Lars Hirschfeld

Football player infobox
playername = Lars Hirschfeld


fullname = Lars Justin Hirschfeld
nickname =
height = 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|10|17
cityofbirth = Edmonton
countryofbirth = Canada
currentclub = CFR Cluj
position = Goalkeeper
clubnumber = 13
youthyears = 1997
youthclubs = Edmonton Ital-Canadians
years = 1997-1998
1998-2000
2000
2001
2001-2002
2003-2004
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2004-2005
2005
2006-2007
2008-
clubs = Edmonton Drillers
Energie Cottbus
Calgary Storm
Vancouver Whitecaps
Calgary Storm
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
→ Luton Town "(loan)"
→ Gillingham F.C. "(loan)"
→ Dundee United "(loan)"
Leicester City
Tromsø I.L.
Rosenborg B.K.
CFR Cluj| caps(goals) = - (-)
0 (0)
- (-)
1 (0)
32 (0)
0 (0)
5 (0)
2 (0)
2 (0)
1 (0)
11 (0)
52 (0)
5 (0)
nationalyears = 2000-
nationalteam = Canada
nationalcaps(goals) = 21 (0)
pcupdate = 6 January 2008
ntupdate = 6 January 2008

Lars Hirschfeld (born on October 17, 1978 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian football goalkeeper currently playing at CFR Cluj in Romania.

Biography

Hirschfeld started his career with the Edmonton Drillers, playing indoor soccer. He has also played with Energie Cottbus in Germany, Calgary Storm, and Vancouver Whitecaps.

Hirschfeld's big break with Canada came at the 2002 Gold Cup, where he was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament after allowing only four goals in five matches and recording an impressive semifinal shutout against the United States. This caused English club Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to take interest, and Hirschfeld signed with them in early 2002.

He rarely featured for the Spurs first team, however, and went on loan to Luton Town and Gillingham F.C. before joining Dundee United in August 2004. A move to Leicester City followed in January 2005, but Hirschfeld only made one start during the remainder of the 04/05 season.

Hirschfeld was then signed by Tromsø I.L. as a replacement goalkeeper for the remainder of the Norwegian 2005-season. Hirschfeld made some crucial saves during Tromsø's campaign to avoid relegation and was a key figure in the UEFA Cup matches against Esbjerg fB and Galatasaray, both of which were won by Tromsø I.L.

The following season, Hirschfeld won the Norwegian Premier League with Rosenborg B.K., having beaten Espen Johnsen for first-string goalie at the club. Hirschfeld was in goal when Rosenborg beat Valencia CF twice in the UEFA Champions League 2007-08 group stage, recording two clean sheets in home-and-away 2-0 wins, and made a number of saves in his side's 1-1 draw away to English club Chelsea FC, the last match in charge of Chelsea for manager José Mourinho.

Hirschfeld currently plays for CFR Cluj in Romania after joining from Rosenborg for €1,300,000 [ [http://www.rbk.no/incoming/article97529.ece Hirschfeld solgt] ] on 6 January 2008.

Hirschfeld also holds German citizenship and therefore the European Union passport highly sought after by footballers.

Honours

Individual

*CONCACAF Gold Cup Most Valuable Goalkeeper: 2002
*The Voyageurs Player of the Year:
**Third place: 2007

Club

Rosenborg
*Norwegian Premier League: 2006

CFR Cluj
*Romanian Liga I: 2007/2008

Country

Canada
*CONCACAF Gold Cup:
**Third place: 2002

Trivia

*Nordlys, a local newspaper in Tromsø, called Hirschfeld the greatest goalkeeper ever to play for Tromsø I.L., after only 6 matches at his new club. Nordlys ranked him ahead of such goal keepers as Einar Rossbach, Knut Borch, and Bjarte Flem.

External links

* [http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/nationals/profile.asp?playerid=13 Profile at the official site of the Canadian Soccer Association]

References