Ricardo Clark

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Ricardo Clark
Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Anthony Clark
Date of birth	February 10, 1983 (1983-02-10) (age 25)
Place of birth	Atlanta, GA, United States
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Houston Dynamo
Number	13
Youth clubs
2001-02	Furman University
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2003-04 2005 2006-	NY/NJ MetroStars San Jose Earthquakes Houston Dynamo	54 (4) 30 (3) 50 (4)
National team2
2005-	United States	14 (1)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 November 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 29 May 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

Ricardo Clark (born February 10, 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American soccer player, who currently plays defensive midfielder for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.

Contents 1 High School and College Career 2 Pro career 3 US National Teams 3.1 International goals 4 Suspension 5 Personal 6 See also 7 References

[edit] High School and College Career

Clark played high school soccer at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and college soccer at Furman University in 2001 and 2002, and was named a first-team All-American in his second season.

In 2001 Overcame foot injury to start 14 games.Recorded one assist.

In 2002 he scored three goals and registered three assists. 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.

[edit] Pro career

After his sophomore year, he 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.

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. He was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes for an allocation before the 2005 season. Clark played very well in San Jose in a defensive midfield position, scoring three goals and two assists. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season.

[edit] US National Teams

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.

[edit] International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	2 July 2007	Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela	Paraguay	0-1	1-3	2007 Copa America

[edit] Suspension

On October 4, 2007, Clark was handed a record nine-game suspension and a $10,000 fine by Major League Soccer for violently kicking FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz during Houston's 3-0 victory over Dallas on September 30.^[1][2]

[edit] Personal

Clark got married in early 2007. His parents are Lancelot and Norma. His father played soccer at Polytechnic University in 1977-78. His brother Richonne also plays soccer. Clark is an Atlanta sports enthusiast and supports the Braves, Falcons and Thrashers.

[edit] See also

• List of current MLS players

[edit] References

v • d • e United States squad - Copa América 2007 1 Wynne • 2 DeMerit • 3 Boswell • 4 Feilhaber • 5 Pearce • 6 Califf • 7 Gomez • 8 Johnson • 9 Davies • 10 Gaven • 11 Conrad • 12 Bornstein • 13 Olsen • 14 Moor • 15 Kljestan • 16 Beckerman • 17 Keller • 18 Clark • 19 Twellman • 20 Mapp • 21 Guzan • 22 Nguyen • Coach: Bradley

v • d • e Houston Dynamo – current squad 1 Caig • 2 Robinson • 3 Alcaraz • 4 Ianni • 5 Brown • 6 Ustruck • 7 C.Wondolowski • 8 Mulrooney • 9 Mullan • 10 Caraccio • 11 Davis • 13 Clark • 14 De Rosario • 16 Waibel • 17 Chabala • 18 Onstad • 19 Hayden • 20 Cameron • 21 Hatzke • 22 Holden • 23 S.Wondolowski • 24 Barrett • 25 Ching • 26 Ashe • 30 Waller • 32 Boswell • 99 Kpene • Coach: Kinnear