Ricardo Clark facts for kids
Clark with the Columbus Crew in 2018
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Anthony Clark | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | February 10, 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| –2001 | AFC Lightning | ||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Furman Paladins | 37 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | MetroStars | 54 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Houston Dynamo | 97 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | → Stabæk (loan) | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Houston Dynamo | 156 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Columbus Crew SC | 20 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 384 | (36) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | United States U18 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | United States U20 | 47 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | United States U23 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | United States | 34 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Vancouver Whitecaps (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Ricardo Anthony Clark (born February 10, 1983) is a former American soccer player. He played as a midfielder. Ricardo played for several teams in the United States, including MetroStars, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, and Columbus Crew SC. He also played in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt and in Norway for Stabæk. Ricardo Clark also proudly represented the United States national team.
Ricardo Clark grew up in Atlanta. He played college soccer at Furman University for two years. In 2003, he was chosen second overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft by MetroStars. After playing for MetroStars and San Jose Earthquakes, he joined the Houston Dynamo in 2006. He helped the Dynamo win two MLS Cup championships. Ricardo then played in Europe before returning to the Dynamo in 2012. He finished his career with Columbus Crew SC in 2019.
Ricardo Clark also played for the United States national team. He played in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He earned his first senior team cap in 2005. He scored three goals in 34 games for his country. Ricardo represented the U.S. in two CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments. He also helped the U.S. reach the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He even played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Ricardo Clark's Early Soccer Journey
High School and College Years
Ricardo Clark was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to St. Pius X Catholic High School. His father is from Trinidad. Ricardo was a two-time state champion in high school soccer. He was also named State Player of the Year twice. In his senior year, his team had an amazing record of 22 wins and only 1 loss. He was also named a Parade All-American.
For his club team, AFC Lightning, he won two state titles. He was also named the MVP of the 2000 Adidas ESP Camp. Ricardo decided to play college soccer at Furman University. His recruiting class was ranked fourth best in the nation.
Ricardo played for the Furman team for two seasons. He played in 37 games and scored three goals. In his second college game, he helped his team win against Notre Dame. He scored his first goal for Furman in his second year, during a win against UNC Greensboro. He finished that season with three goals in 22 games. He was recognized as an NSCAA first-team All-American.
Professional Soccer Career
Starting with MetroStars
After his second year at Furman, Ricardo Clark joined Major League Soccer. He was picked second overall by MetroStars in the 2003 draft. He quickly became a starter for the team. He made his first professional appearance on April 12, 2003. He set a new record for rookies by starting 27 games that season. He scored three goals in four games during that time.
Ricardo also played a big part in the team's run to the 2003 U.S. Open Cup Final. They lost 1-0 to Chicago in that final. He played in 35 games and scored three goals in his first year. He was a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year Award.
In his second season, Ricardo started slowly due to an injury. He scored his only goal of the season in the last regular game. He played in 28 games that year. In total, he scored four goals in 63 games for MetroStars.
Moving to San Jose and Houston
On January 14, 2005, Ricardo Clark was traded to San Jose Earthquakes. He immediately became a starter for San Jose. He scored three goals that season. He was named the MLS Player of the Month for July. He also scored his first playoff goal on October 23.
In 2006, the San Jose team moved to Houston and became the Houston Dynamo. Ricardo Clark moved with the team. He started in the very first game for the Houston Dynamo. He played in 31 games during the regular season and scored two goals. He received a red card in August, which meant he was suspended for the MLS Cup 2006 final. Even without him, Houston won their first trophy by beating New England. Ricardo played in 36 games that season and was named to the MLS Best XI.
In 2007, Ricardo played in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. He also missed time to play for the national team in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2007 Copa América. His good play earned him a spot in the 2007 MLS All-Star Game. He scored two goals that season. However, his season ended early due to a suspension. He was suspended for nine games and fined for an incident in a match. Even without him, Houston won MLS Cup 2007, winning their second championship in a row.
Ricardo's suspension carried over into the 2008 season. He scored two goals in 25 league games. He also played a big role in Houston's international games. He played in 16 games across three different competitions. He scored his first goal in an international club competition. He played a career-high 43 games in 2008, scoring three goals.
In 2009, Ricardo was called up to play for the United States in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored his only goal of the season after returning from that tournament. He played in 22 league games that year. He also played in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. Houston lost in the conference finals. This was his last game in his first time with the Dynamo. He decided to look for opportunities to play soccer in Europe. He left Houston with eight goals in 129 games over four seasons.
Playing in Europe
Ricardo Clark signed with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. He made his debut for the club on April 24, 2010. He played all 90 minutes in a 3-3 tie. He started the last three games of the season. Even though he had an injury, he signed a three-year contract with Frankfurt.
In the 2010-2011 season, Eintracht Frankfurt struggled. Ricardo also found it hard to get a regular starting spot. He played in 12 games that season. The team was relegated to a lower league. He also played in his first DFB-Pokal cup game.
In 2011, Ricardo played his first game in the 2. Bundesliga. However, he only played one game for the club that season. In February 2012, he was loaned to Stabæk in Norway. In July 2012, his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt ended. He played 16 games in total for Frankfurt.
