Carl Robinson

Carl Robinson

Robinson training with Toronto FC in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Carl Robinson
Date of birth	(1976-10-13) 13 October 1976
Place of birth	Llandrindod Wells, Wales
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–2002	Wolverhampton Wanderers	165	(19)
1996	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	4	(0)
2002–2004	Portsmouth	16	(0)
2003	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	4	(1)
2003	→ Walsall (loan)	11	(1)
2003	→ Rotherham United (loan)	14	(0)
2004	→ Sheffield United (loan)	5	(0)
2004	→ Sunderland (loan)	7	(1)
2004–2006	Sunderland	45	(4)
2005–2006	→ Norwich City (loan)	7	(0)
2006–2007	Norwich City	42	(2)
2007–2010	Toronto FC	74	(3)
2010–2011	New York Red Bulls	12	(1)
Total		406	(32)
National team‡
1995–1997	Wales U-21	6	(0)
1998	Wales B	2	(0)
1999–2009	Wales	52	(1)
Teams managed
2012–2013	Vancouver Whitecaps FC (assistant)
2013–	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 June 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 April 2009

Carl Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a retired Welsh footballer who is currently the head coach (manager) for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.

Career

Wolverhampton Wanderers

A combative player, Robinson started his career as a trainee with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made his Wolverhampton Wanderers debut during the 1996–97 season.

Shrewsbury Town

While on loan at Shrewsbury Town Robinson made his Football League debut versus Hull City in a 1-1 draw at Gay Meadow in front of 2,346 on the 30th March 1996. He made five appearences for The Shrews four in the league and one in The Football League Trophy final at Wembley Stadium in a 2-1 defeat against Rotherham United in front of 35,235. A defeat that drove him on further to be a success in the game.

Portsmouth

After over 180 appearances for Wolves over six seasons, he moved to Portsmouth in July 2002 under the Bosman ruling. He played around 20 games for Portsmouth in their promotion year before loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday (where he scored once against future club Norwich),^[1] Walsall (where he scored once against Bradford),^[2] Rotherham, Sheffield United and Sunderland.

Sunderland

After impressing at Sunderland] he signed a permanent three-year deal in June 2004. He then went on to collect another championship winners medal as they gained promotion during a season in which he played 42 of 46 matches.

Norwich City

After a loan spell with Norwich City, he signed for The Canaries permanently on a 2½-year deal for an undisclosed fee in January 2006. Robinson scored his first goal for Norwich in a 5–1 win against Barnsley on 26 August 2006. He racked up over 50 appearances in 15 months before deciding to leave.

Toronto FC

On 31 January 2007, Robinson joined Toronto FC from Norwich after just over a year at Carrow Road, even though he still had 18 months remaining on his current deal. He scored his first MLS goal when he netted Toronto's third in a 4–0 win against FC Dallas on 17 June 2007. He was voted team MVP in his first year and repeated in his second year at the club.

He completed his UEFA licenses in preparation for the opportunity to become a coach/manager.

Although much sought-after in the English Championship, Robinson has announced that he plans to spend the remainder of his club career in MLS: "Being brought up in English football, this is all I know, but I'm at the next stage of my life now." Although he took a substantial pay cut after moving across the Atlantic, the considerably lower property prices in Canada compared to the United Kingdom allowed him to purchase a country estate near Toronto.

New York Red Bulls

In March 2010 he was traded from Toronto FC to the New York Red Bulls for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.^[3] On 20 March 2010, Robinson started for New York in a 3–1 victory against Santos FC, which was the first match played at the new Red Bull Arena.^[4] On 21 August 2010, he scored his first goal for New York Red Bulls in a 4–1 road victory against his old club Toronto FC before his celebration showed the admiration that he held for them. He then continued to play in the 2011 season as a player/coach and speaks highly of the respect he has for Hans Backe.

International

A Wales international player, Robinson made his debut against Belarus in 1999, winning the man of the match award. His 50th cap came in the 2–0 World Cup Qualifier victory over Liechtenstein. On 1 April 2009, Robinson announced his retirement from international football at the age of 32 with 52 caps after Wales suffered two consecutive defeats, making it virtually impossible for them to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[5]

Managerial career

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

In January 2012, Robinson retired as a player and joined Vancouver Whitecaps as an assistant coach,^[6] and in 2013 took over as the head coach in December 2013.^[7]

Career stats

Playing career

Managerial record

As of 16 December 2013

Honours

Club

• Shrewsbury Town
  • Football League Trophy Runners-Up 1996

• Portsmouth
  • Football League Championship (1): Winners 2002

• Sunderland
  • Football League Championship (1): Winners 2005

• Toronto FC
  • Canadian Championship (1): 2009

Individual

• Toronto FC Player of the Year: 2007 (Co-Winner), 2008

References

External links

• Official website
• Carl Robinson career stats at Soccerbase
• MLS player profile
• Biography at BBC Mid-Wales

Sporting positions
Preceded by Carl Robinson Jim Brennan	Toronto FC Player of the Year 2008	Succeeded by Dwayne De Rosario