Aaron Schoenfeld

Aaron Maxwell Schoenfeld (Hebrew: אהרון מקסוול שונפלד‎,[1] born April 17, 1990) is an American-Israeli professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer side Austin FC.[2] He is eligible to play for the Israel national football team through his Jewish ancestry.[3]

Aaron Schoenfeld
Personal information
Full name Aaron Maxwell Schoenfeld[1]
Date of birth (1990-04-17) April 17, 1990
Place of birth Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Austin FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 East Tennessee State Buccaneers 72 (20)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 GPS Portland Phoenix 15 (2)
2012–2015 Columbus Crew SC 51 (5)
2014 → Dayton Dutch Lions (loan) 18 (12)
2016 Maccabi Netanya 2 (0)
2016–2017 Hapoel Tel Aviv 23 (10)
2017–2020 Maccabi Tel Aviv 47 (4)
2020 Minnesota United 14 (1)
2021– Austin FC 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 9, 2020

Early life

Schoenfeld is Jewish,[4] and was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Robert and Sherry.[5][6] Schoenfeld's family are members of Temple Beth El in Knoxville.[5] In an interview, Schoenfeld described his Jewish upbringing as being very traditional with his family regularly attending synagogue, keeping kosher, and respecting the Sabbath.[7]

For high school, Schoenfeld attended Bearden High School and had an outstanding soccer career there, highlighted by a Tennessee state championship and a state championship final appearance.[8]

He played on the collegiate level at East Tennessee State University, scoring 20 goals with 10 assists in 72 games for the East Tennessee State Buccaneers.[9]

Playing career

Club
Aaron Schoenfeld making his MLS debut for Columbus Crew against Montreal Impact.

Schoenfeld was originally drafted by Montreal Impact in the second round (20th pick overall) of the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.

On March 23, 2012, Columbus Crew announced they had signed Schoenfeld after acquiring his rights from the Impact in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft.[10] He made his professional debut the day after his signing.[11] He came on as a substitute for Emilio Renteria in the 69th minute against Montreal Impact, the team that had recently traded him. The Crew went on to win 2–0.

While on loan with the Dayton Dutch Lions in 2014, Schoenfeld became the club's record holder for goals scored in a single season (12). Upon his return to the Columbus Crew, Schoenfeld scored a brace against the New York Red Bulls.[7][12] He would later cite this as a highlight of his career, as after the match he received complimentary feedback from New York striker, Thierry Henry.[7]

In 2015, Schoenfeld signed with Maccabi Netanya following a brief trial. Schoenfeld was given temporary Israeli resident status by the Israeli Ministry of Interior on January 14, 2016, so he would not count as a foreigner for Netanya.[13] Upon signing, Schoenfeld told the Israeli media, "having grown up in a Zionist Jewish family, I have always wanted to come and play soccer in Israel."[14]

On January 23, 2016, Schoenfeld made his Premier League debut for Netanya, coming on as a substitute for Itzik Cohen in a 1-0 loss to Hapoel Kfar Saba at Levita Stadium.[15] After just two matches with Netanya, Schoenfeld signed a two and a half year deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv and was sold together with Netanya youth player, Fadi Najar, in exchange for ₪1 million.[2]

Schoenfeld made his debut with Hapoel Tel Aviv in a Tel Aviv derby on February 7, 2016 scoring the opening goal in the second minute.[16][17] He joined Maccabi Tel Aviv on Feb 2017.

On February 12, 2020, Schoenfeld returned to Major League Soccer, signing with Minnesota United FC. Minnesota acquired Schoenfeld's MLS rights from Columbus Crew in exchange for a second round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft and additional considerations.[18] Following their 2020 season, Minnesota opted to decline their contract option on Schoenfeld.[19]

On February 4, 2021, Schoenfeld joined MLS side Austin FC as a free agent ahead of their inaugural season.[20]

International

Media reports of Schoenfeld being called up to the Israeli national team for a friendly against Croatia started to surface on February 14, 2016, but has to date never received an invitation by the Israeli team.[21]

Honours

Club

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Personal life

Schoenfeld is married to fellow soccer player Abby Dahlkemper. [22] They announced their engagement in December of 2020, and got married on January 5, 2021.

See also

References
  1. "שוינפלד אהרן מקסוול" [Aaron Maxwell Schoenfeld] (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. Zanzifer, Nadav (February 2, 2016). "פרסום ראשון: מוחמד גדיר סיכם בהפועל ת"א" [Exclusive: Mohammad Ghadir Agrees Terms With Hapoel TA]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  3. Aaron Schoenfeld: the striker who quit MLS and found success in Israel theguardian.com
  4. "Maccabi blanks Haifa 3:0". April 9, 2017.
  5. "Suzy Snoops" (PDF). Knoxville Jewish Ha’ Kol. 6 (10). Knoxville Jewish Alliance, Inc. 2014. p. 24. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  6. "Sports Shorts," Jewish Sports Review, Volume 9, Number 11, Issue 107, Page 19, January/February 2015.
  7. Amir, Raz (February 2, 2016). "שוינפלד: הפועל ת"א מתאימה לי יותר ממכבי" [Schoenfeld, "Hapoel TA Suits Me More Than Maccabi"]. One.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  8. "Aaron Schoenfeld – 2011–12 Men's Soccer – Official Site of East Tennessee State Athletics". etsubucs.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  9. "Former Bearden standout Aaron Schoenfeld signs with MLS team » Knoxville News Sentinel". knoxnews.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  10. "Crew signs forward Aaron Schoenfeld | Columbus Crew". thecrew.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  11. "Columbus Crew vs Montreal Impact 03-24-2012 - Stats | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  12. "Schoenfeld scores twice, Crew beat Red Bulls 3-1". USA Today. October 14, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. Peshatzky, Motti (January 15, 2016). "אוסידון נפגש עם אלי כהן, ימונה בשבוע הבא" [Osidon Met With Eli Cohen, Will Be Appointed Next Week]. Sport5 (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  14. Amir, Raz (January 19, 2016). "שוינפלד חתם בנתניה, ימונה מאמן ראשי חדש" [Schoenfeld Signs With Netanya, New Head Coach Will Be Appointed]. One.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  15. Shali, Guy (January 23, 2016). "ליגת העל: הפועל כפר סבא ניצחה 0:1 את מכבי נתניה" [Super League: Hapoel Kfar Saba Beats Maccabi Netanya 1:0]. Walla.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  16. Amir, Raz (February 7, 2016). "דקה 8: מכבי תל אביב - הפועל תל אביב 1:0" [8th Minute: Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 Hapoel Tel Aviv]. One.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  17. Sinai, Allon (February 8, 2016). "Soccer: Tel Aviv derby stalemate costly for Maccabi". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  18. "MNUFC Signs Aaron Schoenfeld". mnufc.com. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  19. https://www.mnufc.com/post/2020/12/11/2020-end-season-roster-updates
  20. "Austin FC Acquires Free Agent and Two-Time Israeli Premier League Champion Aaron Schoenfeld". Austin FC. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  21. Manor, Inbal (February 14, 2016). "ארון שוינפלד צפוי לקבל זימון לנבחרת ישראל" [Aron Schoenfeld Expected To Be Called Up To Israeli National Team]. One.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  22. "Aaron Schoenfeld: The American forward who became a cult hero in Israel | MLSsoccer.com".
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