Corey Hertzog (born August 1, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for

Union Omaha Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2020, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1). History In 2019, USL1 awarded a franchise to Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings to begin pla ...

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championsh ...

Career

College and amateur

Hertzog attended Antietam Middle Senior H.S. scoring 107 career goals before enrolling at the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

in 2008. He started 5 games and played in 17 his first year. In 2009, during his second year he played in all 22 games for the Nittany Lions, starting 17 and notching a team-high 11 goals. His performance in his third year led him to receive national attention by

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

. In 2010, he was the NCAA leader in goals (20), points (46), and points per game (2.09). Hertzog played with Reading United in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

during his 2010 collegiate off-season.

Professional

On December 22, 2010, Hertzog announced his intention to forgo his senior year at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

and become eligible for the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consisted ...

. He also announced that he signed a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

contract.

is a joint venture between

and

U.S. Soccer The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. According to Soccer By Ives,

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 2010 ...

tried to sign Hertzog to a Homegrown Player contract but were unsuccessful. Instead Hertzog decided to enter the draft. He was drafted 13th overall in the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. He made his professional debut on March 26, 2011, in a 0–0 draw with

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 on ...

On June 28, 2011, in his first start for New York, Hertzog scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over

FC New York F.C. New York was an American professional soccer team based first in Queens, New York City, and then Long Island, New York. The team played two seasons, starting in 2011 in the National Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tie ...

in 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. Ope ...

. Hertzog was loaned to third division side

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histo ...

in May 2012. On June 2, 2012, he scored two goals to lead his new club to a 3–1 victory over

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the ...

. He ended the season as one of

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, ...

's top scorers and helped the club reach the league final. On November 19, 2012, the Red Bulls announced it declined options for an additional six players, having released four a week earlier, with Hertzog included in the mix. Hertzog signed with

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

on January 23, 2013, and scored his first goal for the club on April 6, 2013, against the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchis ...

. After a bright start, Hertzog's first-team chances became fewer, as a result Hertzog was loaned to NASL club

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to ...

for their Fall season. Hertzog was released by Vancouver and selected by

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 ...

in the

2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 12, 2013 (Stage 1) and December 18, 2013 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the ...

, but didn't sign with the club. He joined

club Orlando City on February 11, 2014. He was released upon the conclusion of the 2014 season, a casualty of the club's transition to Major League Soccer. Days later, Hertzog signed with

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

of the North American Soccer League (NASL) on a contract through 2015 with a club option for the 2016 season. At the end of the 2015 season, the club declined to extend a club contract option for Hertzog and six other players. On January 6, 2016, Hertzog and Rowdies teammate

Zak Boggs Zak Devin Boggs (born December 25, 1986 in Marietta, Ohio) is an American soccer player. Career College and amateur Boggs grew up in Vienna, West Virginia, and attended Parkersburg High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, ...

signed with the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American s ...

. On December 11, 2017, Hertzog signed with

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wi ...

after two seasons with the Riverhounds. On February 13, 2019, Hertzog signed for USL side

Reno 1868 Reno 1868 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 2015, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in March 2017 and ceased operations after the 2020 season. History Previously, northern Nevada has ...

. Reno folded their team on November 6, 2020, due to the financial impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. On December 10, 2020, Hertzog signed for USL side San Diego Loyal, and scored in their season opening game. Hertzog played with

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The Menace have had sustained success in USL League Two duri ...

during the

2022 U.S. Open Cup The 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. After the 2020 and 2021 competitions were suspended and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Sta ...

. In April 2022, Hertzog signed with

Hartford Athletic Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut. History On June 8, 2021, ...

of the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. Hartford and Hertzog mutually terminated his contract with the club on August 2, 2022. Hertzog signed with

club

on August 2, 2022. The move reunited Hertzog with coaches Jay Mims and

Bob Warming Bob Warming is an American soccer coach is currently a technical advisor for Union Omaha in USL League One. A veteran college soccer coach, Warming has coached eight other men's college soccer programs across the United States, including Penn St ...

who he had played under while at Penn State.

Honors

Individual * USL All-League Second Team: 2016

References

External links

Tampa Bay Rowdies profile
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hertzog, Corey 1990 births Living people American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players Reading United A.C. players New York Red Bulls players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players FC Edmonton players Orlando City SC (2010–2014) players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Soccer players from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania Expatriate soccer players in Canada USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players North American Soccer League players USL League One players New York Red Bulls draft picks Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Association football forwards Saint Louis FC players Reno 1868 FC players San Diego Loyal SC players Des Moines Menace players Hartford Athletic players Union Omaha players