.jpg) Brek Shea in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dane Brekken Shea[1] | ||
| Date of birth | February 28, 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | College Station, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Left Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Stoke City | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | Texans FC | ||
| 2005–2007 | IMG Soccer Academy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2012 | FC Dallas | 98 | (19) |
| 2013– | Stoke City | 3 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005–2007 | United States U17 | 19 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | United States U20 | 12 | (4) |
| 2012 | United States U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2010– | United States | 25 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:27, 30 November 2013 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 24, 2013 | |||
Dane Brekken "Brek" Shea (born February 28, 1990) is an American soccer player who plays as awinger for Stoke City in the Premier League and the United States national team.
Shea began his career with Major League Soccer team FC Dallas after playing in the IMG Academy. He made his debut during the 2008 season and helped Dallas reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2010and 2011. In January 2013, Shea joined to English Premier League side Stoke City for a fee of £2.5 million.
Career
Early career
Born in College Station, Texas, Shea attended Brazos Christian School and one and a half years atBryan High School in Bryan, Texas, and played for the Texans FC youth soccer organization in Houston, Texas, now known as the Dallas Texans, Houston Division. During his tenure with the Texans, Shea won four consecutive state championships. After his years in Bryan, Shea moved to U.S. Residency in Bradenton, Florida, while there Shea graduated in the top ten of his class at Edison Academy and later went to train with Bolton Wanderers in England in October 2007.[2]
FC Dallas
Shea did not play college soccer and instead turned professional straight out of high school. He was drafted 2nd overall by FC Dallas in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, and he signed a Generation Adidascontract. He made his MLS debut for Dallas on April 20, 2008, as a substitute against Chivas USAin the 86th minute. Brek appeared in five of the team's six international friendlies and made eight starts with the reserve team before he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on September 19, 2008. Shea earned his first professional start on May 23, 2009 in a match versus the Los Angeles Galaxy. Shea spent his first two seasons with the club playing as a utility man, including spells as a striker, a central midfielder and as a defender. He eventually settled in at left winger during the 2010 MLS season. Shea scored his first professional goal on May 15 against the Philadelphia Union.
During the 2010 Season Shea finished seventh on the team in minutes played (1,797) and made a career high 25 regular season appearances, ending the season with five goals and four assists, as well as having 2 assists in four playoff games. Shea graduated from the MLS Generation Adidas program at the end of the 2010 season.[3] After playing left midfield during a Generation Adidas trip to Spain, Shea started the 2011 season at centre-back, with manager Schellas Hyndman saying he found Shea's talents better used there.[4]
During a match against the Vancouver Whitecaps David Ferreira came down with an injury and much of his scoring role was passed onto Shea. Coach Schellas Hyndman soon started playing Shea midfield, and he blossomed into a top player of the 2011 MLS season. Shea was named to the MLS Team of Week 11, 14, and 16 in the 2011 MLS season for his performances against Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA, and Columbus Crew.[5] Following Ferreira's injury he led FC Dallas to 10 wins (the first team in the 2011 MLS season to do so) led the club in goals, and as a result he was named to the MLS All-Star Game as a midfielder. However, Shea was unable to play in the MLS All-Star game due to a CONCACAF Champions League match. During a match against Sporting Kansas City Brek Shea helped Dallas rally back from 2–0 down to win 3–2, with two crosses in the final two minutes, to Maicon Santos and Bobby Warshawrespectively. Following the end of the 2011 MLS campaign, where Shea was an MVP nominee.[6] On November 10, 2011, it was announced that Shea would spend a month of his offseason training under manager Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.[7][8]
Shea would have a disappointing follow up to his successful 2011 campaign, only netting three goals in the 2012 FC Dallas season mired by injury problems. It was announced in November 2012 that Shea would be out an estimated three months following surgery for the removal of a bone in his right foot.[9] In January 2013 Shea joined English side Stoke City on a week long trial.[10] However he failed to arrive in England after negotiations between MLS and Stoke broke down.[11] On January 28, MLS accepted an improved offer from Stoke.[12]
Stoke City
Shea joined English side Stoke City on January 31, 2013 for a fee of £2.5 million on a four-and-a-half-year contract.[13][14] He made his debut for Stoke against Fulham on February 23, 2013.[15] After the match Shea spoke of his joy at making his first Premier League appearance and first since returning from injury but admits he was disappointed with his performance.[16] Shea made one more substitute appearance for Stoke before being ruled out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season by manager Tony Pulis due to injury.[17] After scoring the winning goal in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, Shea joined up with the Stoke squad on their pre-season tour of the United States and played against the Philadelphia Union where he scored in a 2–0 victory. He also picked up an knee injury which saw him miss the start of the 2013–14 season.[18]
International career
Shea was a member of the United States residency program in Bradenton, Florida, and played extensively for the Under-17 team during that time. He later moved on to the Under-20 national team, whom he has represented most recently at the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. He received his first call-up to the senior national team at the age of eighteen, when he was called in late for a second round World Cup qualifier on June 18, 2008, at Barbados.[19][20]
In September 2010, he was called up for an October friendly against Colombia. Shea earned his first international cap playing the first half of the 0–0 draw and in the process became the first player born in the 1990s to make an appearance for the full United States national team.[21][22]
Shea received his third call-up and second cap when he joined Eric Alexander, Zach Loyd, and Ugo Ihemelu, making FC Dallas the most-represented MLS team at the January 2011 United States national team camp. Shea started the January 22, 2011 match against Chile, playing 60 minutes.[23]
Under new United States national team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Shea was named as one of seven midfielders for a friendly match against Mexico on August 10, 2011 in Philadelphia. In the 60th minute, Shea came on as a substitute for Jermaine Jones and recorded his first international assist on the equalizing goal from Robbie Rogers.[24]
After a six-month rough patch during his 2012 campaign, Shea made his return to the United States national team for a friendly against Mexico on August 15, 2012. Shea came on in the 78th minute as a substitute for Herculez Gomez. On July 16, 2013, Shea scored his first goal against Costa Rica in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a low left footed shot to the corner of the net. It proved to be the winning goal, as the United States won 1–0.[25] Shea then scored the winning goal in the final as the United States beat Panama 1–0
