Jimmy Nielsen facts for kids
Nielsen in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 August 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Aalborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1992 | Norwich City | ||
| B52/Aalborg FC | |||
| –1994 | AaB | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | Millwall | 0 | (0) |
| 1995–2007 | AaB | 342 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Leicester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Vejle | 63 | (0) |
| 2010–2013 | Sporting Kansas City | 128 | (0) |
| Total | 533 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Denmark U19 | 11 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Denmark U21 | 17 | (0) |
| 1999–2003 | Denmark League XI | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2017 | Oklahoma City Energy | ||
| 2019 | Hartford Athletic | ||
| 2022 | Houston Dynamo (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jimmy Nielsen (born on August 6, 1977) is a Danish former football player. He was a goalkeeper.
Before June 2007, he played 398 games for the Danish team AaB Fodbold. He played every league match for AaB since 1997. Nielsen helped AaB win the 1999 Danish Superliga championship. He was sometimes a substitute for the Danish national football team. He also won the Danish Goalkeeper of the Year award in 1998 and 2004.
Contents
Playing Career: Europe
Jimmy Nielsen started playing football with Norwich City when he was 12. He was found when Norwich City's youth team visited Aalborg for a tournament. Their goalkeeper got sick, and Jimmy stepped in. He played for Norwich City until he was 15. He was offered a professional contract, but his mom did not let him move to England permanently.
After that, he joined a local amateur club called B 52/Aalborg FC. He played youth football for AaB Fodbold. In 1994, he signed with the English club Millwall F.C.. He did not play any games for them. He then moved back to Denmark and joined AaB in 1995. He played his first senior game in 1996. He quickly became AaB's main goalkeeper. Jimmy was a key player for AaB. He helped them win the 1998–99 Danish Superliga championship.
On June 4, 2007, Nielsen signed with Leicester City. He did not play any games for the club. He left Leicester City on January 22, 2008. The next day, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Danish team Vejle Boldklub. After the 2009 season, Vejle Boldklub was moved down from the Danish Superliga. Jimmy was very close to retiring from football then.
Playing Career: Major League Soccer
In February 2010, Jimmy Nielsen moved to the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City. He had a talk with Peter Vermes, who offered him a contract. After his first season, Nielsen said he wanted to stay with the club for a few more years.
On December 15, 2010, Nielsen signed a new contract. This kept him with Sporting Kansas City until at least the 2011 MLS season. On June 9, 2011, he was sent off (given a red card) for touching the ball outside the box. This happened in Sporting Kansas City's first game at their new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park.
On November 28, 2011, Nielsen signed another contract extension. This kept him with Kansas City through the 2013 season. It also had an option for the 2014 season. Nielsen won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2012. He set a new club record with only 0.79 goals allowed per game. He helped the team finish first in their division. Nielsen stopped playing football after the 2013 season. He won the MLS Cup that year. He even played the MLS Cup game with broken ribs.
International Team Experience
In 1999, while with the Denmark national under-21 football team, Nielsen and two teammates broke team rules by going out at night. Because of this, they were not allowed to practice with the national team for several years. This incident led to Nielsen being called Casino-Jimmy.
Coaching Career
After he retired from playing, Jimmy Nielsen became a coach. He was named the head coach of OKC Energy FC. This team plays in the United Soccer League.
In 2019, Nielsen joined Hartford Athletic as head coach for their first season. Hartford Athletic is also in the USL Championship. Nielsen and Hartford decided to go their separate ways at the end of the 2019 season.
On January 13, 2022, Nielsen joined the coaching staff of Houston Dynamo FC. On September 5, 2022, Nielsen left his role at Houston.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| OKC Energy | 20 December 2013 | 16 November 2017 | 136 | 54 | 38 | 44 | 39.71 |
| Hartford Athletic | 5 September 2018 | 27 October 2019 | 36 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 25.00 |
| Career total | 172 | 63 | 43 | 66 | 36.63 | ||
Awards and Achievements
AaB
- Danish Superliga: 1998–99
Sporting Kansas City
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2012
- MLS Cup: 2013
- MLS Eastern Conference (playoff): 2013
- MLS Eastern Conference (regular season): 2010, 2012
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 2010, 2012
- MLS Best XI: 2012
- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year: 2012
- Sporting Kansas City Most Valuable Player: 2011, 2012
- Danish Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998, 2004
See also
In Spanish: Jimmy Nielsen para niños
