 Wondolowski warming up at the MLS All Star Game (2013) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Elliott Wondolowski | ||
| Date of birth | January 28, 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Danville, California, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Chico State Wildcats | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004 | Chico Rooks | 16 | (17) |
| 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Houston Dynamo | 37 | (4) |
| 2009– | San Jose Earthquakes | 133 | (75) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | United States | 17 | (6) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 26, 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 24, 2013 | |||
Christopher Elliott Wondolowski (born January 28, 1983) is an American soccer player who currently plays for San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer and the United States national team. Wondolowski was MLS's top goal scorer in the 2012 season and has become one of the top strikers in Major League Soccer.[1] He is known by the nickname "Wondo" and his ability to put himself into scoring positions.
Career
Youth and college
Wondolowski played high school soccer at De La Salle High School in Concord, California, where he earned All-Bay Valley Athletic League first team and all-East Bay first team honors in 2000 and 2001. He was awarded two area "Player of the Year" awards in 2001 by local media. Wondolowski played club soccer for the Diablo Valley Soccer Club (DVSC) and Danville Mustang Soccer Association.
He went on to enjoy a standout college soccer career at Chico State University, finishing with 39 goals in 84 games. He led the Chico Rooks of the then Men's Premier Soccer League with 17 goals in the 2004 season.[2]
Professional
Wondolowski was drafted 41st overall in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draftby the San Jose Earthquakes. Although he made only two MLS appearances for San Jose in 2005, he led the Earthquakes reserve team in scoring with eight goals in 12 games.
Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season and once again led the reserve team in scoring, tallying 13 goals in 11 games. He scored his first MLS goal 30 August 2006 against theChicago Fire.
In 2007, Wondolowski scored against Pachuca in the semifinal round of theCONCACAF Champions' Cup, although Houston was eliminated in the second leg. He scored his second career MLS goal – a tap-in against Chicago – on July 12, 2007, and his 4th career goal for Houston against New York Red Bulls on May 16, 2009 was also the 7000th goal in Major League Soccer history.
Wondolowski was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for Cam Weaver in June 2009.[3] With the move to San Jose, Wondolowski began to receive more playing time and appeared in 14 games in which he scored 3 goals for San Jose. Wondolowski had a break-out season in 2010 in which he led Major League Soccer in scoring with 18 goals in 26 matches, leading San Jose into the MLS Playoffs.[4] He scored his first playoff goal with the series winning goal against New York in their playoff game, propelling San Jose to a 3–2 aggregate win.
Wondolowski’s first brace of 2011 started in the fifth minute of play against F.C. Dallas. After receiving a ball in the box, Wondolowski took the ball off a volley with time to turn and punch the shot past a helpless Kevin Hartman. His second goal would come in just the 23rd minute after Dallas was unable to clear the ball on a set piece.[5] He finished the season with 16 goals.
San Jose signed Wondolowski to a new contract in February 2012.[6] Terms were undisclosed.
Wondolowski was elected to the 2012 MLS All-Star Game versus Chelsea F.C.. He was defended by John Terry, and managed to score in the 21st minute.NBC Sports Network aired an episode of MLS 36 following Wondolowski for 36 hours through his arrival in Philadelphia for the All-Star festivities and the game itself. It shows Terry personally complimenting Wondolowski at halftime on his movement, adding that it was a "nightmare" to cover him.
On October 6, 2012, Wondolowski became the San Jose Earthquakes' all-time leading goal-scorer at Colorado Rapids, a night where he notched his fourth career hat-trick. That season he also matched Roy Lassiter's MLS record of 27 goals in a season.
International
Following his successful stint with the Earthquakes during the 2010 season which included winning the 2010 MLS Golden Boot, Wondolowski was called up to Winter Training Camp with the United States men's national soccer team. At the conclusion of the three-week camp, his first cap with the national team came in a January 22, 2011 friendly against Chile at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
On May 23, 2011, Wondolowski was named to the United States roster for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup competition.
In 2012, Wondolowski was called into the United States' initial 27-man roster for a series of three friendlies and the first two World Cup qualifiers for the US. Wondolowski made the 23-man roster but only appeared once as a sub in a friendly 0–0 draw against Canada.
On July 5, 2013, Wondolowski scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Guatemala at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, and four days later, wearing a jersey on which his name was spelled "Wondowlowski", he scored a hat-trick in the first half against Belize at Jeld-Wen Field inPortland, Oregon. He continued his scoring run with a brace against Cuba at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