Loan to Stabæk
Ricardo Clark joined Stabæk in Norway on loan in February 2012. He made his debut for the club on March 25. He was a regular player for Stabæk during his loan. He played in 15 games for the Norwegian club.
Returning to Houston Dynamo
After his time in Europe, Ricardo Clark returned to the United States. He signed with Houston Dynamo again on August 2, 2012. He made his second debut for the Dynamo a few days later. He scored his first goal since returning on September 29. He played in the MLS Cup 2012 final. He finished the season with one goal in 18 games.
In the 2013 season, Ricardo scored in the first game. He scored his second goal on July 6. He missed almost a month due to illness. After returning, he scored two more important goals. In the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, he scored his first playoff goal for the Dynamo. He finished the season with five goals in 36 games. He was named the Dynamo Player's Player of the Year.
The 2014 season was tough for Houston and for Ricardo. He played in only 25 games because of an injury. He suffered a concussion in April and missed eleven games. He scored four goals that season.
The 2015 season was Ricardo's most successful. He played in 33 games and scored a career-high nine goals. He scored his first U.S. Open Cup goal that year. He scored match-winning goals against San Jose and Vancouver. He was named the club's Most Valuable Player and Player's Player of the Year. He also won Humanitarian of the Year. He became a free agent but re-signed with Houston.
In his ninth season in Houston (2016), Ricardo played in a career-high 32 league games. He scored four goals that season. Two of those goals were in the Texas Derby against FC Dallas. These goals tied him with Brian Ching for the most goals in the Derby's history. He also had a career-high four assists.
Before the 2017 season, Ricardo was named the sixth club captain in Dynamo history. He did not score a goal in 2017, which was a first in his MLS career. He missed some time due to an injury. The Dynamo returned to the playoffs that year. He played in 30 games. In December, Houston decided not to renew his contract. He left the Dynamo after 304 games and 31 goals over his two times with the club.
Final Years with Columbus Crew SC
On February 2, 2018, Ricardo Clark joined his fourth MLS club, Columbus Crew SC. He was 34 years old and the oldest player on the team.
He was part of the leadership group for Crew SC. He made his debut for Columbus on March 10. In his second game, and first start, he scored his first goal for the club. He scored the winning goal in a 3-1 victory. He played in 13 games that season. The club did not renew his contract at first, but then re-signed him for the 2019 season.
Ricardo Clark officially retired from playing professional soccer on February 12, 2020. He signed a special one-day contract with Houston Dynamo for the announcement.
International Career Highlights
Youth National Teams
Ricardo Clark first played for the United States U18 national team. He played in six games and scored three goals. He helped the team win a tournament in Lisbon in 2001.
He then moved up to the United States U20 national team in 2002. He played his first game at this level on January 10. He helped the U20 team reach the final of a tournament in Spain. He also helped the U.S. qualify for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played 47 games for the U20 team. His last games were at the World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates.
While playing for the U20s, Ricardo also played for the United States U23 national team. He played his first game for them in May 2003. He played one more game for the U23s in an Olympic qualifier.
Senior National Team Debut
Ricardo Clark earned his first cap for the United States senior team on October 12, 2005. This was in a World Cup qualifier against Panama. He did not play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the team in 2007. That summer, he played in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa América. He helped the U.S. win the Gold Cup. At the Copa América, he scored his first international goal against Paraguay.
Confederations Cup and World Cup
Ricardo played in more World Cup qualifying games starting in 2008. On September 10, 2009, he scored his first World Cup qualifying goal. This goal helped the United States secure a spot in the World Cup.
He was also chosen for the American team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played in two group games. He played the whole game in the semifinal win against Spain. This helped the United States reach their first-ever Confederations Cup final. In the final, they lost to Brazil 3-2.
Ricardo Clark was part of the team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was one of nine midfielders chosen. He made his World Cup debut on June 12 against England. He also started in the Round of 16 game against Ghana. The U.S. lost that game.
After the World Cup, Ricardo played three more times for the United States. He scored his third and final international goal on January 22, 2012, against Venezuela. Four days later, he played his last game for the United States. Ricardo earned 34 caps for the United States, scoring three goals over eight years.
Managerial Career
On March 11, 2021, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced that they hired Ricardo Clark as an assistant coach for their first team.
Honors and Awards
United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2007
San Jose Earthquakes
- Supporters' Shield: 2005 (This award goes to the team with the best regular season record.)
Houston Dynamo
- MLS Cup: 2006, 2007 (The MLS Cup is the championship trophy for Major League Soccer.)
Individual Awards
- MLS Best XI: 2006 (This means he was chosen as one of the best 11 players in the league.)
- MLS All-Star: 2006, 2007, 2008 (He was selected to play in the annual MLS All-Star Game.)
- Houston Dynamo Player's Player of the Year: 2013, 2015 (Award voted by his teammates.)
- Houston Dynamo MVP: 2015 (Most Valuable Player for his team.)
- Houston Dynamo Humanitarian of the Year: 2015 (Award for his community work.)
Images for kids
-
Clark with the Columbus Crew in 2018
-
Clark with Houston in 2009
-
Clark played 304 times for Houston Dynamo across his two spells with the club
-
Clark is second in Dynamo history in games played, behind only Brad Davis
-
Clark with fans prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Clark para niños
