Jeff Agoos

Jeff Agoos
Personal information
Full name	Jeffrey Alan Agoos
Date of birth	May 2, 1968 (1968-05-02) (age 41)
Place of birth	Geneva, Switzerland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
1986, 1988–1990	University of Virginia
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1991 1991–1992 1994–1995 1996–2000 2000 2001–2004 2005	Maryland Bays Dallas Sidekicks SV Wehen DC United → West Bromwich Albion (loan) San Jose Earthquakes MetroStars	005 (0) 030 (7) 009 (0) 158 (7) 098 (6) 027 (0)
National team
1988–2003	United States	134 (4)
Teams managed
1995	University of Virginia (assistant)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Agoos (born May 2, 1968, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team.^[1]

Agoos (nicknamed Goose), was born in Switzerland, when his father, who was a U.S. diplomat, was posted there. However, he was raised in Texas, and won a record five MLS championships: three with D.C. United and two with the San Jose Earthquakes. He also won the 1996 U.S. Open Cup and was the 2001 MLS Defender of the Year. He was elected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009.

High School

Agoos attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. He was named a two-time Parade Magazine High School All-American as well as a Dallas All-Sports Athlete-of-the-Year. He led his team to the 1983 Texas State Championship. During the summer of 1985, Agoos was selected to represent the United States at the 1985 Maccabiah Games.^[2]

Collegiate career

From 1986 to 1990, Agoos played soccer for Bruce Arena at the University of Virginia. During his four seasons with the Caveliers, earned First-Team All-American honors twice, in 1988 and 1990. He finished second in Hermann Award voting his senior season.

In 1989, his junior year, Virginia went to the NCAA championship game where it fought the University of Santa Clara to a 1-1 draw after 4 overtimes. While the teams wanted to continue to play, NCAA officials ended the game and declared the two teams co-champions. At the time there were no penalty kicks to end a tie. At the end of the season, Agoos represented the United States at the 1989 Maccabiah Games.^[2]

Initial Professional Career

Upon graduating from college, Agoos played for the Maryland Bays of the A-League in 1991. On February 13, 1991, the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Indoor Soccer League drafted Agoos with the second overall pick of the 1991 draft. He played in thirty games in the 1991-1992 season, scoring seven goals. In 1992, he left the Sidekicks to play full time for the U.S. national team, but Dallas again selected him in a draft, this time the 1993 Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) draft, but he did not re-sign with the team.

Move to Germany

After being cut from the U.S. roster for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Agoos moved to Germany, where he played for SV Wehen during the 1994-95 season.

Major League Soccer

After returning from Germany in 1995, he served as an assistant coach to Bruce Arena at the University of Virginia.

In 1996, Agoos returned to the United States to join Major League Soccer. In order to create a league, MLS allocated various recognized players to each team. As part of this process, the league allocated Agoos to D.C. United where he joined Bruce Arena, the team's first coach. That year, Agoos won the first MLS Championship as well as the U.S. Open Cup. He followed it up the next year with his second MLS Championship. In 1998, DC United achieved its greatest accomplishment when it defeated Vasco de Gama to take the Interamerican Cup and won his third MLS Championship. He spent 2001 through 2004 with the San Jose Earthquakes, and proceeded to win his fourth and fifth MLS Championships.

Agoos was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2001 and earned a place in the MLS Best XI three times (1997, 1999, and 2001). In 2005, Agoos was named to the league's tenth anniversary All-Time Best XI.

He was traded to the MetroStars after the 2004 season for a fourth round draft pick. In ten years in MLS, Agoos scored 11 regular season goals and added 25 assists in 244 matches. In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI, before retiring December 8, 2005.

Career statistics

^[3]

Honors

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup (1): 2002

D.C. United

• MLS Cup Winners (3): 1996, 1997, 1999
• MLS Supporters' Shield Winners (2): 1997, 1999
• U.S. Open Cup Winners (1): 1996
• CONCACAF Champions' Cup Winners (1): 1998
• InterAmerican Cup Winners (1): 1998

San Jose Earthquakes

• MLS Cup Winners (2): 2001, 2003

National Team

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (February 2007)

Agoos made his debut with the United States national team on January 13, 1988, against Guatemala. He was the last member to be cut from the US squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and he burned his uniform upon hearing the news. He made the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France but did not play a single minute, in favor of David Regis. In the World Cup in South Korea/Japan at the age of 34, Jeff started the first three games (he scored an own goal to finish the scoring in the surprising win against Portugal) until he suffered a calf injury against Poland. He later missed the rest of the tournament. He was capped a total of 134 times for the U.S. Agoos earned his last cap against Wales on May 26, 2003.

Agoos was also a member of the 1992 Team USA Futsal team which won a silver medal at Hong Kong. He earned 10 caps and scored 2 goals with the futsal team.

Post-Playing Career

Agoos was named as New York Red Bulls' Technical Director on September 28, 2006, serving under head coach Bruce Arena. He officially joined the Bulls organization on January 1, 2007.^[4] On January 7, 2008 he was promoted to Sporting Director.^[5]

In 2009 Agoos was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

References

External links

• Dallas Sidekicks profile
• National Soccer Hall of Fame profile

v • d • e United States squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Pope • 4 Burns • 5 Dooley • 6 Regis • 7 Wegerle • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Ramos • 11 Wynalda • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 Preki • 15 Deering • 16 Sommer • 17 Balboa • 18 Keller • 19 Maisonneuve • 20 McBride • 21 Reyna • 22 Lalas • Coach: Sampson

v • d • e United States squad – 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Berhalter • 4 Fraser • 5 Brown • 6 Harkes • 7 Lewis • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Kirovski • 11 Bravo • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 McKeon • 15 Williams • 16 Llamosa • 17 Balboa • 18 Keller • 19 Olsen • 20 McBride • Coach: Arena

v • d • e United States squad – 2000 Summer Olympics 1 Friedel • 2 Dunseth • 3 McCarty • 4 Agoos • 5 O'Brien • 6 Hejduk • 7 DiGiamarino • 8 Califf • 9 Olsen • 10 Vagenas • 11 Albright • 12 Corrales • 13 Donovan • 14 Victorine • 15 Whitfield • 16 Wolff • 17 Casey • 18 Howard • Coach: Charles

v • d • e United States squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Berhalter • 4 Mastroeni • 5 O'Brien • 6 Regis • 7 Lewis • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Reyna • 11 Mathis • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 Cherundolo • 15 Wolff • 16 Llamosa • 17 Beasley • 18 Keller • 19 Meola • 20 McBride • 21 Donovan • 22 Sanneh • 23 Pope • Coach: Arena