Andres Arango
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrés Arango | ||
| Date of birth | April 23, 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Medellín, Colombia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Humber Hawks | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003 | Montreal Impact | 2 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Toronto Lynx | 69 | (1) |
| 2007 | Montreal Impact | 21 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Minnesota Thunder | 37 | (0) |
| 2010 | NSC Minnesota Stars | 28 | (1) |
| 2011–2013 | Tampa Bay Rowdies[1] | 41 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002–2003 | Canada U20 | 17 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Canada U23 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 22, 2013. | |||
Andres Arango (born April 23, 1983 in Medellín) is a retired Colombian-born Canadian soccer player.
Career
Youth and College
Arango moved from his native Colombia to Canada with his parents as a young child. He played college soccer for Humber College.
Professional
Arango signed for Montreal Impact of the USL First Division in 2003. After only making two appearances and playing for 5 minutes, he was traded in the off-season to their main rivals the Toronto Lynx for Lynx star defender Mauricio Vincello.[2]
With the Lynx, Arango played an important role in the defence, playing 22 games and scoring his first USL First Division goal on July 18, 2004 versus Calgary Mustangs. In his second season, Arango started off well but an injury kept him out for a while. He came back and played 20 games for the Lynx. That same year Arango was named Toronto Lynx Defensive Player of the Year. Arango signed a new deal with the Lynx on a press conference on April 19, 2006.[3]
During the 2006 season Arango was named Toronto Lynx Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year, and also led the Toronto Lynx in minutes played with 2430 min. He helped his team to a 10 game undefeated streak at home, and also reached the finals of the Open Canada Cup but finished runners up to Ottawa St. Anthony Italia losing 2-0.
When the season ended the Lynx franchise dropped two divisions down to the PDL, making him a free agent to sign for his former club the Montreal Impact.[4] After a disappointing season he was released by the Impact at the end of the season, and on April 22, 2008 the Minnesota Thunder signed him and former Impact forward Frederico Moojen.[5] On February 25, 2010, the NSC Minnesota Stars of the USSF Division 2 signed him.[6]
Arango signed a two-year contract with FC Tampa Bay of the North American Soccer League on February 22, 2011. The contract also includes a club option for 2013,[7] although the 2013 option was declined on November 20, 2012.[8] Following the 2013 NASL season, Arango announced his retirement on March 1, 2014.
International
Arango was also a star for the Canadian U20 team that made it to the quarter-finals in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship where he was a starting defender.
Honours
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- NASL Championship
- Winners (1): 2012
References
- ↑ Formerly known as FC Tampa Bay through 2011.
- ↑ Arango Moves To Lynx Archived March 1, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ USL Toronto Lynx press conference
- ↑ Frederico Moojen and Andres Arango join the Impact Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Thunder add pair from Montreal Archived July 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.nscsports.org/news-info/media_info/releases/stars_signings.htm
- ↑ http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4156892
- ↑ http://nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3527|Offseason Roster Moves Underway