View source for Chris Rolfe

{{Short description|American soccer player (born 1983)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name                 = Chris Rolfe
| image                = Chris Rolfe DC United.JPG
| caption              = Rolfe playing for DC United in 2014
| fullname             = 
| birth_date           = {{Birth date and age|1983|1|17}}<ref name="sw">{{Soccerway|6894|accessdate=7 November 2022}}</ref>
| birth_place          = [[Kettering, Ohio]], U.S.<ref name="sw"/>
| height               = {{height|ft=5|in=8}}
| position             = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]], [[winger (association football)|winger]]
| currentclub          = 
| youthyears1          = 
| youthclubs1          = [[Fairmont High School (Ohio)|Fairmont Firebirds]]
| collegeyears1        = 2001–2004
| college1             = [[Dayton Flyers men's soccer|Dayton Flyers]]
| years1               = 2003–2004
| clubs1               = [[Chicago Fire Premier]]
| caps1                = 18
| goals1               = 9
| years2               = 2005–2009
| clubs2               = [[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]]
| caps2                = 123
| goals2               = 36
| years3               = 2010–2012
| clubs3               = [[AaB Fodbold|AaB]]
| caps3                = 35
| goals3               = 6
| years4               = 2012–2014
| clubs4               = [[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]]
| caps4                = 55
| goals4               = 12
| years5               = 2014–2017
| clubs5               = [[D.C. United]]
| caps5                = 61
| goals5               = 16
| totalcaps            = 292
| totalgoals           = 79
| nationalyears1       = 2005–2009
| nationalteam1        = [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]
| nationalcaps1        = 10 
| nationalgoals1       = 0
| medaltemplates       =
}}

'''Chris Rolfe''' (born January 17, 1983) is an American former professional [[association football|soccer]] player. Playing both as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]] and [[winger (association football)|winger]], Rolfe primarily played for the [[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]] of [[Major League Soccer]], in addition to spending time in the [[Danish Superliga]], before joining [[D.C. United]] later in his career. He also earned 10 caps for the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] during his career. He has been the director of operations with the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer|University of Notre Dame men's soccer program]] since July 2019.<ref>[https://und.com/rolfe-named-mens-soccer-director-of-operations/ "Rolfe Named Men's Soccer Director of Operations," University of Notre Dame Athletics, Thursday, July 11, 2019.] Retrieved April 22, 2020</ref>

==Club career==

===High school and college===
Rolfe attended [[Fairmont High School (Ohio)|Kettering Fairmont High School]], where he was given his first varsity start as a freshman in the last game of the season in order to play with his brother Jon, a senior. Set the goal scoring record in only 3 years on Varsity. Earned All-State and All-Midwest honors in his senior year after leading the Firebirds to their first district title and first-ever victory over arch-rival [[Centerville High School (Centerville, Ohio)|Centerville High School]]. He played [[College soccer in the United States|college soccer]] at the [[University of Dayton]].

Despite missing most of his final two intercollegiate seasons due to injury, Rolfe continued to be a dynamic{{Clarify|reason=vague|date=August 2016}} goal scorer and eventually set the school record for career assists (25). He was named an [[NSCAA]] All-American after his senior year with the [[Dayton Flyers|Flyers]]. Rolfe also played for [[Chicago Fire Premier]] in the [[USL Premier Development League]] during the summers of 2003 and 2004, helping the Fire PDL team to the national championship game in 2003 and an undefeated season in 2004.

In 2010, Rolfe was inducted into the Ohio Soccer Hall of Fame for his accomplishments at the prep and college levels in the state of Ohio.

