Kristian Nicht
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Kristian Nicht (born 3 April 1982) is a German former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
.


Career


Europe

He came through the academy system of his hometown club
FC Carl Zeiss Jena FC Carl Zeiss Jena () is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. Founded in 1903, it was initially associated with the optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss. From the 1960s to the 1980s it was one of the top-ranked clubs in East Germany, won ...
. He had an unsuccessful trial with Scottish side Livingston in 2001. Nicht joined
Stuttgarter Kickers Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers. The club currently plays in the Regionalliga Südwest, the fourth tier of German footb ...
of the Regionalliga Süd, Germany's then third-tier, for the 2002–03 campaign. Nicht notched six clean sheets in 30 appearances as the team's first-choice 'keeper, matches that included his first professional shutout vs. Jahn Regensburg (3 August 2002, 0–0 D) and a notable 4–2 win against
Bayern Munich II FC Bayern Munich II (''FC Bayern Munich Amateure'' until 2005) are the German reserve football teams, reserve team of Football in Germany, German association football club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, currently playing in the Regionalliga B ...
, the reserve squad of the famed Bavarian club on 17 August 2002. At FC Carl Zeiss Jena, he developed a close relationship with Germany national team goalkeeper
Robert Enke Robert Enke (24 August 1977 – 10 November 2009) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Mönchengladbach, Benfica, and Barcelona, but made most of his appearances for Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in his h ...
. Nicht signed with 1. FC Nürnberg for the 2003–04 season and earn the starting role for the club's reserves side that competed in the
Oberliga Bayern The Bayernliga (English: Bavarian league) is the highest amateur football league and the second highest football league (under the Regionalliga Bayern) in the state of Bavaria () and the Bavarian football league system. It is one of fourteen Obe ...
, Bavaria's regional league. A year to the day after registering his first career shutout with Stuttgarter Kickers, Nicht marked his Nürnberg debut in the same fashion, blanking
Jahn Regensburg II The SSV Jahn Regensburg II is the reserve team of German association football club SSV Jahn Regensburg from the city of Regensburg, Bavaria. The team's currently plays in the southern division of the Bayernliga, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
in a 0–0 stalemate, the first of his 26 appearances during the campaign. Following an unsuccessful trial with Scottish side
Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...
in 2004, Nicht began a three-and-a-year stint with
Alemannia Aachen Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V., short Alemannia Aachen (), is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long-term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three- ...
from 2004 to 2007, during which he helped the squad achieve promotion out of the 2. Bundesliga and into Germany's top-flight. After starting his stint with Alemannia Aachen's reserve squad, three straight wins in the spring saw him promoted to the first team, for which he started the season's final five contests (including three wins). The 2005–06 campaign saw Nicht installed as the starter from day one, and he went on to play every minute of the team's first 31 contests that season, which he finished with 11 shutouts and a 1.10 goals against average. Nicht's fourth shutout in five games in a 1–0 away win at Eintracht Braunschweig on 7 April 2006, secured the team's promotion to the
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
with five games remaining. In the 2006–07 season, Nicht started half of the 34 matches in Aachen's return to top division after a 36-year absence and also led the squad to wins in the first and second round of the
DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
. Nicht reasserted himself in the starting lineup late in the season but not could not prevent club from relegation back to the 2. Bundesliga. Nicht recorded three shutouts in five appearances before leaving club in winter, but not before making a noteworthy send-off appearance in a 0–0 draw at
TuS Koblenz TuS Koblenz is a Football in Germany, German association football club, located in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Fussball Club Deutschland Neuendorf, which was formed in 1911, is viewed as the foundation of the modern club. History Nazi era ( ...
on 14 December, in which he manned the goal from the 40th minute onward, replacing the red-carded starting keeper and immediately saving a penalty. January 2008 saw Nicht transfer to Norwegian side
Viking FK Viking Fotballklubb, commonly known as Viking or Viking Stavanger internationally, is a Norwegian professional football club from the city of Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899. It is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian football, ...
, for whom he plied his trade for a season-and-a-half through July 2009. He recorded a debut shutout to help his new team to a 1–0 defeat of
Strømsgodset Strømsgodset is a former municipality in Vestfold county (from 1964 Buskerud county) in Norway which is today a part of the city of Drammen. History Strømsgodset was originally a small rural annex to the city parish of Bragernes (Drammen). ...
, the first of his 18 appearances (17 starts), which he compiled six shutouts and a 1.19 GAA. Viking's successful 2008 earned the club entry to the qualification round of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
(now Europa League) in which Nicht started and played every minute of the two-leg tie against Finnish side
FC Honka FC Honka is a Finland, Finnish Association football, football club based in Espoo. It was founded in 1957 as Tapion Honka, and changed its name to FC Honka in 1975. The club will play in Kakkonen in the 2024 season, after Esport Honka filed for ...
. Nicht held FC Honka scoreless in away fixture to seize upper hand but surrendered two goals in 2–1 defeat in return leg at home that saw Viking exit the tournament. Nicht returned to his homeland to suit up with
Karlsruher SC Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V., better known as Karlsruher SC, is a Football in Germany, German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of Germa ...
of the 2. Bundesliga for the 2009–10 Regionaliga Süd season. He made five appearances for their reserve squad in Regionaliga Süd play that ensuing season, showing merit through three shutout performances and a 0.83 GAA. Nicht served as the second-string keeper for first-team until final two fixtures of the season, during which he allowed just one goal across his 180 minutes of action. The 2010–11 season saw Nicht start the season as the first-choice goalkeeper and made 12 appearances, all starts.


