Benny Feilhaber

Early life

Feilhaber was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is Jewish, and was raised in his father's Jewish religion. His paternal grandfather emigrated from the Austrian capital city of Vienna to Brazil in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime.

Feilhaber was six years old when his family moved from Brazil to settle in the United States and attended Nottingham Country Elementary in Katy, Texas. He spent approximately eight years in the New York City suburb of Scarsdale where he played for the local soccer team, the Scarsdale Lightning. In 1996, he led the team and won the New York State Cup for the U-12 division. He attended Northwood High School in Irvine, California, where he was a standout midfielder on the school's soccer team. He also played club soccer for the Irvine Strikers, winning various youth national titles. He was coached by youth coach Don Ebert.

After graduating in 2003, he played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he became a mainstay in the Bruins' midfield. At UCLA he was roommates with future national teammate Jonathan Bornstein. Feilhaber made the team as a walk-on, rather than being recruited with a scholarship offer. After his second year at UCLA Feilhaber was called up by the U.S. U-20 national soccer team to play in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.

Club career

Hamburger SV

His performances in the tournament caught the attention of scouts from several European teams and, after representing the U.S. in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel where he won a silver medal playing for it alongside Jonathan Bornstein and Leonid Krupnik, Feilhaber signed for Hamburger SV in July 2005. In the 2005–06 season, Feilhaber played with the Hamburg reserve team in the third division, or Regionalliga.

On October 12, 2006, Feilhaber made his Bundesliga debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 home loss to Schalke 04. His first start came on October 22, 2006, when he played ninety minutes in a 2–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg's first win of the season.

Derby County

On August 9, 2007, Feilhaber obtained a work permit to play for newly promoted Premier League side Derby County. His signing was completed on August 10, 2007, and Feilhaber made his debut for the club on September 17, 2007, coming on as an eightieth-minute substitute in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United. He earned his first start in a 1–0 loss to Reading on October 7.

After the sacking of manager Billy Davies and the appointment of Paul Jewell, Feilhaber saw little playing time at Pride Park. During the 2007–08 winter transfer window Feilhaber was linked with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and American club New England Revolution but neither deal was completed. Derby released Feilhaber on a free transfer after being relegated from the Premier League after only one season.

AGF Aarhus

On August 15, 2008, Feilhaber signed with Danish Superliga team Aarhus Gymnastikforening, commonly known as AGF. He made his debut for the club on September 1, 2008, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute in a 0–3 loss to FC Nordsjælland. He scored his first Superliga goal and was named Man of the Match against Randers on July 27, 2009.

During the spring season AGF struggled with injuries to key players, including Feilhaber. Feilhaber recovered slowly, but could not help the team avoid being relegated. Despite relegation Feilhaber remained at the club for the following season. Feilhaber clearly stated that he would have preferred a transfer to a bigger club, but when the transfer window closed he concentrated his efforts on the field. Feilhaber played very well in August, September, and October 2010, helping AGF to take a solid lead in the league. In the first 8 league games and 3 cup games, he scored six goals. Most notably he scored a hat-trick in the 6–3 win over Skive in a Danish Cup match. He also scored a superb goal from a free kick three minutes into added time against Køge securing a vital 3–2 win. Feilhaber gained significant respect from the fans due to his professional attitude in the fall of 2010.

After the winter break, AGF continued their winning streak in order to secure promotion to the Danish Superliga, but Feilhaber was mostly benched with a minor injury. On April 16, 2011, on the last day of the American transfer window, AGF sold Feilhaber to MLS.

Feilhaber made his debut for AGF in August 2008 and managed to play 58 games and scoring eight goals. His performance in the white jersey paved the way for his participation in the World Cup finals in South Africa with the U.S. national team.

New England Revolution

Feilhaber signed with MLS on April 15, 2011, and was assigned to the New England Revolution through the returning US National Team player allocation process on April 19, 2011. New England selected Feilhaber after both Chivas USA and Philadelphia Union had passed on selecting him. Feilhaber made his Revolution (and MLS) debut, and first full start, on April 23, in a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City. In that match, he recorded his first Revolution assist, setting up Marko Perović's 12th minute goal. Feilhaber scored his first Revolution goal on July 23 in a 2-2 draw against the Colorado Rapids.

