Ezra Hendrickson (born 16 January 1972) is a Vincentian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player. He was the head coach of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club Chicago Fire FC from November 24, 2021 until his dismissal on May 8, 2023 and is now the manager of the Vincentian national team. Born in Layou, Hendrickson moved with his family to the United States at a young age and played college soccer with the Drake Bulldogs. A defender, he began his senior career with semi-professional clubs Des Moines Menace and New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers before being drafted in the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft by the NY/NJ MetroStars. He was cut midseason by the MetroStars before joining the Los Angeles Galaxy. While with the Galaxy, Hendrickson formed part of the defense that would go on to win the Supporters' Shield in 1998 and then both the Shield and

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

in 2002. In 2003, Hendrickson was traded by the Galaxy to the Dallas Burn. Following the 2003 season, Hendrickson joined A-League club Charleston Battery before quickly moving back to Major League Soccer, joining D.C. United. With D.C. United, Hendrickson won his second MLS Cup but was an unused substitute during the match. He then moved to Chivas USA before joining the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

in 2006. Hendrickson ended his playing career in 2008, winning both his third

and second Supporters' Shield. He was also capped 36 times for the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team, scoring two goals internationally. In 2009, Hendrickson began his coaching career, joining Major League Soccer expansion club

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

as an assistant to his former head coach, Sigi Schmid. While an assistant, he would often coach the club's reserve side, finally becoming the first head coach of their professional reserve affiliate, Seattle Sounders FC 2, in 2015. While coaching with Sounders FC 2, Hendrickson was also an assistant with the Vincentian national team. He left both roles in 2018, returning as an assistant to Sigi Schmid with the

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

. From 2019 to 2021, he joined the

as an assistant to Caleb Porter before being announced as the head coach of the Chicago Fire for the 2022 season.

Early life

Hendrickson was born in Layou, St. Vincent. He played club soccer and varsity basketball at Western High School in Russiaville, Indiana. He then played college soccer at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

from 1990 to 1993, where he was named all-

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

three times, and was named an NSCAA third team All-American as a senior. Upon graduating, Hendrickson joined the amateur Des Moines Menace in 1994, where he played striker, scoring 13 goals in his first year. After a season with the Menace, Hendrickson was signed to a professional contract by the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers of the USISL. Hendrickson played for the Riverboat Gamblers, and was named Select League Defender of the Year in 1996.

Professional career

After his exceptional 1996 season, Hendrickson was drafted 5th overall in the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, for whom he played eight matches in 1997. During his time with NY/NJ, fans gave him the nickname 'The Caribbean Beckenbauer'. Midseason, Hendrickson was cut and picked up by the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he solidified his role as a starter, and earn a reputation as one of the best wing backs in MLS. After seven seasons with the Galaxy, Hendrickson was traded to the Dallas Burn in 2003. When the Burn reorganised the team following their 2003 campaign, Hendrickson found himself without a team in MLS, and briefly signed with the Charleston Battery of the A-League. However, not long into the 2004 season, D.C. United acquired him to play a backup role in their central defence. Hendrickson was selected fifth overall by C.D. Chivas USA in the

Expansion Draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

after the season. After a year with Chivas, he was on a move again, sent to Columbus early in the 2006 season. He retired after helping the Crew to its first MLS title during the 2008 season.

International

Hendrickson also spent time as the captain of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team, and was one of the team's best players since earning his first cap in 1995 against

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. He made 24 appearances for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cup qualifiers and 123 overall, scoring twice during a 1996 Caribbean Cup match against

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

on 27 May 1996. :''Scores and results list Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hendrickson goal.''

Coaching career

After retiring, Hendrickson joined the staff of

, working as an assistant to his former coach, Sigi Schmid. After managing the Sounders reserves for several seasons, he was named head coach for Seattle Sounders FC 2 upon the club's entry into the United Soccer League.

Chicago Fire

On 24 November 2021, Hendrickson was appointed head coach at

club Chicago Fire from the 2022 season. On May 8, 2023, with the club in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference through 10 matches, the Fire announced that Hendrickson had been relieved of his duties, along with assistant coach Junior Gonzalez.

Coaching statistics

Honours

Player

Los Angeles Galaxy *

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

: Champions Cup 2000 *

: 2002 * Supporters' Shield: 1998, 2002 D.C. United *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Columbus Crew *

: 2008 * Supporters' Shield: 2008 Individual * USISL Select League Defender of the Year: 1996

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hendrickson, Ezra 1972 births Living people Charleston Battery players Chivas USA players Columbus Crew players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States FC Dallas players D.C. United players Des Moines Menace players Drake Bulldogs men's soccer players LA Galaxy players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers players Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriate sportspeople in the United States Saint Vincent and the Grenadines men's footballers Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriate men's footballers Saint Vincent and the Grenadines men's international footballers 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players USISL players A-League (1995–2004) players USL Second Division players USISL Select League players New York Red Bulls draft picks Seattle Sounders FC non-playing staff Men's association football defenders People from Saint Andrew Parish, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Tacoma Defiance coaches Saint Vincent and the Grenadines football managers Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriate football managers Columbus Crew non-playing staff LA Galaxy non-playing staff People from Howard County, Indiana Soccer players from Indiana CONCACAF Champions Cup–winning players