Edson Buddle
Edson Buddle playing for the LA Galaxy in 2010
Personal information
Full name Edson Michael Buddle
Date of birth (1981-05-21) May 21, 1981 (age 42)
Place of birth New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Westchester Flames (head coach)
Youth career
1993–1995 FC Westchester
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999 State Fair Roadrunners
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000 Long Island Rough Riders 26 (11)
2001–2005 Columbus Crew 106 (42)
2006 New York Red Bulls 28 (6)
2007 Toronto FC 10 (0)
2007–2010 LA Galaxy 87 (42)
2011–2012 Ingolstadt 04 31 (9)
2012 LA Galaxy 19 (3)
2013–2014 Colorado Rapids 42 (7)
2015 LA Galaxy 10 (0)
2015 → LA Galaxy II (loan) 1 (0)
Total 360 (120)
International career
2001 United States U20 6 (2)
2002–2003 United States U23 4 (3)
2003–2012 United States 11 (3)
Managerial career
2020– Westchester Flames
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Edson Michael Buddle (born May 21, 1981) is an American retired soccer player who is currently the head coach of USL League Two side Westchester Flames. He is one of only 11 players to have scored 100 goals in Major League Soccer history.[1]

A forward, Buddle began his career in North America in 2000 with the Long Island Rough Riders, who played in the A-League at that time. He then spent 2001 to 2010 in Major League Soccer, playing for the Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, and LA Galaxy. After a one-year stint with FC Ingolstadt 04 in Germany's 2. Bundesliga he returned to Los Angeles. Buddle has also played for the United States national team, including two appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

College and Minor-League Career

Born in New Rochelle, New York, Buddle played one year of college soccer at State Fair Community College, leading them to the 1999 NJCAA Division I National Championship. Buddle began his professional career in 2000, when he signed with Long Island Rough Riders of the A-League. Buddle helped the team win the Northeast Division, scoring eleven goals and four assists, and was a finalist for the A-League Rookie of the Year Award.

Columbus Crew

His performance in the A-League attracted the interest of MLS, and Edson was selected twenty-seventh overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew. Buddle played only 556 minutes in his first year, but scored three goals and two assists. The next year, at the age of twenty-one, he scored nine goals and five assists in only 1304 minutes while helping the Crew to a U.S. Open Cup win. Plagued by injuries, he only started sixteen games the next year, but scored nine goals and four assists. The pattern repeated itself in 2004, as Buddle missed significant time to injury, but still scored eleven goals and two assists in twenty starts. His 2005 totals were nine goals and two assists.[2]

New York Red Bulls

Before the 2006 season Buddle was traded to New York Red Bulls for Eddie Gaven and Chris Leitch.[3] He had a disappointing year in his tenure with the team only scoring six goals because he was battling a foot injury. On November 22, 2006, Buddle was traded to Toronto FC for Tim Regan.[4] He failed to score in 10 appearances for the Reds but assisted on the club's first ever goal, setting up Danny Dichio to score against Chicago Fire in front of the south stand at BMO Field.

Los Angeles Galaxy

On June 13, 2007, Buddle was traded to LA Galaxy for Tyrone Marshall.[5] He scored his first goal for the Galaxy against Real Salt Lake.

Buddle was not expected to be a starting striker as the 2008 MLS season began, as the Galaxy already had three attacking forwards in Carlos Ruiz, Landon Donovan and Alan Gordon. In spite of this, Buddle became a prominent striker on the LA offense in 2008, filling in for the injured Guatemalan striker Ruiz or when Donovan and Ruiz were absent while on international duty.

He scored two hat tricks during his first season in Los Angeles: one in Week 8 against FC Dallas and one in Week 12 against San Jose Earthquakes,[6] winning the MLS Player of the Week in both weeks.[7] After his second hat trick, teammate David Beckham commented, "Edson is an individual who is getting better at the game. He's proved that tonight."[8] After scoring his ninth goal against Columbus Crew on June 22, 2008, coach Ruud Gullit said he had become a "true professional" and that he was "very pleased" with him.[9] ESPN's Andrea Canales noted that Buddle had once suffered from a reputation of being "maddeningly lazy at times, giving up on passes that didn't fall in his striking-sweet zone," but that he had improved due to guidance from Beckham and an improved self-confidence as he scored more goals.[8] MLS Extratime's Shep Messing said, "I don't think there's a better tandem up top than Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle...They complement each other. They don't take away each other's space, making it better for each other."[10]

After scoring just five goals in the 2009 season, Buddle opened the 2010 season on fire, scoring seven goals in the first four matches of the year. By mid-May, he had scored nine times, earning a surprising call-up to the national team roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He continued his strong form after returning from the World Cup, continuing to lead the league in scoring when the 2010 MLS All-Star Game rosters were announced despite having missed several matches on international duty. On October 24, 2010, Los Angeles Galaxy won the Western Conference and the Supporter's Shield, with Buddle winning the Galaxy's MVP, golden boot, and Humanitarian of the Year.[11]

FC Ingolstadt 04

Buddle signed with 2. Bundesliga club FC Ingolstadt 04 on January 10, 2011.[12] He debuted for Ingolstadt on January 21 in a 1–1 draw against MSV Duisburg. He scored his first goal for the Bavarian side in the 78th minute of that game.[13] Buddle was released by FC Ingolstadt 04 on January 31, 2012, making him a free agent.[14]

Return to Los Angeles Galaxy and Colorado Rapids

Despite trialing with Everton[15] the day after being released by Ingolstadt, Buddle re-signed with Los Angeles Galaxy.[16] His second stint with the club proved disappointing and short-lived. Buddle started only 10 league games in 2012 and scored only 3 goals, his lowest season tally in MLS since his rookie year of 2001.