In the 2011 New England Revolution season, Benny would make a total of 23 appearances for the Revolution (all starts), notching four goals, and leading the team in assists, with seven.

In the 2012 New England Revolution season, Feilhaber made 29 appearances (23 starts) for New England, recording a goal and two assists. His lone goal was scored on June 2 in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire.

Sporting Kansas City

Following the 2012 season, New England did not exercise his option. He was later traded to Sporting Kansas City in exchange for a 2014 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick, a 2015 MLS SuperDraft second-round pick, and allocation money. Benny quickly found success in Kansas City, featuring as a starter for the side that captured the 2013 MLS Cup.

The 2015 season saw a return to top form for Feilhaber. He became a focal point in the entire scheme of attack, being more of a playmaker than ever before. As of September 18, 2015, he had amassed in 31 competitive appearances, 12 goals and 19 assists. In November 2015, he was named one of the three finalists for both the 2015 MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award.

Los Angeles FC

Feilhaber was traded to expansion side Los Angeles FC on January 3, 2018, in exchange for $400,000 in allocation money. In 34 appearances for the franchise in its inaugural season he would score 3 goals and notch 6 assists. Despite playing all but one competitive match for the club that year, Feilhaber found himself out of contract at the end of the season and became a free agent.

Colorado Rapids

On January 11, 2019, Feilhaber joined Colorado Rapids.

Return to Kansas City

On May 8, 2019, Feilhaber was traded to Sporting Kansas City. He debuted on May 18 in a 1–1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Retirement

After leaving Kansas City at the end of their 2019 season, Feilhaber officially announced his retirement from playing professional soccer on March 11, 2020.

Des Moines Menace

Along with a group of retired MLS players, including Sacha Kljestan, Osvaldo Alonso, Matt Hedges, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Feilhaber joined USL2 Amateur side Des Moines Menace for their two-match run in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup. Feilhaber logged 76 minutes and drew a penalty in a 2-1 victory against Sporting KC II, the team which he had formerly coached. He came on at halftime in a second-round defeat to Union Omaha and drew a penalty, which he converted for his first goal in more than five years, as Des Moines exited the tournament.

International career

Feilhaber was called up twice to the senior United States national team for friendlies against Scotland on November 12, 2005, and Germany on March 22, 2006, but did not play in either game.

On November 30, 2006, he turned down an offer from Andreas Herzog to play for Austria and said that he would instead focus on earning a place on the U.S. national team.

On March 15, 2007, Feilhaber was again placed on the 24-man roster by coach Bob Bradley for friendly matches against Ecuador and Guatemala. Feilhaber made his first career start for the United States team in the March 25 game against Ecuador, and scored his first international goal against China on June 2. He scored the game-winning goal on a volley in the 2007 Gold Cup final on June 24 against Mexico.

After being demoted to the reserves at Derby and picking up a series of injuries, Feilhaber saw less time with the senior national team. However, Feilhaber was named to the United States Under-23 squad that competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He appeared as a substitute in all three games for the United States.

After more than a year since his last action with the senior team, Feilhaber was named to the United States roster for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Along with former UCLA teammate Jonathan Bornstein and fellow UCLA alum Carlos Bocanegra, Feilhaber played in the upset of top-ranked Spain in a semi-final game on June 24, 2009. He orchestrated the second goal, rounding Gerard Pique to find Landon Donovan, who found Clint Dempsey for the finish in the center. He then appeared in the final, in which the United States fell to Brazil, the country of his birth, 3–2.

Feilhaber was a part of the 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Feilhaber was used as a substitute, gaining playing time in two of the three group stage matches—a draw against Slovenia and a victory against Algeria. The United States finished at the top of Group C. In the Round of 16, Feilhaber was substituted in for Robbie Findley in the second half of the match against Ghana. Commentators remarked on his ability to generate plays and praised his readiness to make decisions, many of which were key passes to set up chances to score. One such pass was a through ball for Clint Dempsey, who was then fouled in the box. Landon Donovan took the subsequent penalty and scored to tie the score at 1–1, although Ghana would later come back in the first half of extra time to score through Asamoah Gyan, ending the game 2–1.

