Rob Friend

Rob Friend
Personal information
Full nameRobert Douglas Friend
Date of birth23 January 1981
Place of birthRosetown, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Playing positionForward
Youth career
1999–2000Western Michigan Broncos
2001–2002UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2003–2004Moss FK41(16)
2004–2006Molde FK40(14)
2006–2007SC Heerenveen19(5)
2007→ Heracles Almelo (loan)12(3)
2007–2010Borussia Mönchengladbach83(28)
2010–2011Hertha BSC25(5)
2011–2014Eintracht Frankfurt13(1)
2012Eintracht Frankfurt II1(2)
2013–2014→ TSV 1860 München (loan)22(5)
2014LA Galaxy10(0)
Total266(79)
National team‡
2000–2001Canada U202(0)
2002–2004Canada U2311(12)
2003–2011Canada32(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:39, 28 August 2014 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:39, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Rob Friend (born 23 January 1981) is a Canadian former soccer player.

Club career

Early years

As a teenager Friend tried many sports at a high level including volleyball, tennis, hockey, and rugby. At 17, Friend decided to concentrate on soccer. He sometimes wishes he had concentrated on soccer earlier on and sees his development as still ongoing. "Others reach a certain level at an early age, but for me I am still developing today", he says. "Therefore I'll often work on things after practice. Things that I missed out on as a youth, to help me improve. Since I decided on soccer, I become better and better and always work harder to improve myself further".

Friend played college soccer at UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. As a senior on the Santa Barbara Gauchos team, Friend scored in 12 consecutive matches which ranks fourth in NCAA history.[1]

Norway

After he graduated, Friend was drafted in the 4th Round, 35th Overall, of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire.[2] But instead of playing for Chicago Fire, he decided to play in Norway. Together with fellow countryman Patrice Bernier, he was signed by Moss. In the middle of 2004, he was signed by Molde, with which he became cup champion in 2005.[3]

The Netherlands

Before the expiration of his contract with Molde, and after he helped Molde win the Norwegian Cup, he was transferred to Heerenveen on a four-year contract. After making 19 appearances with Heerenveen and scoring five goals, he was loaned to Heracles Almelo to conclude the 2006–07 season. On 3 February 2007, Friend played his first Eredivisie match for Heracles against Willem II. He helped the team retain their status in the Eredivisie by scoring three goals in 12 games. Despite his contributions, Heerenveen deemed him surplus to requirements and transferred him on to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Germany

During the 2007–08 season Friend scored 18 goals in 33 matches, making him Borussia Mönchengladbach's top scorer and the second top scorer in Bundesliga 2. His team finished first, and were promoted to the Bundesliga.

On 17 August 2008, Friend scored in his very first game in the Bundesliga, against VfB Stuttgart. After three years in Mönchengladbach, including two in the Bundesliga, Friend was sold from the club and was bought by the newly relegated Hertha BSC for €1.8 million.[4]

Friend with TSV 1860 München

Friend made his debut and scored his first goal for Berlin on 14 August 2010 in a DFB-Pokal cup match versus Pfullendorf, the game ended as a 2–0 victory. Six days later he made his league debut for the team in a 3–2 victory over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. On 12 September, Friend had a man of the match performance scoring 2 goals in a 3–1 home victory over Arminia Bielefeld at Olympic Stadium.[5] Friend finished his first season with Hertha having scored 6 goals in 27 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. He helped Hertha win the 2. Bundesliga gaining automatic promotion back to top flight football.[6] On the final day of the 2011 summer transfer window, Friend returned to the second division, joining the newly relegated Eintracht Frankfurt.

United States

On January 13, 2014, Friend made the move to Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.[7] After one season with Los Angeles, which included winning the 2014 MLS Cup, Friend announced his retirement on December 10, 2014.[8]

International career

Friend playing against Peru at BMO Field on September 4, 2010

Friend has represented Canada at the U-20, U-23, and senior levels. He saw action in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, as well as the 2004 CONCACAF Men Pre-Olympic Tournament.

Friend made his debut with the senior international team on 18 January 2003 in a friendly with the United States. Since then, and as of February 2013, he has been capped 32 times by his country, scoring twice. He has represented Canada in five FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[9]

Career statistics

Club

As of 20 October 2013.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
Club performanceLeagueCupOtherContinentalTotal
SeasonClubLeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
NorwayLeagueNorwegian Cup—EuropeTotal
2003MossFirst Division25832——2810
200416830—198
2004MoldeTippeligaen6200—62
2005251063—3113
200692000092
NetherlandsLeagueKNVB CupLeague playoffsEuropeTotal
2006–07HeerenveenEredivisie195100060265
Heracles12300——123
GermanyLeagueDFB-PokalDFB-LigapokalEuropeTotal
2007–08Borussia Mönchengladbach2. Bundesliga331810——3418
2008–09Bundesliga24710—257
2009–1026300—263
2010–11Hertha BSC2. Bundesliga25521—276
2011–12Eintracht Frankfurt13110—141
2012–13Bundesliga0000—00
2012–131860 München2. Bundesliga14400—144
2013–1410120—121
Career totalsNorway8130125—009335
Netherlands318100060388
Germany1383771——14538
Career statistics25075206006027681

International

As of 3 February 2013.[11][16]
Canada National Team
YearAppsGoals
200330
200410
200500
200651
200750
200881
200920
201030
201150
Total302

International goals

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.[11][16]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 4 September 2006 Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Canada  Jamaica 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2. 31 May 2008 Qwest Field, Seattle, United States  Brazil 1–1 2–3 Friendly

References

  1. ↑ "Official 2006 NCAA Men's And Women's Soccer Records Book, P. 15." (PDF). www.NCAA.org. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  2. ↑ 2003 "MLS SuperDraft". www.MLSNet.com. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  3. ↑ "Molde Signs Rob Friend On A Free Transfer". ABCGoal.com. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Hertha holt Stürmer Rob Friend" (in German). Tagesspiegel. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "Hertha vs. Arminia". ESPN. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "De Jong continues rise for club & country". rednationonline.ca. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  7. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/01/13/la-galaxy-sign-longtime-european-pro-and-canadian-international-striker-rob-
  8. ↑ http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2014/12/forward-rob-friend-retires-professional-soccer
  9. ↑ Rob Friend – FIFA competition record
  10. ↑ "Rob Friend". Football Database.eu. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Rob Friend". National Football Teams. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Norwegian stats" (in Norwegian). NFF. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Spillerfakta" (in Norwegian). Mfkweb.org. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Rob Friend" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "UEFA stats". UEFA. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Canada profile". CanadaSoccer.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rob Friend.