Ritchie Kotschau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Personal information
Ritchie Kotschau
Full name	Ritchie Scott Kotschau
Date of birth	November 22, 1975 (age 31)
Place of birth	Levittown, NY, United States
Height	5'10
Playing position	defender
Club information
Current club	Not Affiliated
Number	-
Youth clubs
1994-97	George Mason
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-99 1999-01 2001-05 2006 2007—	Chicago Fire Tampa Bay Mutiny Colorado Rapids Columbus Crew	28 (4) 58 (4) 126 (2) 26 (1)
National team²
2005-	United States	1 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 23, 2006 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 3 June 2005. * Appearances (Goals)

Ritchie Kotschau (born November 22, 1975 in Levittown, New York) is an American soccer player, who last played as a defender for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. For the 2007 season, he was one of 10 players selected by the expansion club Toronto FC, he was later released by the team as he didn't fit into their overall plans.

After playing college soccer at George Mason University, where he helped his team to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Kotschau was drafted by the Chicago Fire second overall in the 1998 MLS College Draft. Although he helped the Fire to the MLS Cup and US Open Cup double in his rookie year, he did not live up to the high expectations, and was traded to the Tampa Bay Mutiny midway through the 1999 season.

Midway through 2001, Kotschau was part of the deal that sent Carlos Valderrama to the Colorado Rapids. With Colorado, Ritchie has been a first-choice player and has played a number of defensive roles. After the 2005 season, he was dealt to the Crew for Cornell Glen. In eight years in MLS, Kotschau scored nine regular season goals and added 15 assists.

Kotschau earned his first cap for the United States national team on March 9, 2005, against Colombia.