===Professional===
Rolfe was drafted by the senior team in the third round of the [[2005 MLS SuperDraft]] by [[Chicago Fire (soccer)|Chicago Fire]], and became a Chicago mainstay, scoring 30 goals in his first four seasons with the club, leading his team in goals with eight in his debut 2005 season, and winning the [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup]] in 2006. Since 2007, Rolfe was one of the Fire's top scorers, scoring 8 goals in the 2007 season and 9 goals in the 2008 season, including a hat-trick and man of the match performance versus the [[New York Red Bulls]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=56979&cc=5901 |title=Chris Rolfe Profile, Statistics, News, Game Log - Chicago, USA Major League Soccer - ESPN Soccernet |access-date=August 5, 2009 |archive-date=May 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522233909/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=56979&cc=5901 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On September 2, 2009, it was announced that Rolfe had signed with [[Danish Superliga]] side [[AaB Fodbold|Aalborg]] beginning January 1, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagonow.com/fire-confidential/2009/09/updated-chris-rolfe-to-join-danish-club-aalborg-in-january/|title=UPDATED -- Chris Rolfe to join Danish Club Aalborg in January|access-date=August 13, 2016|archive-date=August 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822171055/http://www.chicagonow.com/fire-confidential/2009/09/updated-chris-rolfe-to-join-danish-club-aalborg-in-january/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rolfe struggled at first in Denmark due to injuries, but came into form after recovering from his injuries, being named to the Superliga Best XI five weeks during his final year there.

On April 15, 2012, it was announced that Rolfe was returning to the Fire.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2012/04/fire-reacquire-forward-chris-rolfe |title=Fire reacquire forward Chris Rolfe {{!}} Chicago Fire |website=www.chicago-fire.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420044525/http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2012/04/fire-reacquire-forward-chris-rolfe |archive-date=2012-04-20}}</ref> Rolfe made his first-team debut with the Fire on June 2 coming on as a second-half substitute against the [[New England Revolution]]. Rolfe scored in his home re-debut match at [[Toyota Park (Bridgeview)|Toyota Park]] on June 17 in a 3–1 win over the [[New York Red Bulls]]. He won the [[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]] MVP and Golden Boot for the 2012 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2012/06/fire-barrel-over-new-york-red-bulls-3-1 |title=Fire Barrel Over New York Red Bulls 3-1 {{!}} Chicago Fire |website=www.chicago-fire.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124723/http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2012/06/fire-barrel-over-new-york-red-bulls-3-1 |archive-date=2014-04-13}}</ref>

Rolfe was traded by Chicago to [[D.C. United]] on April 2, 2014, in exchange for allocation money.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dcunited.com/news/2014/04/dc-united-acquires-midfielder-chris-rolfe| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140405043309/http://www.dcunited.com/news/2014/04/dc-united-acquires-midfielder-chris-rolfe| archive-date = 2014-04-05| title = D.C. United acquires forward Chris Rolfe {{!}} D.C. United}}</ref>

Rolfe thrived in his first season at D.C. United, scoring a goal in his debut for D.C. United as a substitute in a 2–0 win against the New England Revolution, giving D.C. United their first win of the season. After scoring 6 goals and creating 6 assists in 21 games, Rolfe suffered a terrible arm injury on September 3, 2014, ending his season.

In 2015, Rolfe led D.C. United to the playoffs and was awarded the Team MVP award (his 2nd) and the Golden Boot Award (his 4th) for most goals scored (10). In the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, Rolfe scored the 2nd goal in a 2-1 come-from-behind win to push United into the MLS Eastern Conference Semi-final.

Rolfe suffered a concussion in a game against the Chicago Fire on April 30, 2016, when an inadvertent elbow struck him in the nose; he has not played since.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2016/07/29/lost-in-a-supermarket-a-soccer-players-daily-struggles-after-concussion/ "Lost in a supermarket: A soccer player’s daily struggles after concussion"], Washington Post, Steven Goff.</ref>

On November 9, 2017, after 18 months out of the game, Rolfe announced his retirement from professional soccer.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goff|first1=Steven|title='I am at peace with it': D.C. United's Chris Rolfe retires 18 months after concussion|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2017/11/09/i-am-at-peace-with-it-d-c-uniteds-chris-rolfe-retires-18-months-after-concussion/|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> In his career for DC, he recorded 61 games, scored 17 goals, and assisted 9 goals.

==International career==
Rolfe made his debut with the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]] on November 12, 2005, against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] at [[Hampden Park]] in [[Glasgow]], and participated in the national team's annual January camp the following four years. He was named to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] roster of 30. He represented his country in two World Cup qualifying games, helping the team qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The injury sustained in April 2010 in Denmark ruled him unfit for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]].

