Robin Fraser (born December 17, 1966) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

coach and former player. He is 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

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. He previously served as head coach of

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

and

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

and as an assistant for

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

, Toronto, and the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, 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 (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

. A former defender, Fraser played six seasons in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...

and ten in

. He earned 27 caps with the United States national team between 1988 and 2001.

Youth and college

Fraser was born in Jamaica and grew up in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

where he played soccer at Miami Palmetto High School. He played college soccer at

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

from 1984 to 1988, leading the team to an NCAA Division II Championship as a freshman. After the team moved to Division I before the 1987 season, he was recognized as a 1987 and 1988 second-team All-American, and was a finalist for the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

as a senior.

Playing career

Professional

In 1988, Fraser signed with the Miami Sharks in the American Soccer League. He played two seasons with the Sharks. In 1990, he moved to the Colorado Foxes of the

, for whom he played from 1990 to 1995. While with the Foxes, Fraser was named an APSL All-Star four straight years, from 1992 to his final season in 1995. When

was created, he was the

Los Angeles 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 ...

's first selection (fourth overall) in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. Fraser played five seasons with Galaxy, and was named to the league's Best XI four times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000), and was named MLS Defender of the Year in 1999. Fraser was traded to the

in a salary-cap-related move before the 2001 season. He spent three years in Colorado, before being traded to 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 ...

for two draft picks. Fraser anchored the Crew defense in 2004, and was once again considered one of the best in MLS at the position, winning his second Defender of the Year award and being named to his fifth Best XI while captaining the Crew to the Supporters' Shield. During the 2003 and 2004 season, Fraser helped mentor two of MLS's most promising young defenders, Nat Borchers and Chad Marshall. Never a big scorer, Fraser only scored one regular season and one playoff goal in his entire MLS career. He retired after the 2005 season. Fraser was honored as one of The 25 Greatest players in MLS history on December 10, 2020.

International

Although Fraser was born in Jamaica, he chose to represent the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the international level, after becoming a citizen in June 1986. He made his debut against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on June 1, 1988, and amassed 27 caps. His last came in a scoreless tie with

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

on June 7, 2001.

Coaching career

Early Career & Chivas USA

During the late 90s, Robin Fraser and Greg Vanney co-coached a local girls soccer club in Los Angeles California known as the Santa Anita Soccer Club or SASC. In 2007,

hired Fraser as a third assistant coach. On January 4, 2011, Fraser was hired as the new head coach of

, becoming the team's sixth coach in seven years. Fraser was dismissed by Chivas after a two-year run saw him post a 15–32–21 record, including a 14-match winless streak in his second season. During the off-season, he was named as an assistant coach for the

under new head coach Mike Petke. After two season in New York, Fraser moved to

, where served as assistant coach alongside head coach

Greg Vanney Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and ...

. The two previously had worked together with

, albeit in reversed roles, with Fraser the head man and Vanney working underneath him.

Colorado Rapids

On August 25, 2019, Fraser became the head coach for

, following the dismissal of then intern head coach

Conor Casey Conor Patrick Casey (born July 25, 1981) is an American former soccer player. He played for 16 seasons as a forward, finishing his career with Columbus Crew SC, before turning to coaching with his former club Colorado Rapids. Playing career ...

. The Rapids won their first three games under Fraser and won five of their last seven to close 2019 just shy of the playoffs. Colorado ended the season tied for the third-most goals scored in MLS with 58, the club's highest total since scoring 62 in 1998. The Rapids' offensive growth continued in 2020. Colorado scored 32 goals in 18 games. The Rapids' 1.78 goals per game ranked sixth in MLS. Colorado posted a positive goal differential for the first time since 2016. On Sep 12, Colorado defeated

, 5–0, earning its first ever win at Rio Tinto Stadium and reclaiming the Rocky Mountain Cup. The win also marked the Rapids' largest margin of victory ever, which they would match three games later in a 5–0 win over

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

. Fraser led Colorado on a three-game winning streak, the second of his Rapids tenure, to close out the regular season and clinch a berth in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Fraser posted the best 25-game start of any Rapids head coach in history, scoring 47 goals, winning 13 games and earning 43 points, which are the most by a Rapids head coach since the introduction of draws to MLS In 2000. On March 23, 2022, the Rapids announced that Fraser had signed a new contract with the team, extending his tenure through the 2025 season. Fraser and the Rapids parted ways on September 5, 2023, as the Rapids were in last place in the Western Conference at that point in time.

Toronto FC

On January 10, 2025, Fraser was announced as the head coach of Toronto FC on a three-year contract.

Coaching statistics

Honors

Player

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 ...

**Runner-up: 1996, 1999 *

MLS 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 199 ...

**Winner: 1998,

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 ...

**Runner-up: 1996, 1999 *

MLS Eastern Conference The Eastern Conference () is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with c ...

**Winners (Regular Season): 2004 *

MLS Western Conference The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with club ...

**Winners (Regular Season): 1996, 1998, 1999 **Winners (Playoffs): 1996, 1999 *

CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

**Winners: 2000 **Runner-up: 1997

Assistant coach

**Winners:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

**Winners: 2017 **Runners-up: 2010 *

**Winners (Playoff): 2009, 2016 * Canadian Championship **Winners:

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...

**Runners-up:

Individual

* MLS All-Star:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004 * MLS Defender of the Year: 1999, 2004

References

External links

Soccer Times player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Robin 1966 births Living people Footballers from Kingston, Jamaica American men's soccer players American soccer coaches United States men's international soccer players Jamaican men's footballers Jamaican football managers Jamaican emigrants to the United States American soccer commentators Men's association football defenders FIU Panthers men's soccer players Miami Freedom players Colorado Foxes players LA Galaxy players Colorado Rapids players Columbus Crew players American Soccer League (1988–89) players American Professional Soccer League players Major League Soccer players 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Major League Soccer All-Stars Real Salt Lake non-playing staff Chivas USA head coaches New York Red Bulls non-playing staff Toronto FC non-playing staff Colorado Rapids head coaches Major League Soccer head coaches Florida International University alumni Soccer players from Florida Miami Palmetto Senior High School alumni 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Jamaican sportsmen