North America

On 6 March 2012, the
Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...
announced they had signed Nicht for the 2012
USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...
season. To begin his first season with the club, Nicht recorded a North American record to start a season with six consecutive shutouts. He continued this strong form throughout the season recording a league leading eleven total shutouts, ranked second in USL PRO with a 0.909 goals against average and 12 wins, and fourth in the league in total saves. His play earned him the 2012 USL PRO Goalkeeper of the Year award. Additionally, he was named to the first all pro team of the USL. On 1 October 2013,
Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2014, b ...
of the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
, the second tier of the
United States soccer league system The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by a system o ...
, announced that Nicht had been signed as the club's first-ever player. In February 2015, Nicht joined Montreal Impact on a short-term loan, as cover for the Impact's Champions League games. On 27 April 2015, the Montreal Impact acquired Nicht by way of transfer. The move was made since the Impact were in desperate need of a goalie for the 2nd leg of the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League finals after losing Evan Bush to a suspension and having
Eric Kronberg Eric Kronberg (; born June 7, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Career Kronberg was drafted in the fourth round (40th overall) of the 2006 MLS Superdraft by the Kansas City Wizards. Kronberg made ...
already cup tied with
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
. He made his debut on 29 April 2015, on the 2nd leg of 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League Final, against
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
. He was released by the club just five days later on 4 May 2015. On 12 May 2015, he signed a contract to re-join Indy Eleven. Nicht signed with
Minnesota United FC Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the W ...
on 5 February 2016.


Personal life

In November 2015, Nicht received his U.S. green card.


Honours


Individual

*USL Pro Goalkeeper of the Year: 2012 *USL Pro All League First Team: 2012 *USL Pro Shutout Leader (11): 2012 *USL Pro Player of the Week (6): 15 May 2012


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicht, Kristian 1982 births Living people Footballers from Jena Sportspeople from Bezirk Gera German men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers German expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Norway FC Carl Zeiss Jena players Stuttgarter Kickers players 1. FC Nürnberg players Alemannia Aachen players Viking FK players Rochester New York FC players Eliteserien players USL Championship players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Indy Eleven players CF Montréal players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Minnesota United FC (2010–2016) players German expatriate sportspeople in Norway German expatriate sportspeople in the United States German expatriate sportspeople in Canada 21st-century German sportsmen