Ricardo Clark

Ricardo Clark

Ricardo Clark with Houston Dynamo
Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Anthony Clark
Date of birth	(1983-02-10) February 10, 1983
Place of birth	Atlanta, Georgia
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Houston Dynamo
Number	13
Youth career
	AFC Lightning Soccer Club
2001–2002	Furman Paladins
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–	Houston Dynamo	128	(21)
National team‡
2005–2012	United States	34	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 8, 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 17, 2014

Ricardo Anthony Clark (born February 10, 1983)^[1] is an American soccer player who currently plays for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.

Career

High School and College

Clark attended St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, and played college soccer at Furman University in 2001 and 2002, where he was named a first-team All-American in his second season. In 2001, he overcame foot injury to start 14 games and record one assist. In 2002 he scored three goals and registered three assists, and was named, First Team NSCAA All-American, first-team All-American, First Team College Soccer News All-American and All-Southern Conference First Team. He also helped lead Furman to 19–3–1 record and Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships.

Professional

NY/NJ MetroStars

After his sophomore year, Clark signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, and entered the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected second overall by the MetroStars. Clark was excellent from the first game with the Metros, playing a vital role in the team's midfield, and finishing the season first on the team in minutes. Although Clark was an early favorite to be named MLS Rookie of the Year, he faded near the end, but still was a finalist for the award. He helped the MetroStars win four games en route to the first final in club history. MetroStars were defeated 1–0 by Chicago Fire in Open Cup final.

In his second year with the Metros, Clark struggled to find playing time in a very crowded midfield and to find his form after some minor injuries, but he came on strong at the end of the year, becoming an automatic starter. In two years with the MetroStars, Clark scored four goals and added two assists.

San Jose/Houston Dynamo

He was traded to San Jose Earthquakes for allocation money and an international roster slot in January 2005.^[2]

Clark played very well in San Jose in a defensive midfield position, scoring three goals and two assists. He was named Player Of The Month for July and Earthquakes Player Of The Month for July. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season where he was part of two MLS Cup Championship runs in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Clark scored MLS Goal of the Week nominee on August 16 vs. Real Salt Lake with a long-range strike. He also has one son and one daughter

In 2007, Clark started 19 games in 2007 despite missing almost a month while competing in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONMEBOL 2007 Copa América with the U.S. national team. He was named to MLS All-Star squad that faced Celtic F.C. He finished season with two goals and three assists, but missed the final two regular season and all playoff matches due to a suspension resulting from a deliberate kick aimed at a prone Carlos Ruiz in a match with FC Dallas. On March 3, 2009, started in second leg of a CONCACAF Champions League match at Atlante F.C., made him the fifth player in club history to make 100 starts in all competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Clark, whose contract with MLS expired at the end of the 2009 season, signed a deal with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt for the remainder of the 2009–10 season with an option to extend the contract at the end of the season.^[3] Despite being injured for much of his time in Germany, Clark inked a three-year deal with Frankfurt on May 7, 2010.^[4] On February 22, 2012 Clark was loaned to Stabæk Fotball until July 31, 2012.^[5]

Houston Dynamo

Clark was re-signed to the Houston Dynamo on August 2, 2012, to replace Geoff Cameron, who had moved to Premier League side Stoke City.^[6] He helped lead the team to an MLS Cup final. In 2013, he again lead the team to a Conference Final by scoring 4 goals in the regular season, along with one goal and one assist in the playoffs. The team named him the Players' Player of the Year for this 2013 season. In 2015, Clark set a career high with 8 goals in a single season and was named team MVP and Player's Player of the Year by the Houston Dynamo. He also received the teams Humanitarian of the Year award for his work with youth in communities through his charity named *Positive Passes.

International

Clark has played for several youth United States national teams. He played for the US at the 2003 World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. Clark got his first senior cap on October 12, 2005 against Panama, and scored his first international goal on July 2, 2007 against Paraguay in the 2007 Copa América. He received his first appearance in a World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago and his first start in World Cup Qualifying against Guatemala. He also participated in the 2009 Confederations Cup^[7] Clark scored his first goal in World Cup Qualifying on a 26-yard strike against Trinidad and Tobago, giving the U.S. a 1–0 victory.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	July 2, 2007	Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela	Paraguay	1 – 1	1 – 3	2007 Copa América
02.	September 9, 2009	Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	1 – 0	1 – 0	Q 2010 World Cup
03.	January 21, 2012	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, United States	Venezuela	1 – 0	1 – 0	Friendly Match

Career statistics

Club

As of December 17, 2014

International

As of December 17, 2014.

Honors

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup Champion: 2007

Houston Dynamo

• Major League Soccer MLS Cup Champion: 2006, 2007

Individual

• MLS Best XI: 2006
• MLS All-Star: 2006
• MLS All-Star: 2007
• MLS All-Star: 2008
• Houston Dynamo Player's Player of the Year: 2013
• Houston Dynamo Player's Player of the Year: 2015
• Houston Dynamo MVP: 2015
• Houston Dynamo Humanitarian: 2015

References

External links

• MLS player profile
• Ricardo Clark at National-Football-Teams.com

Ricardo Clark international tournaments
United States squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Winners (4th Title) 1 Howard 2 Hejduk 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 Mastroeni 5 Feilhaber 6 M. Bradley 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Johnson 10 Donovan 11 Ching 12 DeMerit 13 Bornstein 14 Ralston 15 Simek 16 Parkhurst 17 Spector 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 22 Onyewu 23 Guzan Coach: B. Bradley United States squad – 2007 Copa América 2 Wynne 3 DeMerit 4 Boswell 5 Feilhaber 6 Pearce 7 Califf 8 Gomez 9 Johnson 10 Davies 11 Gaven 12 Conrad 13 Bornstein 14 Olsen 15 Moor 16 Kljestan 17 Beckerman 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 23 Guzan 25 Nguyen Coach: Bradley United States squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Runners-up 1 Howard 2 Bornstein 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 Casey 5 Onyewu 6 Pearce 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Davies 10 Donovan 11 Wynne 12 M. Bradley 13 Clark 14 Califf 15 DeMerit 16 Kljestan 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Adu 20 Torres 21 Spector 22 Feilhaber 23 Robles Coach: B. Bradley United States squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Gomez 10 Donovan 11 Holden 12 Bornstein 13 Clark 14 Buddle 15 DeMerit 16 Torres 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Edu 20 Findley 21 Goodson 22 Feilhaber 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley