which means he was one of their most important players. He scored 13 goals in 28 games during the 2019 season.
Playing for Colorado Rapids
On April 22, 2022, Zardes was traded to the Colorado Rapids. This trade involved money for future player deals.
Playing for Austin FC
On December 12, 2022, Zardes signed a three-year contract with Austin FC. He joined them for the 2023 season. Zardes scored two goals against New York City FC on July 6, 2024. This happened at Q2 Stadium. These goals put him in the Top-10 all-time leading scorers in MLS. He had 105 career goals at that point. On December 9, 2024, Austin FC decided to end Zardes' contract before the 2025 season.
Playing for His Country
After a great 2014 season, Zardes was called to play for the United States. This was in January 2015, for games against Chile and Panama. Zardes played his first international game on January 28, 2015. He came in as a substitute against Chile. On February 8, 2015, Zardes started his first game for the U.S. team. He helped set up a goal for Clint Dempsey, and the U.S. won 2–0.
On June 5, 2015, Zardes scored his first goal for the United States. This was in a friendly game against the Netherlands. Zardes was chosen for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup team. He started in several games. He helped set up the winning goal against Haiti. He scored his first goal in a competitive international game on July 18, 2015. This was in the Gold Cup quarterfinals against Cuba, which the U.S. won 6–0.
Zardes was part of the U.S. team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He scored a goal in a 6–1 win over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on November 13, 2015. He also played in the 2016 Copa América Centenario. He scored twice in a warm-up game against Bolivia on May 28. He scored the winning goal in a 2–1 quarterfinal match against Ecuador.
Zardes played in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He didn't score but helped set up a goal for Jordan Morris. His next international goal came three years later. This was in a friendly game against Ecuador on March 21, 2019. The U.S. won 1–0. Zardes joined the U.S. team in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored a goal in the team's first game against Guyana. In the next game against Trinidad and Tobago, Zardes scored two goals in three minutes. The team won 6–0.
Zardes scored the winning goal in the semifinal match against Qatar. This was in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored in the 86th minute of the game.
Personal Life
Gyasi Zardes has family roots in Ghana. In 2013, Zardes married Madison Goodvin. She was also a student-athlete in Bakersfield. They have four children. He is a Christian. He has a degree in criminal justice from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Career Highlights
Club Achievements
- LA Galaxy
- MLS Cup: 2014
- Columbus Crew
- MLS Cup: 2020
- Campeones Cup: 2021
International Achievements
- United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2017, 2021
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner up: 2019
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 2015
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award: 2018
- MLS 100 goals club
Images for kids
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Zardes with the United States at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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Zardes celebrating with his teammates at LA Galaxy.
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Gyasi Zardes playing for the United States on June 9, 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Gyasi Zardes para niños
