Andy Gruenebaum (/ˈɡriːnəbɔːm/; born December 30, 1982) is a retired American professional soccer goalkeeper. He was selected by the Columbus Crew with the third overall pick in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. He made his MLS debut in 2006.
 Andy Gruenebaum 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 30, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Overland Park, Kansas, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Kentucky Wildcats | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | Des Moines Menace | 15 | (0) |
| 2006–2013 | Columbus Crew | 80 | (0) |
| 2014 | Sporting Kansas City | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 106 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 28, 2014 | |||
Career
editAmateur
editGruenebaum, who is Jewish, is an Overland Park, Kansas, native.[1] He was an All-American at Blue Valley North High School. He attended the University of Kentucky, where he recorded 21 shutouts in 66 collegiate games. Gruenebaum earned All-Conference honors and picked up the nickname "The Hebrew Hammer."[2]
Prior to his senior season, Gruenebaum starred for the Des Moines Menace in the USL Premier Development League and was named MVP of the 2005 PDL championship as the Menace won their first title.[3]
Professional
editGruenebaum was selected by the Columbus Crew with the third overall pick in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. He made his MLS debut in May 2006 when Jon Busch suffered a knee injury in a match against D.C. United and started the final two matches of the season.
He started ten matches in the 2007 season, earning his first two career shutouts in back-to-back matches in April. However, his playing time gradually decreased as Will Hesmer established himself as the starting goalkeeper. He made just one league start in 2008 as the Crew won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup.[4]
Playing time remained sporadic due to the presence of Hesmer and Gruenebaum's own injuries, but he finally enjoyed a breakout season in 2012, starting 33 matches (including eight shutouts) as Hesmer missed time with injuries. He continued to start in 2013 despite missing time due to injuries.
Following the 2013 season, Gruenenbaum was traded to his hometown club, Sporting Kansas City, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.[3] After one season in Kansas City, Gruenenbaum's 2015 contract option was declined and he entered the 2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft. He was selected in stage one of the draft by San Jose Earthquakes.[5] However, Gruenenbaum instead opted to retire and take a role as a broadcaster with Sporting.[6]
Career statistics
editSources:[4]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2006 | MLS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2008 | MLS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2010 | MLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | MLS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | MLS | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 2013 | MLS | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2014 | MLS | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Career total | 91 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0 | ||
Honors
editDes Moines Menace
edit- USL Premier Development League National Champions (1): 2005
Columbus Crew
edit- Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2008
- Major League Soccer Supporter's Shield (2): 2008, 2009
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Jewish center shootings hit close to home for several Sporting KC players: "It's just terrible"". MLSsoccer.com.
- ^ Shawn Mitchell. "Crew's Gruenebaum makes most of opportunity". The Columbus Dispatch.
- ^ a b "Sporting KC trades for goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum". Sporting Kansas City. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Andy Gruenebaum". MLSsoccer.com.
- ^ "Former Sporting Kansas City goalkeepers Eric Kronberg, Andy Gruenebaum taken in Re-Entry Draft". MLSsoccer.com.
- ^ "Andy Gruenebaum joins SKCTV as color commentator for 2015". Sporting Kansas City.