 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rodrigo Faria | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-02-24)February 24, 1977 (age 48) | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999 | Concordia College (New York) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2002 | MetroStars | 49 | (20) |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire | 5 | (0) |
| 2003 | San Jose Earthquakes | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rodrigo Faria (born 24 February 1977, inRio de Janeiro) is a former Brazilianfootballer who played as astriker.
Faria began his youth career in Brazil with theFlamengo andVasco da Gama systems.[1] He later came to the United States to attendConcordia College in 1999, where he scored 24 goals in 19 games.[2] During college, he also played for theWestchester Flames in thePremier Development League. He was scouted by the MetroStars and subsequently drafted 13th overall in the2001 MLS SuperDraft.
In his first season with the MetroStars, Faria tied the then MLS rookie single-season record by scoring eight goals on the way to being named theMLS Rookie of the Year. In an expanded role in 2002, he upped his total to twelve goals and also tallied five assists to lead the club in scoring. The club acquired a new head coachBob Bradley from theChicago Fire the following season and Faria was shipped to Chicago as compensation.
Rodrigo split the 2003 MLS season between the Fire and theSan Jose Earthquakes, without scoring a regular season goal.[3] He scored the overtime game-winner for the Earthquakes in a dramatic comeback against theLos Angeles Galaxy in theMLS Cup semifinals. San Jose went on to win the Cup with Faria playing a minor role.
Shortly after the 2003 season, Faria returned to Brazil to tend to his family's business interests after the death of his father. Though he expressed interest in continuing his playing career, he retired from the game due to a lack of Brazilian clubs willing to pay the required fees to purchase his unfulfilled contract with MLS.