Aaron Maxwell Schoenfeld ( he, אהרון מקסוול שוינפלד, born April 17, 1990) is an Israeli-American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Early life

Schoenfeld is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, and was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, to Robert and Sherry. Schoenfeld's family are members of Temple Beth El in Knoxville. In an interview, Schoenfeld described his Jewish upbringing as being very traditional with his family regularly attending

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

, keeping

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

, and respecting the

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

. For high school, Schoenfeld attended Bearden High School and had an outstanding soccer career there, highlighted by a Tennessee state championship and a state championship final appearance. He played on the collegiate level at

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...

, scoring 20 goals with 10 assists in 72 games for the

East Tennessee State Buccaneers The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are the 16 intercollegiate athletics teams that represent East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee. ETSU's teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, socce ...

Club career

Schoenfeld was originally drafted by the Montreal Impact in the second round (20th pick overall) of the

2012 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft was a secondary Draft (sports), draft that was held by Major League Soccer via conference call on January 17, 2012. The draft was four rounds and all 19 MLS clubs participated. Changes from 2011 *As an expansion c ...

. On March 23, 2012, the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

announced they had signed Schoenfeld after acquiring his rights from the Impact in exchange for a conditional pick in the

2013 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft was a secondary draft that was held by Major League Soccer via conference call on January 22, 2013. The draft was four rounds with all 19 MLS clubs participating. Selection order The official selection order was a ...

. He made his professional debut the day after his signing. He came on as a substitute for

Emilio Renteria Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...

in the 69th minute against Montreal Impact, the team that had recently traded him. The Crew went on to win 2–0. While on loan with the

Dayton Dutch Lions Dayton Dutch Lions is an American association football, soccer team based in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the ...

in 2014, Schoenfeld became the club's record holder for goals scored in a single season (12). Upon his return to the Columbus Crew, Schoenfeld scored a brace against the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. He would later cite this as a highlight of his career, as after the match he received complimentary feedback from New York striker,

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...

. In 2015, Schoenfeld signed with

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי נתניה, ''Football Club Maccabi Netanya'') is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. Afte ...

following a brief trial. Schoenfeld was given temporary Israeli resident status by the Israeli

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

on January 14, 2016, so he would not count as a foreigner for Netanya. Upon signing, Schoenfeld told the Israeli media, "having grown up in a

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

Jewish family, I have always wanted to come and play soccer in Israel." On January 23, 2016, Schoenfeld made his Premier League debut for Netanya, coming on as a substitute for Itzik Cohen in a 1-0 loss to

Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל כפר סבא, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Kfar Saba'') is an Israeli football club based in Kfar Saba. The club competes in the Liga Leumit and plays home matches at Levita Stadiu ...

Levita Stadium The Levita Stadium is a football stadium in Kfar Saba, Israel. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches and is the home stadium of Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C., Hapoel Kfar Saba and Beitar Kfar Saba F.C., Beitar Kfar Saba. ...

. After just two matches with Netanya, Schoenfeld signed a two and a half year deal with

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...

and was sold together with Netanya youth player, Fadi Najar, in exchange for

₪ The shekel sign (₪) is a currency sign used for the Israeli new shekel, which is the currency of Israel. Israeli new shekel (1986–present) The Israeli new shekel is denoted in he, שקל חדש (''šéqel ħadáš'', , lit. "New Shekel") ...

1 million. Schoenfeld made his debut with Hapoel Tel Aviv in a

Tel Aviv derby The Tel Aviv Local derby, derby refers to Association football, football matches between Israeli clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C., Hapoel Tel Aviv. The rivalry between the clubs also exists in basketball, alt ...

on February 7, 2016 scoring the opening goal in the second minute. He joined

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

on Feb 2017. On February 12, 2020, Schoenfeld returned to

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, signing with

Minnesota United FC Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Socc ...

. Minnesota acquired Schoenfeld's MLS rights from the

in exchange for a second round pick in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conference call and ...

and additional considerations. Following their 2020 season, Minnesota opted to decline their contract option on Schoenfeld. On February 4, 2021, Schoenfeld joined MLS side

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...

as a free agent ahead of their inaugural season. Following the 2021 season, Schoenfeld's contract option was declined by Austin.

International career

Media reports of Schoenfeld being called up to the Israeli national team for a friendly against

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

started to surface on February 14, 2016, but has to date never received an invitation by the Israeli team.

Honors

Club

Maccabi Tel Aviv *

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

: 2018–19 *

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League ( Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga Leumit. Fro ...

: 2017–18, 2018–19

Personal life

Schoenfeld is married to fellow soccer player

Abby Dahlkemper Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper (born May 13, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. Early life Dahlkemper was bo ...

. They announced their engagement in December 2020, and got married on January 5, 2021.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoenfeld, Aaron 1990 births Living people American soccer players GPS Portland Phoenix players Columbus Crew players Dayton Dutch Lions players Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. players Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players Minnesota United FC players Austin FC players Association football forwards Sportspeople from Knoxville, Tennessee USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Israeli Premier League players CF Montréal draft picks East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's soccer players Soccer players from Tennessee Jewish American sportspeople Jewish Israeli sportspeople Jewish footballers American emigrants to Israel Israeli Ashkenazi Jews 21st-century American Jews