Chris Armas

Chris Armas (born August 27, 1972) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Toronto FC.

Chris Armas
Personal information
Date of birth (1972-08-27) August 27, 1972
Place of birth New York City, New York, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Toronto FC (head coach)
Youth career
New York Hota Bavarian SC
Brooklyn Italians
Frosinone SC
South Shore SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 Adelphi Panthers 73 (17)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Long Island Rough Riders (8+)
1996–1997 LA Galaxy 50 (4)
1998–2007 Chicago Fire 214 (8)
Total 264+ (20+)
National team
1993–1994 Puerto Rico 8 (0)
1998–2005 United States 66 (2)
Teams managed
2008 Chicago Fire (assistant)
2011–2014 Adelphi Panthers (women)
2015–2018 New York Red Bulls (assistant)
2018–2020 New York Red Bulls
2021– Toronto FC
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Youth and college

Born in The Bronx, Armas is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in Brentwood, New York. He graduated from St. Anthony's High School and then attended Adelphi University from 1990 to 1993, amassing 17 goals and 15 assists over his collegiate career. Armas was named an NCAA Division I First Team All-American his senior year.[1]

Playing career

Professional

After graduating from college, Armas spent 1994 and 1995 playing for the USISL's Long Island Rough Riders, being selected as a USISL All-Star. In 1995, the Rough Riders defeated the Minnesota Thunder in the USISL's Pro League Championship.[2]

In 1996, Armas was drafted by Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft and played a significant role in their first and second seasons. Chicago Fire acquired Armas in a trade for their inaugural 1998 campaign. It was with the 1998 Fire team that Armas emerged as an exceptional player, helping them win their first MLS Championship that year. Between 1998 and 2001, Armas was named to the MLS Best XI four consecutive times, his streak only being broken by an ACL injury that kept him out of much of the 2002 campaign; Armas was named to his fifth Best XI after the 2003 MLS season, in addition to being named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year. He was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2000. In ten years in MLS, he totaled 11 goals and 41 assists, plus added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.

On April 19, 2007, Armas announced that the 2007 MLS season with the Chicago Fire would be his last, as he decided to retire. His retirement was made official on November 13, 2007, after spending 12 years in MLS.[3]

International

Armas played for Puerto Rico in the 1993 Caribbean Cup. The competition was not then recognized by FIFA and so his five matches were classed as friendlies.[4]

He was therefore later allowed to switch his allegiance to the United States, for whom he made his debut November 6, 1998 against Australia.[5] He went on to earn 66 caps. Unfortunately for Armas, he did not break into the squad until soon after the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and his ACL injury came just before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, so he was never able to play for the United States in the World Cup. He was named as a standby player for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and did not feature in the final squad.

Coaching career

Armas served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Fire in 2008 and was the head women's soccer coach at Adelphi University between 2011 and 2015.

On July 6, 2018, Armas was promoted to head coach of New York Red Bulls after former manager Jesse Marsch departed the club to join RB Leipzig as an assistant.[6] Armas helped the Red Bulls finish first in the regular season, winning the Supporters' Shield as a result. The Red Bulls were eliminated in the conference finals by Atlanta United.

In 2019, the Red Bulls finished sixth in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated by Philadelphia Union in the first round of the playoffs. The Red Bulls were then eliminated in the Group Stage of the MLS is Back Tournament after they were defeated by FC Cincinnati. The team was in the middle of a scoring slump when Armas parted ways with the club on September 4, 2020.[7]

In 2021, he was hired as head coach of Toronto FC.[8]

Personal

Armas and his wife, Justine, have two sons, Christopher and Aleksei.[9]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[10][11]
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
LA Galaxy 1996 Major League Soccer 221——6[lower-alpha 2]2283
1997 283—2[lower-alpha 3]02[lower-alpha 2]0323
Total 504002082606
Chicago Fire 1998 Major League Soccer 31130—5[lower-alpha 2]0391
1999 221003[lower-alpha 3]03[lower-alpha 2]0281
2000 16040—5[lower-alpha 2]0250
2001 21030—6[lower-alpha 2]1301
2002 40002[lower-alpha 3]00060
2003 25241—4[lower-alpha 2]1334
2004 211303[lower-alpha 3]1—272
2005 22220—1[lower-alpha 2]0252
2006 27120—2[lower-alpha 2]0311
2007 25010—3[lower-alpha 2]0290
Total 21482218129227312
Career total 2641222110137433318
  1. All appearances in the U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in the MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. Appearances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[12]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Puerto Rico 199360
199420
Total80
United States
199810
199970
2000142
2001130
2002110
200340
200480
200580
Total662
International goals
Goal Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 9 January 16, 2000 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, U.S.  Iran 1–1 1–1 Friendly
2 13 February 19, 2000 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, U.S.  Colombia 2–1 2–2
(1–2 pen.)		 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Coaching
As of January 13, 2021
Coaching record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
G W L T Win % Ref.
Adelphi Panthers (women) July 13, 2011 March 6, 2015 80 47 23 10 058.75 [13]
New York Red Bulls July 6, 2018 September 4, 2020 71 33 27 11 046.48 [14]
Toronto FC January 13, 2021 present 0 0 0 0 !—
Total 151 80 50 21 052.98

Honors

Player
United States
Chicago Fire

Coach
New York Red Bulls

References
  1. "Chris Armas (2005) – Adelphi Hall of Fame profile". Adelphi Panthers. Adelphi University. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. Lewis, Michael (January 14, 2021). "Surreal Experience: Repost: Armas enjoys return to Hota (2004)". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. Marcus, Jeffrey (November 14, 2007). "Kicking About: Retiring, Training and Mourning". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  4. Wahl, Grant (November 2, 1998). "Inside Soccer: Chris Armas: Man Without A Country?". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. Lewis, Michael (May 19, 2020). "Unsung Hero: Chris Armas and His Contributions to the USMNT". United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  6. "Jesse Marsch leaves New York Red Bulls, Chris Armas promoted". WABC-TV. ABC Owned Television Stations. July 6, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  7. "New York Red Bulls Fire Manager Chris Armas". Sports Illustrated. theMaven, Inc. September 4, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. Davidson, Neil (January 13, 2021). "Former Red Bulls coach Chris Armas named as Greg Vanney's successor at Toronto FC". Toronto Star. Torstar. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. Firchau, Nick (January 27, 2011). "What Ever Happened To: Chris Armas". Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  10. Chris Armas at Major League Soccer
  11. "Chicago Fire player registry – Chris Armas". Chicago Fire FC. Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  12. "Chris Armas". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  13. "Armas To Join New York Red Bulls Staff". Adelphi Panthers. Adelphi University. February 26, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  14. "New York Red Bulls fire head coach Armas after two years". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. September 5, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.