BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Ricardo Anthony Clark (born February 10, 1983[1]) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Houston Dynamoin Major League Soccer.
Career
High School and College
Clark attended St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and played college soccer at Furman University in 2001 and 2002, where he was named a first-team All-American in his second season. In 2001, he overcame foot injury to start 14 games and record one assist. In 2002 he scored three goals and registered three assists, and was named, First Team NSCAA All-American, first-team All-American, First Team College Soccer News All-American and All-Southern Conference First Team. He also helped lead Furman to 19–3–1 record and Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships.
Professional
NY/NJ MetroStars
After his sophomore year, Clark signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, and entered the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected second overall by the MetroStars. Clark was excellent from the first game with the Metros, playing a vital role in the team's midfield, and finishing the season first on the team in minutes. Although Clark was an early favorite to be named MLS Rookie of the Year, he faded near the end, but still was a finalist for the award. He helped the MetroStars win four games en route to the first final in club history. MetroStars were defeated 1–0 by Chicago Fire in Open Cup final.
In his second year with the Metros, Clark struggled to find playing time in a very crowded midfield and to find his form after some minor injuries, but he came on strong at the end of the year, becoming an automatic starter. In two years with the MetroStars, Clark scored four goals and added two assists.
San Jose/Houston Dynamo
He was traded to San Jose Earthquakes for allocation money and an international roster slot in January 2005.[2]
Clark played very well in San Jose in a defensive midfield position, scoring three goals and two assists. He was named Player Of The Month for July and Earthquakes Player Of The Month for July. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season where he was part of two MLS Cup Championship runs in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Clark scored MLS Goal of the Week nominee on August 16 vs. Real Salt Lake with a long-range strike.
In 2007, Clark started 19 games in 2007 despite missing almost a month while competing in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONMEBOL 2007 Copa America with the U.S. national team. He was named to MLS All-Star squad that faced Celtic F.C. He finished season with two goals and three assists, but missed the final two regular season and all playoff matches due to a suspension resulting from a deliberate kick aimed at a prone Carlos Ruiz in a match with FC Dallas. On March 3, 2009, started in second leg of aCONCACAF Champions League match at Atlante, made him the fifth player in club history to make 100 starts in all competitions.
Eintracht Frankfurt[edit]
Clark, whose contract with MLS expired at the end of the 2009 season, signed a deal with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt for the remainder of the 2009–10 season with an option to extend the contract at the end of the season.[3] Despite being injured for much of his time in Germany, Clark inked a three-year deal with Frankfurt on May 7, 2010.[4] On February 22, 2012 Clark was loaned to Stabæk Fotball until July 31, 2012.[5]
Houston Dynamo
Clark was re-signed to the Houston Dynamo on August 2, 2012, to replace Geoff Cameron, who had moved to Premier League side Stoke City.[6] On March 2, in the 87th minute in the season opener against DC United, he scored his second goal in a Dynamo uniform.
International
Clark has played for several youth United States national teams. He played for the US at the 2003 World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. Clark got his first senior cap on October 12, 2005 against Panama, and scored his first international goal on July 2, 2007 against Paraguay in the 2007 Copa America. He received his first appearance in a World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago and his first start in World Cup Qualifying against Guatemala. He also participated in the 2009 Confederations Cup[7] Clark scored his first goal in World Cup Qualifying on a 26-yard strike against Trinidad and Tobago, giving the U.S. a 1–0 victory. His father, born in Trinidad, was watching from the stands.
On January 21, 2012 Clark scored a 97th minute header on a corner kick to win the friendly against Venezuela in Phoenix, Arizona. It was Clark's third goal for the US.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | July 2, 2007 | Estadio AgustÃn Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela |  Paraguay | |||
| 02. | September 9, 2009 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | |||
| 03. | January 21, 2012 | University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States |  Venezuela |
Career statistics
Club
- As of July 8, 2012
| 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 | |||||||
| 2003 | MetroStars | Major League Soccer | 28 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| 2004 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Houston Dynamo | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2008 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
| 2009 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| Germany | League | DFB-Pokal | Other | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2009–10 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Norway | League | Norwegian Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2012 | Stabæk | Tippeligaen | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Total | USA | 181 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 214 | 15 | |
| Germany | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Norway | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 198 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 234 | 15 | ||
International
- As of February 22, 2012.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | |||
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 32 | 3 | |
Honors
- United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Champion: 2007
- Houston Dynamo
- Major League Soccer MLS Cup Champion: 2006, 2007
Individual
- MLS Best XI: 2006
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