Ante Razov

Ante Razov (born March 2, 1974) is an American former soccer forward who is currently an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC. One of the leading goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the all-time leading goal scorer for two current or former MLS clubs: the Chicago Fire with 76 goals and Chivas USA with 30 goals. In April 2007, Razov became the third player in MLS history to score 100 goals. Razov also played for the United States men's national soccer team.

Ante Razov
Personal information
Date of birth (1974-03-02) March 2, 1974
Place of birth Whittier, California, United States
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Los Angeles FC (assistant)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1997 LA Galaxy 6 (1)
→ Sacramento (loan)
1998–2000 Chicago Fire 84 (42)
2000–2001 Racing Ferrol 19 (7)
2001–2004 Chicago Fire 72 (34)
2005 Columbus Crew 7 (1)
2005 MetroStars 18 (6)
2006–2009 Chivas USA 76 (30)
Total 262 (114)
National team‡
1995–2007 United States 25 (6)
Teams managed
2015–2016 Seattle Sounders FC (assistant)
2017 LA Galaxy (assistant)
2018– Los Angeles FC (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02:13, October 27, 2009 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 02:13, October 27, 2009 (UTC)

Early life

Razov, who was born in a family of Croatian immigrants, spent his childhood in Fontana, California. He attended Fontana High School, and went on to play college soccer at UCLA.

Playing career

Club

Razov was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third round of the 1996 MLS College Draft. He played two seasons in LA, but did not get much playing time, scoring just one goal, and signed with the expansion Chicago Fire prior to the 1998 season. During his time with the Galaxy, he went on loan with the Sacramento Scorpions of USISL.[1]

Razov spent the next seven years with Chicago, save a brief period in 2001 that he spent with Spanish second division club Racing de Ferrol. In his seven years with the Fire he led the club in goals and points five times (including club record 18 goals and 42 points in 2000). He is the club's all-time leader with 76 goals and 190 points. Razov was named to the MLS Best XI in 2003. With Chicago, he won the MLS Cup in 1998 and the US Open Cup in 1998, 2000, and 2003. Following a disappointing 2004 season and clashes with head coach Dave Sarachan, Razov was traded to the Columbus Crew in exchange for Tony Sanneh. However, one blemish in Razov's career was being stopped from the penalty spot in the 2003 MLS Cup. The Fire went on to lose the game, 4–2.

But Razov did not last long in Columbus. Even though he scored in the 2005 season opener, his tenure with the club lasted five games. Disagreement with head coach Greg Andrulis led to Razov's reuniting with his ex-coach with the Fire, Bob Bradley, at the MetroStars. He was acquired in exchange for John Wolyniec and a partial allocation. After the season, Bradley acquired Razov again, for Thiago Martins and another partial allocation.

On April 21, 2007, Razov scored his 100th career regular-season MLS goal. At 33 years old, he became the third player in MLS history to reach 100 goals. At the time, he trailed only Jaime Moreno and Jeff Cunningham, having passed Jason Kreis. All three joined MLS at its inception in 1996.

International

Razov received his first cap with the U.S. national team on March 25, 1995, against Uruguay. Although he never played in the World Cup, he scored a couple of key goals in qualifiers, including one against Guatemala in 2000 and Trinidad and Tobago in 2001. Overall, Razov scored six goals in 25 caps for the US.

International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result CompetitionRef
1. June 6, 2000 Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, United States  Republic of Ireland
1 – 1
1 – 1
2000 U.S. Cup
2. June 11, 2000 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States  Mexico
3 – 0
3 – 0
2000 U.S. Cup
3. July 16, 2000 Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo, Mazatenango, Guatemala  Guatemala
1 – 0
1 – 1
2002 World Cup qualifying
4. November 15, 2000 Barbados National Stadium, Bridgetown, Barbados  Barbados
4 – 0
4 – 0
2002 World Cup qualifying
5. June 20, 2001 Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, United States  Trinidad and Tobago
1 – 0
2 – 0
2002 World Cup qualifying
6. January 27, 2002 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States  El Salvador
4 – 0
4 – 0
2002 Gold Cup

Coaching career

Ante Razov was hired to serve as the LA Galaxy's U14 head coach. Razov replaces Craig Harrington, who was their coach for the previous season in their first year in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League.

In January 2018 he was announced as joining the coaching staff as an assistant under his former coach Bob Bradley at expansion MLS side Los Angeles FC for their inaugural season. He will work alongside Mike Sorber and Kenny Arena amongst others.[2]

Honors

United States

Chicago Fire

References
  1. Outdoor Pro Soccer in Sacramento Archived January 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. https://www.lafc.com/post/2018/01/12/lafc-announces-technical-staff-inaugural-season
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