On December 14, 2012, Colorado Rapids acquired Buddle from Los Angeles in exchange for allocation money and a first-round pick in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft.[17] On August 21, 2014, Buddle became only the eighth player to score 100 goals in MLS by heading in Dillon Powers' corner kick, albeit in a 3–4 home defeat to the Galaxy.[18]

Buddle was released by Colorado on November 25, 2014.[19] He returned to a third spell at the Galaxy on March 6, 2015.[20] Buddle became a free agent on December 7, 2015, when the Galaxy declined his option.[21]

International career

Although he may have been a promising player for the United States national team, Buddle's injuries have made it difficult for him to break into the squad. He figured for the under-20 and under-23 teams, playing in the 2001 World Youth Championship with the former. Buddle earned his first senior team cap on March 29, 2003, in a friendly against Venezuela but would not see the field for the United States again for seven years. On May 11, 2010, he was named to the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and on May 25, started in a 4–2 friendly loss to the Czech Republic. The following day, Buddle was named to the final squad. Buddle contributed two first-half goals in a friendly match versus Australia on June 5. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup he appeared as a substitute in matches against England and Algeria.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. June 5, 2010 Ruimsig Stadium, Roodepoort, South Africa  Australia 1–0 3–1 Friendly
2. 2–1
3. November 15, 2011 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Slovenia 1–0 3–2 Friendly

Career statistics

Club

As of November 30, 2015.
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2000 Long Island Rough Riders A-League 26 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 11
2001 Columbus Crew Major League Soccer 17 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 21 3
2002 21 9 2 1 3 1 0 0 26 11
2003 21 10 1 2 0 0 0 0 22 12
2004 24 11 2 1 2 1 0 0 28 13
2005 23 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 24 9
2006 New York Red Bulls 28 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 6
Canada League Voyageurs Cup League Cup North America Total
2007 Toronto FC Major League Soccer 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2007 Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer 16 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 5
2008 27 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 15
2009 19 5 0 0 4 0 0 0 23 5
2010 25 17 0 0 3 2 2 0 30 19
Germany League DFB-Pokal Other Europe Total
2010–11 Ingolstadt 04 2. Bundesliga 14 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 3
2011–12 17 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 19 6
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2012 Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer 19 3 0 0 5 0 4 0 28 3
2013 Colorado Rapids 24 5 0 0 1 0 – 25 5
2014 18 2 – – – 18 2
2015 Los Angeles Galaxy 12 0 0 0 0 0 – 12 0
Total USA/Canada 318 111 9 4 20 4 6 0 353 119
Germany 31 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 33 9
Career total 349 120 11 4 20 4 6 0 386 128

International

As of December 15, 2014.
National team Year Apps Goals
United States
2003 1 0
2010 5 2
2011 4 1
2012 1 0
Total 11 3

Personal

Buddle is named after Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé.[22] His father, Winston Buddle, a former professional soccer player born in Jamaica, chose the name. Buddle attended Port Chester High School in Westchester County, New York.

Honors

Columbus Crew

LA Galaxy

Individual

References

  1. ^ "VIDEO: Kei Kamara scores 100th MLS goal on 300th appearance | Goal.com".
  2. ^ "Around the Globe". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). August 16, 2005. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  3. ^ "Metro finally trades Eddie Gaven for Edson Buddle". metrofanatic.com. March 28, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  4. ^ "Red Bull New York acquires Regan for Buddle". ESPN FC. November 22, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  5. ^ "Toronto FC get Tyrone Marshall from Galaxy". cbc.ca. June 13, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  6. ^ Ratajczak, Pete (June 15, 2008). "Buddle hat trick lifts LA past Quakes". mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
  7. ^ "Buddle named MLS Player of the Week". Major League Soccer Communications. June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
  8. ^ a b Canales, Andrea (June 15, 2008). "Galaxy squad starting to open people's eyes". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Jones, Grahme L. (June 22, 2008). "Landon Donovan scores twice, but Galaxy ties Columbus, 3–3". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
  10. ^ "MLSnet.com Extratime: Episode 59". youtube.com. June 25, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "LA Galaxy name 2010 team award winners". lagalaxy.com. October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  12. ^ "Forward Edson Buddle Signs with FC Ingolstadt". lagalaxy.com. January 11, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  13. ^ "Ingolstadt vs. MSV Duisburg 1 – 1". soccerway.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  14. ^ "Edson Buddle's contract terminated". ESPN Soccer. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  15. ^ "Everton take striker Edson Buddle on trial". The Independent. London. January 16, 2012.
  16. ^ "LA Galaxy Sign Forward Edson Buddle". lagalaxy.com. February 1, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  17. ^ "Edson Buddle traded to Colorado Rapids". LA Galaxy. December 14, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "Edson Buddle becomes eighth player in Major League Soccer history with 100 goals". Major League Soccer. August 21, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  19. ^ "Rapids announce names of players whose options are not being exercised". MLS. November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  20. ^ Arnold, Jon (March 6, 2015). "LA Galaxy sign Vayrynen, welcome back Buddle". Goal.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  21. ^ "LA Galaxy announce roster changes; decline options on eight players". LAGalaxy.com. LA Galaxy Communications. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  22. ^ Witz, Billy (May 16, 2010). "Two Strikers Score Their Way Into the Picture". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

External links

United States squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 MLS Best XI
Categories