Ryan Nelsen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ryan Nelsen
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Nelsen
Date of birth	October 18, 1977 (age 29)
Place of birth	Christchurch, New Zealand
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Blackburn Rovers
Number	6
Youth clubs
1997-1999 1999-2001	Greensboro College Stanford University
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001-2005 2005-	DC United Blackburn Rovers	68 (7) 49 (0)
National team2
2002-	New Zealand	28 (2)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:18, 11 February 2007 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 29 June 06. * Appearances (Goals)

Ryan Nelsen (born October 18, 1977 in Christchurch) is a professional football (soccer) player from New Zealand, who currently plays for Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League.

[edit] US College and Major League Soccer

After attending St Thomas Of Canterbury College Nelsen went to the United States of America to play for Greensboro College in North Carolina in 1997. After spending two years at Greensboro and leading the team to the NCAA Division III Final Four, Nelsen moved to Stanford University, where he played his final two years of college soccer. At Stanford, Nelsen was voted team MVP in his first year, and named an NSCAA All-American in his senior year, while playing as a defensive midfielder.

Nelsen was drafted 4th overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United, with whom he has spent four years in Major League Soccer. After emerging as a starter in 2002, Nelsen was named team captain in 2003, replacing Marco Etcheverry in that role, as well as winning the team's Defender of the Year Award and being named to the league's Best XI. He was named to the Best XI again in 2004, after captaining DC to its fourth MLS Cup. In four years in MLS, Nelsen scored seven goals and added five assists.

[edit] Move to the Premiership

Nelsen was signed by Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer in January 2005, shortly after the 2004 MLS season had finished. In the summer of 2005, after just 6 months at the club, Nelsen was rewarded with a new 3 year contract after impressing Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes by helping to turn their defence into one of the stingiest of the league, conceding only .67 goals per game after his arrival that season. The central defender was successfully awarded a work permit when Rovers launched an appeal after the initial application had been refused due to New Zealand being ranked outside the top 70 in the FIFA World Rankings.

Nelsen has been a revelation for Blackburn, as he's consistently produced top class performances to keep clean sheets against some of the Premier League's best strikers, alongside Zurab Khizanishvili, Andy Todd and Christopher Samba. In the 2005-06, Blackburn qualified for the UEFA Cup with a 6th place finish, but Nelsen missed the last couple of games after breaking his foot in a 2-0 win at Charlton. Nevertheless, his performances since arriving in England prompted much interest from rival clubs, notably Portsmouth having big bids turned down by Rovers.

Despite recovering from the foot injury, Nelsen was dealt another serious blow before the start of the 2006-07 season, with a serious hamstring injury forcing him out until the new year. On his return to the team in an FA Cup 4th round win at Luton Town, he was immediately made captain, a clear indication of highly the club regard him and he remains a fans favourite.

Nelsen is also captain of the New Zealand national team.

[edit] External links

• Ryan Nelsen career stats at Soccerbase

Blackburn Rovers F.C. - Current Squad
1 Friedel | 3 Khizanishvili | 4 Todd | 5 Tugay | 6 Nelsen | 7 Emerton | 8 Savage | 9 Nonda | 10 McCarthy | 11 Bentley | 12 Gamst Pedersen | 13 Enckelman | 14 Reid | 15 Mokoena | 16 Henchoz | 17 Jeffers | 18 Gallagher | 19 Dunn | 20 Ooijer | 21 Samba | 22 Warnock | 23 Brown | 25 Berner | 27 Derbyshire | 28 Fielding | 29 Treacy | 30 Roberts | 31 Peter | 32 Nolan | 33 Gray | Manager: Hughes