 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ross Benjamin Friedman | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-01-08)January 8, 1992 (age 33) | ||
| Place of birth | Columbus, Ohio, United States | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Columbus Crew | ||
| 2010–2013 | Harvard Crimson | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | Columbus Crew | 0 | (0) |
| 2014 | →Dayton Dutch Lions (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Team USA – Maccabiah Games | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of September 8, 2014 | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing United States | ||
| Football | ||
| Maccabiah Games | ||
 | 2013 Maccabiah | Football |
Ross Benjamin Friedman (born January 8, 1992) is an American former professionalsoccer player who played for theColumbus Crew and theDayton Dutch Lions as adefender. In high school he was first team All-MSL, first team all-district, first team all-Ohio, andNSCAA all region. At Harvard University, he attained two all-time records at Harvard his senior year with 12 season assists and 17 career assists, and was named 2nd team All-Ivy League. Professionally, he played for theColumbus Crew and theDayton Dutch Lions. He and Team USA won the gold medal at the2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Friedman is Jewish, and was born inColumbus, Ohio, to Tod and Cheri Friedman, and his hometown wasBexley, Ohio.[2][3][4][5][6] He was a member of theJewish Community Center of Greater Columbus.[7][8] He began his soccer career at the JCC and on theColumbus Torah Academy recreational FIFA team.[8] He attends bothTemple Israel andBeth Jacob Congregation in Columbus.[9]
Friedman attendedBexley High School inBexley, Ohio where he was a four-year letter winner and captained theBoys' Soccer Team his junior and senior years.[10] During his tenure at Bexley, he led the team to two state semi-final appearances,[11] earning first team All-MSL as a junior, first team all-district, first team all-state andNSCAA all region as a senior.[12] Friedman also played for the Crew Soccer Academy that finished 3rd at the Development Academy finals.[10]
Friedman committed toHarvard University (Government, Economics '14) in 2010.[13] He played in 14 games as a freshman, starting four and scoring the game-winning goal against theUniversity of Massachusetts.[10] As a sophomore, he started all 17 games and led the team in points with six assists and six points, receiving anAll-Ivy League Honorable Mention.[14] Friedman attained two all-time records at Harvard his senior year by having 12 season assists and 17 career assists, also ranking 6th in theNCAA in assists and 5th in assists per game.[11] He was named 2nd team All-Ivy League as well as named to the Academic All-Ivy League.[10] He helped the Columbus Crew Junior win the 2010 and the 2011 Super-20 championship[11] and was named the all-tournament teams in 2010 and 2012.[14] He was also a member of the fraternityAEPi at Harvard.[15]
In 2013 Friedman helpedTeam USA capture the gold medal at the2013 Maccabiah Games inIsrael, leading the tournament in assists.[16] He scored on his penalty kick in the overtime shootout in the championship against Argentina.[16] He said playing in the 2013 Maccabiah Games "was the best and coolest experience in my whole soccer career."[3]
Friedman signed as aHomegrown Player withColumbus Crew on January 8, 2014.[14] He was loaned out to theirUSL Pro affiliateDayton Dutch Lions in March 2014.[17] On November 18, 2014, the Crew declined his option.[18]
Friedman then played a short while for an Israeli club in southern Tel Aviv.[15] In 2015, a significant injury forced him to retire.[15]
Friedman then began a career in real estate, working first for Rockbridge, a privateinvestment firm specializing in hospitality investments, from 2015 to 2018.[15] In 2018 he and some partners started Main + High Investments, aprivate equity and real estate firm in Columbus.[15]