Feilhaber was not called up to a national camp from January 2014 until October 2017, even during and after his 2015 MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award finalist season. This has led Feilhaber become critical of national team manager Jürgen Klinsmann and his selection of players, saying "I don't think Jurgen calls in the best players that are available to him." Feilhaber went on to mention Sacha Kljestan, Dax McCarty, Matt Hedges, and Eric Lichaj as other players performing well that have not been called up by Klinsmann. Klinsmann responded that Feilhaber was not able to perform as well as the national team staff hoped in prior camps, and saying that "He doesn't have a coach's perspective. He doesn't know how we put the pieces together. He doesn't know how we evaluate every position, how we evaluated the pieces that we need to connect."

Coaching career

On August 25, 2020, Feilhaber returned to his former youth club UCLA Bruins as an assistant coach under head coach Ryan Jorden. He left the position on January 26, 2021, to return to Sporting Kansas City, becoming the Director of Technical Operations on the Sporting KC technical staff. On August 23, he was appointed U-17 manager at Sporting Kansas' academy.

Feilhaber was named head coach of Sporting Kansas City II for the 2022 season. In November 2024, Sporting KC announced that Feilhaber would not be returning as head coach of Sporting Kansas City II in 2025.

Personal life

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Feilhaber has stated that he supports the Brazilian team Botafogo. His father is a supporter of the team, and he has been one since a child.

He married his wife, Michele, on December 15, 2012. Feilhaber has a daughter named Sofia, a daughter named Julia and a son named Luca.

Career statistics

Club

International

:Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Feilhaber goal.

Honors

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2007

Sporting Kansas City

• MLS Cup: 2013
• U.S. Open Cup: 2015, 2017

Individual

• MLS All-Star: 2015
• MLS Best XI: 2015
• In 2010 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