==Personal life==
Since being sidelined from soccer Rolfe has returned to the University of Dayton, near his home town of Kettering, Ohio, to complete his degree in finance that he started more than 16 years previously.

He has volunteered as assistant coach for the University of Denver women's program.

He has had an interest for organic farming, and volunteered at farms and farmers markets in Chicago, Washington and Denver.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2017/11/09/i-am-at-peace-with-it-d-c-uniteds-chris-rolfe-retires-18-months-after-concussion/| title = D.C. United player Chris Rolfe retires 18 months after suffering concussion - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

== Career statistics ==
{{Updated|December 17, 2015}}<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/chris-rolfe|title = Players - Chris Rolfe|access-date = December 17, 2015|website = MLSsoccer.com|publisher = MLS Soccer}}</ref><ref name="sw"/><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.chicago-fire.com/club/history/opencup/all-time-results|title = History - All Time U.S. Open Cup Results|access-date = December 17, 2015|website = Chicago-Fire.com| date=June 5, 2014 |publisher = Chicago Fire}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|Cup{{efn|Includes [[US Open Cup]], [[Danish Cup]]}}
!colspan="2"|Play-offs{{efn|Includes [[MLS Cup Playoffs]]}}
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="6"|[[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]]
|2005
|rowspan="5"|[[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
|29||8||2||0||3||0||colspan="2"|–||34||8
|-
|2006
|21||7||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|–||24||7
|-
|2007
|19||6||0||0||3||2||colspan="2"|–||22||8
|-
|2008
|26||9||3||0||3||1||colspan="2"|–||32||10
|-
|2009
|28||6||1||0||3||1||colspan="2"|–||32||7
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!123!!36!!7!!0!!14!!4!!0!!0!!144!!40
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[AaB Fodbold|AaB]]
|2009–10
|rowspan="3"|[[Danish Superliga]]
|7||1||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||7||1
|-
|2010–11
|7||1||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||7||1
|-
|2011–12
|21||4||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||21||4
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!35!!6!!!!!!0!!0!!0!!0!!35!!6
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]]
|2012
|rowspan="3"|MLS
|22||8||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|–||23||8
|-
|2013
|31||4||4||2||||||colspan="2"|–||35||6
|-
|2014
|2||0||||||||||colspan="2"|–||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!55!!12!!4!!2!!1!!0!!0!!0!!60!!14
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[D.C. United]]
|2014
|rowspan="2"|MLS
|21||6||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|–||24||6
|-
|2015
|31||10||1||0||3||1||2||0||37||11
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!52!!16!!2!!0!!5!!1!!2!!0!!61!!17
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!265!!70!!13!!2!!20!!5!!2!!0!!300!!77
|}

{{notelist}}

==Honors==
'''Chicago Fire'''
* [[U.S. Open Cup]]: [[2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup|2006]]

'''Individual'''
* [[Chicago Fire SC|Chicago Fire]]: Golden Boot (top scorer) 2005, 2008, 2012
* [[Chicago Fire SC|Chicago Fire]] Team MVP: 2012
* [[D.C. United]]: Team MVP & Golden Boot (top scorer) 2015<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.dcunited.com/post/2015/11/25/dc-united-team-awards-2015-season|title = D.C. United Team Awards for 2015 Season|access-date = December 17, 2015|website = DCUnited.com|publisher = D.C. United}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Chris Rolfe}}
* {{MLS player|chris-rolfe}}
* {{ESPN FC|56979}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110617231418/http://fodbold.aabsport.dk/spillergalleri/spiller/chris-rolfe.aspx aabsport.dk]
* {{Soccerway|chris-rolfe/6894}}
{{D.C. United MVP}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Chris}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:American expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:United States men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:Dayton Flyers men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Chicago Fire U-23 players]]
[[Category:Chicago Fire FC players]]
[[Category:AaB Fodbold players]]
[[Category:D.C. United players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Dayton, Ohio]]
[[Category:USL League Two players]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer players]]
[[Category:Danish Superliga players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark]]
[[Category:Chicago Fire FC draft picks]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Ohio]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]