Ante Razov (born March 2, 1974) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach and former player who is an assistant coach for

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club, commonly referred to as LAFC, is an American professional Association football team based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The club ...

. One of the leading goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the all-time leading goal scorer for two current or former MLS clubs: the Chicago Fire with 76 goals and

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

with 30 goals. In April 2007, Razov became the third player in MLS history to score 100 goals. Razov also played for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

Early life

Razov, who was born in a family of Croatian immigrants, spent his childhood in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regiona ...

. He attended

Fontana High School Fontana High School (FOHI) is a secondary public school in Fontana, California in the Fontana Unified School District. Fontana High serves grades 9 through 12. History A product of the Southern California post war boom, Fontana High (referred ...

, and went on to play

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Ki ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Playing career

Club

Razov was drafted by the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

in the third round of the

1996 MLS College Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at the s ...

. He played two seasons in LA, but did not get much playing time, scoring just one goal, and signed with the expansion Chicago Fire prior to the 1998 season. During his time with the Galaxy, he went on loan with the Sacramento Scorpions of

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. Razov spent the next seven years with Chicago, save a brief period in 2001 that he spent with Spanish second division club

Racing de Ferrol Racing Club de Ferrol is a Spanish football team based in Ferrol, Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded in 1919, the club currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 1, holding home games at '' Estadio ...

. In his seven years with the Fire he led the club in goals and points five times (including club record 18 goals and 42 points in 2000). He is the club's all-time leader with 76 goals and 190 points. Razov was named to the MLS Best XI in 2003. With Chicago, he won the

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

in 1998 and the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

in 1998, 2000, and 2003. Following a disappointing 2004 season and clashes with head coach

Dave Sarachan Dave Sarachan (born June 7, 1954) is an American former soccer player and coach who is currently the head coach of the Puerto Rico national team. Sarachan spent two seasons as a player in the North American Soccer League and four in Major Indo ...

, Razov was traded to the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

in exchange for

Tony Sanneh Anthony Sanneh (born June 1, 1971) is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a defender or midfielder. Club career Youth and college Tony Sanneh was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota to an African father from Gambia and a ...

. However, one blemish in Razov's career was being stopped from the penalty spot in the 2003 MLS Cup. The Fire went on to lose the game, 4–2. But Razov did not last long in Columbus. Even though he scored in the 2005 season opener, his tenure with the club lasted five games. Disagreement with head coach

Greg Andrulis Greg Andrulis (born February 15, 1958) is an American retired soccer coach. Andrulis grew up in Litchfield, Connecticut where he graduated from Litchfield High School in 1976. He was an All-State high school soccer and basketball player and wa ...

led to Razov's reuniting with his ex-coach with the Fire,

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

, at the MetroStars. He was acquired in exchange for

John Wolyniec John Wolyniec (born January 24, 1977) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. During his playing days, Wolyniec played for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls three separate times: In 1999 as the MetroStars, from 2 ...

and a partial allocation. After the season, Bradley acquired Razov again, for Thiago Martins and another partial allocation. On April 21, 2007, Razov scored his 100th career regular-season MLS goal. At 33 years old, he became the third player in MLS history to reach 100 goals. At the time, he trailed only Jaime Moreno and

Jeff Cunningham Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134. Youth and college Cunningham was born ...

, having passed Jason Kreis. All three joined MLS at its inception in 1996.

International

Razov received his first cap with the U.S. national team on March 25, 1995, against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. Although he never played in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

, he scored a couple of key goals in qualifiers, including one against

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

in 2000 and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

in 2001. Overall, Razov scored six goals in 25 caps for the US.

International goals

, - , 1. , June 6, 2000 ,

Foxboro Stadium Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...

, Foxboro, United States , , , , , - , 2. , June 11, 2000 ,

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted spo ...

, East Rutherford, United States , , , , , - , 3. , July 16, 2000 ,

Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo The Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo is a football stadium in Mazatenango, Guatemala, home to one of the most traditional first division clubs in the country, Deportivo Suchitepéquez (los venados). It has a capacity of 10,000 (formerly 12,000) and ...

, Mazatenango, Guatemala , , , , , - , 4. , November 15, 2000 ,

Barbados National Stadium Barbados National Stadium is a multi-use outdoor stadium in Waterford, St. Michael, Barbados. Occupying a 22-acre site, it was officially opened on 23 October 1970 by Prince Charles. Situated approximately 4.3 km northeast of the capital c ...

Bridgetown Bridgetown ( UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The ...

, Barbados , , , , , - , 5. , June 20, 2001 ,

, Foxboro, United States , , , , , - , 6. , January 27, 2002 , Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States , , , ,

Coaching career

In 2012, Razov was hired to serve as the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began p ...

's U14 head coach. He replaced Craig Harrington, who was their coach for their first year in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League. Razov joined

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

as an assistant coach under Sigi Schmid, his former college coach, in 2015. Razov spent one season as an assistant coach for the LA Galaxy's senior squad under

Curt Onalfo Curt Onalfo (born November 19, 1969) is an American former soccer player and coach who currently serves as technical director of Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. As a player, he played two seasons in France, two in the USISL, on ...

in 2017. In January 2018, he was announced as an assistant coach for expansion side

under his former coach

Honors

United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Chicago Fire *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Razov, Ante 1974 births Living people Sportspeople from Whittier, California American people of Croatian descent American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Soccer players from California United States men's international soccer players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Chicago Fire FC players Columbus Crew players LA Galaxy players Racing de Ferrol footballers New York Red Bulls players Sacramento Scorpions players Chivas USA players Major League Soccer players UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Expatriate footballers in Spain USISL players Major League Soccer All-Stars LA Galaxy draft picks United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players LA Galaxy non-playing staff Seattle Sounders FC non-playing staff Association football forwards Los Angeles FC non-playing staff