Chris Roner (born March 4, 1980), who goes by his middle name Thor, is a former American soccer player. He played for the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

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 ...

. His brother,

Erik Roner ''Nitro Circus'' is an "action sport collective" led by Travis Pastrana, featuring his friends and him traveling around the world riding dirtbikes, BASE jumping, and performing stunts. Co-founded in 2003 by Pastrana, Nitro Circus has become a m ...

was a professional skier and base jumper who starred in the

Nitro Circus ''Nitro Circus'' is an "action sport collective" led by Travis Pastrana, featuring his friends and him traveling around the world riding dirtbikes, BASE jumping, and performing stunts. Co-founded in 2003 by Pastrana, Nitro Circus has become a m ...

series on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Thor Roner (pronounced "Ron-ear") played four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he was Team Captain, First Team Pac-10 and MVP his final three years. He was selected 33rd overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in the

2002 MLS SuperDraft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted bot ...

. As a rookie, Thor saw limited playing time. The following year, in 2003, he was instrumental in helping the Quakes win the MLS Cup. In the Western Conference semifinals against the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

, Roner scored the tying goal in the 90th minute, capping the “greatest comeback game” in MLS history. At

MLS Cup 2003 MLS Cup 2003 was the eighth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which took place on November 23, 2003. It was hosted at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and was contested by the Chicago Fir ...

, Roner was substituted early in the second half and scored the first

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

in MLS Cup history. Minutes later, he conceded the first

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

in MLS Cup history, but San Jose won the match 4–2 and clinched the championship. After the 2003 championship, Roner underwent a routine arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, but the cartilage damage was so severe that it ended his soccer career early. He attempted to revive his career in 2005, being called into the San Jose pre-season camp, but was unable to play through the pain. After retiring, Roner worked at an advertising firm in San Francisco.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roner, Chris 1980 births Living people American men's soccer players California Golden Bears men's soccer players San Jose Earthquakes players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Soccer players from San Francisco Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players San Jose Earthquakes draft picks Men's association football defenders