Tim Bezbatchenko
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Timothy Bezbatchenko | ||
| Date of birth | October 13, 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Westerville, Ohio, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000—2003 | Richmond Spiders | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004—2005 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 31 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 20, 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Timothy Bezbatchenko (born October 13, 1981 in Westerville, Ohio[1] ) is a retired American soccer player and current general manager of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.
Playing career
As a youth player, Bezbatchenko was part of the United States National Pool in 1999-2000 and his club team, Ohio FC, represented the United States at the Nike Global Premier Cup in England in addition to receiving numerous state and national awards and honors.[1] Bezbatchenko played college soccer for the Richmond Spiders of the University of Richmond and was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Academic team in 2003.[2] Bezbatchenko played for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer Leagues' USL Second Division from 2004–2005,[3] scoring one goal in thirty one league appearances.[4]
Major League Soccer
Following his playing career and graduation from law school, Bezbatchenko worked as an associate at Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York City. He then transitioned to the head office of Major League Soccer in New York City as the league’s senior Director of Player Relations and Competition for three years. In this position, he handled contracts for every player in the league since Major League Soccer is organized as a single-entity ownership and all players are signed and paid by the league.[3] Bezbatchenko also oversaw the finalization of transfers for incoming and outgoing players and oversaw team budgets and rosters. He was also responsible for youth player development and was instrumental in the homegrown player signing process. He also oversaw the agreement between Major League Soccer and the French Football Federation to create an educational course for MLS academy directors.[5]
Toronto FC
On September 20, 2013, Bezbatchenko was named new general manager of Toronto FC following the departure of Kevin Payne. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President and CEO Tim Leiweke referred to Bezbatchenko as a "capologist" because of his expertise and understanding of the league's salary cap and said, “Tim brings an analytical mind to the job along with the best understanding that I’ve seen of the salary cap and how to manage it..."[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "University of Richmond Men's Soccer 2002: Player Profiles". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ "2007 Richmond Spider Men's Soccer". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kelly, Cathal (September 19, 2013). "Toronto FC to hire little-known ‘soccer wonk’ Tim Bezbatchenko as new GM: Kelly". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Tim Bezbatchenko: Stats". soccerstats.us. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Toronto FC hire league player relations pro Tim Bezbatchenko as new GM". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 20, 2013.