- Dave van den Bergh
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Dave van den Bergh 
Personal information Full name Dave van den Bergh Date of birth May 7, 1976 Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Playing position Left Winger Youth career 1986–1995 Ajax Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1995–1997 Ajax 12 (1) 1997–2000 Rayo Vallecano 47 (6) 2000–2006 FC Utrecht 184 (29) 2006 Kansas City Wizards 13 (3) 2007–2008 New York Red Bulls 55 (9) 2009 FC Dallas 30 (3) National team‡ 2004 Netherlands 2 (0) Teams managed 2010- United States U-20 (assistant) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 October 2009.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 March 2009Dave van den Bergh (born May 7, 1976 in Amsterdam) is a former Dutch footballer who last played for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer. He is currently an assistant coach for the United States U-20.
Contents
Career
Europe
A product of the famed AFC Ajax youth program, van den Bergh played for Ajax from 1995 to 1997, winning one league title during that time and reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Between 1997 and 2000, he played for Rayo Vallecano in Spain, helping the team get promoted to the Primera División, and earning their first UEFA Cup qualification. Between 2000 and 2006, he played for Utrecht in the Netherlands, contributing 29 league goals over that span and helped the team earn five straight UEFA Cup appearances.
He was a member of the Utrecht squad that won the Dutch Cup in 2003 (4-1 against Feyenoord) and 2004 (1-0 against FC Twente), scoring the only goal in the 2004 final. Also in 2004, he won the Dutch Super Cup (4-2 against AFC Ajax), ranking him among the most successful Utrecht players.
United States
In June 2006, van den Bergh (who is married to an American) was signed by the Kansas City Wizards, for whom he scored three goals in thirteen appearances . Prior to the 2007 MLS season, he was traded to New York Red Bulls in exchange for a third-round draft pick in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft.[1] During the 2007 season, van den Bergh obtained a U.S. Green Card, meaning that he was now considered a domestic player instead of a senior international. He quickly established himself as the team's starting left winger, and also moved to the left back position. He ended his first season with the club appearing in 29 league matches, including 26 starts. He tallied 2 goals and led the club with 8 assists. In 2008 Dave continued his fine play with New York appearing in 26 league matches recording 7 goals and 5 assists. He scored the most important goal in club history in the Western Conference Final leading New York to a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake and a berth in the 2008 MLS Cup.
van den Bergh with FC Dallas
New York traded van den Bergh to FC Dallas on January 12, 2009 for forward Dominic Oduro and FC Dallas's second-round pick (selection #18) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. As part of the trade, the two teams also exchanged 2009 MLS SuperDraft first-round picks; New York received FC Dallas's #11 selection while FC Dallas took New York's slot at #14.[2] In 2009 Dave had another impressive season appearing in all 30 regular season matches for Dallas recording 3 goals and 11 assists.
The 2010 MLS season showed van den Bergh to be a man without a team. In spite of what many would argue was a career campaign in 2009 for the crafty veteran left winger, FC Dallas waived van den Bergh prior to the start of the 2010 season after he reportedly questioned coach Schellas Hyndman's coaching style. However FC Dallas maintained his rights in MLS and apparently the club made it very difficult for van den Bergh to move to a new team. “I have not talked with anyone (from the Red Bulls) or an MLS team. I’m unemployed. I’m open to playing for certain teams, not any team”.[3]
International
Van den Bergh has been capped by the Netherlands on two occasions, both coming in 2004 when he was with Utrecht. He made his international debut on October 18 of that year in a 2-2 draw against Sweden. He also represented his country at the 1995 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Honors
Ajax
- Eredivisie (1): 1995-96
- UEFA Super Cup (1): 1995
New York Red Bulls
- Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2008
Utrecht
- Dutch Cup (1): 2003, 2004
- Johan Cruijff Shield (1): 2004
Statistics
League Appearances Goals 
Eredivisie196 30 
Segunda División22 4 Primera División25 2 UEFA Cup 12 2 
Major League Soccer98 15 Photos
References
- ^ MLSnet.com, January 11, 2007 [1] Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/01/oduro-to-red-bull-for-van-den-bergh/
- ^ http://www.nj.com/soccer-news/index.ssf/2010/03/former_red_bull_dave_van_den_b.html
External links
Categories:- 1976 births
- Living people
- Dutch footballers
- Netherlands international footballers
- AFC Ajax players
- FC Utrecht players
- Rayo Vallecano footballers
- Kansas City Wizards players
- New York Red Bulls players
- FC Dallas players
- La Liga footballers
- People from Amsterdam
- Eredivisie players
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