References

References

1. {{Hugman. 23022
2. Powers, John. (June 15, 2007). "Feilhaber going with the flow". [[The Boston Globe]].
3. "Family Life".
4. (June 8, 2010). "Are There Jews in the World Cup?". The Great Rabbino.
5. Cohen, Emily. (June 8, 2010). "Two Jewish SoCal Soccer Players Head for World Cup". The Jewish Journal.
6. Parikh, Sagar. (July 2017). "Midfielder signs to German squad". [[Daily Bruin]].
7. (2015). "The Jewish Olympics: The History of the Maccabiah Games". Skyhorse Publishing, Inc..
8. "Two Jewish SoCal Soccer Players Head for World Cup – Sports". Jewish Journal.
9. (August 9, 2007). "U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber gets work permit to play for Derby County". [[USA Today]].
10. Cornforth, Amanda. (August 10, 2007). "Feilhaber completes Rams move". [[Sky Sports]].
11. Bonell, Jonny. (2018-05-02). "What happened next: Feilhaber – promised so much but was a 'disaster'".
12. Sinnott, John. (September 17, 2007). "Derby 1-0 Newcastle".
13. Mitchener, Mark. (October 7, 2007). "Reading 1-0 Derby".
14. Bell, Jack. (July 17, 2017). "Q&A With Benny Feilhaber".
15. (August 15, 2008). "Feilhaber In Denmark To Sign Deal". Goal.com.
16. (September 22, 2010). "Kapidzic åbnede og lukkede AGF-fest". Bold.dk.
17. (September 26, 2010). "Feilhaber matchvinder i overtiden". Onside.dk.
18. (2011-04-20). "Revolution acquires Benny Feilhaber".
19. "2024 Media Guide".
20. (April 20, 2011). "New England claim US international Feilhaber". [[Major League Soccer]].
21. (April 23, 2011). "Revolution 3 Sporting KC 2". New England Revolution.
22. City, Sporting Kansas. (2011-04-24). "Sporting KC Falls 3-2 at New England".
23. Lemieux, Jeff. (July 24, 2011). "Revolution 2, Rapids 2". New England Revolution.
24. Lemieux, Jeff. (June 2, 2012). "Revs 2, Chicago Fire 0". New England Revolution.
25. Austin, Kurt. (December 11, 2012). "Sporting KC acquires midfielder Benny Feilhaber". sportingkc.com.
26. (December 11, 2012). "Revs trade Feilhaber to Sporting K.C.". ESPN.
27. (November 3, 2015). "Benny Feilhaber, Sebastian Giovinco, Kei Kamara contend for Landon Donovan MVP as MLS announces 2015 Awards finalists". MLS Soccer.
28. (January 3, 2018). "LAFC acquires Benny Feilhaber from Sporting Kansas City". LAFC.com.
29. "Benny Feilhaber".
30. (January 11, 2019). "Benny Feilhaber signs Free Agent deal with Colorado Rapids".
31. (January 11, 2019). "Colorado Rapids sign US international Benny Feilhaber". Colorado Rapids.
32. (May 8, 2019). "Sporting KC acquires midfielder Benny Feilhaber in trade with Colorado Rapids". Sporting Kansas City.
33. (March 11, 2020). "Benny Feilhaber retires after storied US men's national team, professional career". Major League Soccer.
34. (March 11, 2025). "The all-amateur Des Moines Menace have a history of punching above their weight in the U.S. Open Cup". U.S. Soccer.
35. (March 19, 2025). "Des Moines 2-1 SPKC II (Mar 19, 2025) Team Stats". ESPN.
36. (April 2, 2025). "Omaha 2-1 Des Moines (Apr 2, 2025) Commentary". ESPN.
37. "Doppelpass ins rot-weiß-rote Abseits". Kurier.at.
38. [http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/062409aaa.html U.S. National Team Upsets Top-Ranked Spain, 2–0] {{webarchive. link. (July 25, 2011 , June 24, 2009)
39. [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27314056-5019291,00.html United States beat Algeria, top Group C, with late Landon Donovan goal], June 24, 2010
40. (October 3, 2017). "Benny Feilhaber 'shocked' by U.S. men's national team call-up". Orlando Sentinel.
41. French, Scott. "Sporting KC's Benny Feilhaber speaks out on US national team exile: "I don't think Klinsmann calls in the best players"". MLSsoccer.com.
42. Davis, Noah. (September 8, 2015). "America's Best American Midfielder: Why Can't Benny Feilhaber Get a USMNT Call-Up?". Grantland.
43. Rogers, Martin. (January 19, 2016). "Benny Feilhaber slams Jurgen Klinsmann's USMNT player selection policy". USA TODAY.
44. Stejskal, Sam. "US national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann responds to Benny Feilhaber's rant in interviews with Goal.com and ESPN FC". MLSsoccer.com.
45. [https://www.bruinsnation.com/2020/8/25/21399814/ucla-mens-soccer-benny-feilhaber-juan-cervantes-bruins-coaching-staff Benny Feilhaber, Juan Cervantes join UCLA Men’s Soccer coaching staff], bruinsnation.com, 25 August 2020
46. [https://www.kshb.com/sports/former-sporting-kc-star-benny-feilhaber-returns-as-assistant-coach Former Sporting KC star Benny Feilhaber returns as assistant coach], kshb.com, 26 January 2021
47. [https://www.sportingkc.com/news/benny-feilhaber-appointed-as-sporting-kc-academy-u-17-head-coach Benny Feilhaber appointed as Sporting KC Academy U-17 head coach], sportingkc.com, 23 August 2021
48. Kovzan, Sam. (January 12, 2022). "Benny Feilhaber named Sporting KC II head coach".
49. "Sporting KC announces roster moves ahead of 2025 season". [[Sporting Kansas City]].
50. Kaíque Ferreira. (January 16, 2014). "Alvinegro, meia dos EUA lamenta saída de Seedorf: 'Deu tudo ao clube'". Lance!.
51. "Sporting KC acquires midfielder Benny Feilhaber". Sporting Kansas City.
52. Sporting Kansas City. (June 27, 2014). "Another beautiful #SKCBaby. Congrats again to @b_feilhaber22 and @meesh3309!".
53. "Chris Wondolowski, Benny Feilhaber welcome new additions to their families". Major League Soccer.
54. {{WorldFootball.net. benny-feilhaber
55. {{Soccerway. benny-feilhaber/2008
56. {{NFT player. 21459
57. "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home".