- Derek Van Rheenen
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Derek Van Rheenen Personal information Full name Derek Van Rheenen Date of birth January 3, 1964 Place of birth Ibadan, Nigeria Playing position Defender Youth career 1983-1986 Berkeley Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1986-1990 San Francisco Greek-Americans 1990-1992 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks 1993 San Jose Hawks 1994-1998 San Francisco Greek-Americans * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Derek Van Rheenen (born January 3, 1964 in Ibadan, Nigeria) is a retired U.S. soccer defender who played his entire career with three San Francisco based clubs.
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Youth and college
While born in Nigeria, Van Rheenen grew up in California where he attended Woodside High School in Woodside, California, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1980, he scored one of his team’s four goals in Woodside’s Central Coast Section championship.[1] After graduating from high school, Van Rheenen attended University of California, Berkeley where he played on the men’s soccer team from 1983 to 1986. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political economy and German.
Playing career
San Francisco Greek-Americans
In 1986, Van Rheenen joined the powerhouse amateur club, San Francisco Greek-Americans. In 1988, the team went to the U.S. Open Cup final only to lose to the St. Louis Busch Seniors.
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
In 1990, Van Rheenen he signed with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) where he became known as an enforcer.[2] That season the Blackhawks went to the title match, only to fall to the Maryland Bays in penalty kicks. The next year the Blackhawks took the league title, defeating the Albany Capitals. Van Rheenen earned individual honors as a first team All Star. In 1993, the team saw a drop off in its league performance as it concentrated on making a run through the CONCACAF Champions Cup in which it went to the semifinals only to fall to the Hugo Sánchez-led Club América, 4-3 on aggregate. At the end of the 1992 season, the Blackhawks owner pulled the team from the APSL and relocated it to the lower division U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL). He also renamed the team the San Jose Hawks. Even under the new name, the Hawks continued to dominate, taking first place in the Pacific Division and winning a spot in the Sizzling Six championship. Despite winning both of its games, the team found itself shut out of the title game based on goal differential. However, Van Rheenen was named a first team All Star again. Despite its success, the Hawks folded at the end of the season. Van Rheenen was team captain during his four seasons with the Blackhawks/Hawks.
San Francisco Greek-Americans
Following the demise of the Hawks, Van Rheenen rejoined the Greek-Americans and spent five years with the club. In 1994, the Greek-Americans went to the U.S. Open Cup final, this time taking the title with a win over Milwaukee Bavarian Leinenkugel. The Greek-Americans were the last amateur club to win the Open Cup. While the professional teams have dominated the Open Cup since 1995, Van Rheenen and the Greek-Americans continued to experience national success, winning the 1996 and 1998 Over-30 national championship and the 2004 Over 40 national championship.
Other clubs
In 2000, Van Rheenen was a member, and the leading scorer, for the Olympic Club in the San Francisco Soccer Football League’s Major Division. Fellow Berkeley graduate, and Blackhawks team mate, Peter Woodring also played on the team.[3]
Van Rheenen continues to play for the Over-40 club Real Marin Spurs of the Marin Soccer League.[4]
University career
After leaving professional soccer, Van Rheenen returned to Berkeley where he attained a Master’s degree in education in 1993 and a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1997. He is currently a professor at Berkeley and is the academic adviser to the school's athletic teams.
References
External links
Categories:- 1964 births
- Living people
- American soccer players
- American Professional Soccer League players
- American people of Dutch descent
- California Golden Bears men's soccer players
- San Francisco Bay Blackhawks players
- San Francisco Greek-American A.C. players
- USISL players
- San Jose Hawks players
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- University of California, Berkeley faculty
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