 Henderson playing forColorado Rapids | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Henderson | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1970-12-11)December 11, 1970 (age 55) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Edmonds, Washington, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | UCLA Bruins | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Seattle Storm | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | FSV Frankfurt | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Stabæk | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Colorado Rapids | 87 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Kansas City Wizards | 61 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Miami Fusion | 25 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Colorado Rapids | 91 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Columbus Crew | 21 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | New York Red Bulls | 32 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 332 | (59) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2001 | United States | 79 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Christopher Henderson (born December 11, 1970) is an American former professionalsoccer player who played as amidfielder. He is currently chief soccer officer and sporting director ofAtlanta United FC.
Henderson, older brother toSean Henderson and younger brother toPat Henderson, attendedCascade High School inEverett, Washington.[1][2] In 1989, he was awarded the Gatorade Player of the Year. He played a single season with theSeattle Storm of theWestern Soccer League earning first team All-Star honors and 1989 Rookie of the Year.
Henderson played two years ofcollege soccer atUCLA, where he helped the team win a national championship his sophomore season. Upon graduating from college, Henderson played for2. Bundesliga clubFSV Frankfurt during the1994–95 season.[3] After the end of that season, he moved to the Norwegian league forStabæk prior to 1996. He was inducted into theUCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Henderson returned to the U.S. and on March 11, 1996, theColorado Rapids ofMajor League Soccer (MLS) named Henderson as a Discovery Player. He immediately stood out by starting 29 games, scoring three goals and eight assists, and being named the Rapids' Team MVP. Henderson spent the next two seasons with the Rapids, registering nine goals and 22 assists over 51 games. He then moved to theKansas City Wizards for the 1999 season, where he started 29 games, scoring three goals and six assists. Henderson was scoring champion for KC in 2000, registering nine goals and nine assists in the KC Wizards team that won theMLS Cup andMLS Supporters' Shield.
He moved to theMiami Fusion for the 2001 season, where he scored three goals and eight assists on a team that went on to win theMLS Supporters' Shield in their final year. Upon Fusion's contraction, Henderson was reacquired by the Rapids in the2002 MLS Dispersal Draft. Henderson continued to be a threat on the right for the Rapids, scoring 11 goals and seven assists in his first season back. He is the Rapids' all-time leader with 178 games played, 53 assists, 120 points, and a member of The Rapids Gallery of Honor. Henderson was traded to theColumbus Crew in May 2005. His final season he went to the NY/NJ MetroStars — soon renamedNew York Red Bulls. Henderson played every match of the 2006 season and playoffs, and by its end he was the league's all-time leader in games/minutes played, though he has since lost the title. He went on to announce his retirement from professional soccer on December 22, 2006.[4]
Henderson earned 79caps with theU.S. national team throughout the 1990s, beginning with a call-up while still at UCLA.[5] He started in a victory overIceland and quickly established himself on the national team, seeing time in nearly every game leading up to the1990 FIFA World Cup. He was on the U.S. roster at the 1990 World Cup – and the tournament's youngest player at 19. Henderson was a member of theU.S. team at the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona.He was a key player in the US Men's National Team's first Gold Cup Championship in 1991. Henderson was the first player to score a goal for the United States Men's National Team inCopa America in 1993 inEcuador.
Henderson continued to play with the national team until 1998. His last game in the 1990s came in a February 25, 1998 loss toBelgium as the U.S. prepared for the1998 FIFA World Cup Henderson earned his next cap on October 25, 2000. His final cap, came on September 1, 2001. Over his 79-cap national team career, Henderson scored three goals and ten assists for the United States Men's National Team and three goals for the USA Men's Olympic Team.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 June 1993 | Quito,Ecuador |  Venezuela | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1993 Copa América |
| 2. | 16 November 1997 | Foxborough, United States |  El Salvador | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Following his retirement as a player, Henderson rejoined the Kansas City Wizards as an assistant coach for the 2007 season. On January 24, 2008, it was announced that Henderson would be joining the front office of theSeattle Sounders FC as the technical director.[6] Under Henderson, the Sounders reached the playoffs in 12 consecutive years starting with their expansion season in 2009. They have won four U.S. Open Cups, one Supporters' Shield, and two MLS Cup championships since joining the league.[7]
Henderson was named the chief soccer officer and sporting director ofInter Miami CF on January 18, 2021.[8]In 2023 Inter Miami CF wonLeagues Cup and in 2024 they wonMLS Supporter's Shield.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FSV Frankfurt | 1994–95[9] | 2. Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 2 | ||
| Colorado Rapids | 1996[10] | Major League Soccer | 29 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1997[10] | 30 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 1998[10] | 28 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total | 87 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Kansas City Wizards | 1999[10] | Major League Soccer | 30 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2000[10] | 31 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Total | 61 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Miami Fusion | 2001[10] | Major League Soccer | 25 | 3 | ||||||||
| Colorado Rapids | 2002[10] | Major League Soccer | 28 | 11 | ||||||||
| 2003[10] | 26 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2004[10] | 29 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 2005[10] | 8 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | 91 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Columbus Crew | 2005[10] | Major League Soccer | 21 | 2 | ||||||||
| New York Red Bulls | 2006[10] | Major League Soccer | 32 | 3 | ||||||||
| Career total | 332 | 53 | ||||||||||
United States
Individual
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