Edmundo "Eddie" Rodriguez (born April 22, 1970 in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

) is a Mexican retired

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. He spent most of his career in the U.S. leagues including two seasons in

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 ...

. He has also served as an assistant coach with the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

women's soccer team. Edmundo coaches an absolute legendary soccer team in the 05 and 06 MLS next boys team

Youth

Rodriguez spent his youth in Guadalajara before moving to the United States with his family when he was fourteen. In 1991, he entered the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, where he played soccer in 1991 and 1992. In his two seasons with the Lobos, he scored twenty goals in twenty-seven games. In 1992, he was the

MPSF The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...

Pacific Division MPV and a first team All-American. he also set the single season goals record and UNM as well as the point leader in school history

Professional

In 1993, Rodriguez moved back to Mexico, where he played in the Mexican first and second divisions with Chivas and

Tecos Tecos Fútbol Club (often referred to by its nickname "Tecos") is a Mexican professional football club associated with the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara AC. It plays its home games in the '' Estadio 3 de Marzo'' (March 3 Stadium, named fo ...

. In the summer of 1995, he returned to the United States and signed with the

Arizona Sandsharks Arizona Sandsharks was a U.S. indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). It was founded in 1992 and folded in 1997, along with the CISL. Club history The Sandsharks were founded on August 3, 1992, under the own ...

of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice Pre ...

. That fall, he moved to the

Tampa Bay Terror The Tampa Bay Terror is the name of an indoor soccer team based in the Tampa Bay, Florida area that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995–1996 and 1996–1997. ...

for the 1995–1996 National Professional Soccer League. In February 1996, the MetroStars selected Rodriguez in the first round (second overall) of the

1996 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at t ...

. He assisted on the first goal in MetroStars’ history, but never scored a goal or added an assist before being released after eleven games. He returned to the Terror for the 1996–1997 season. In February 1997, the San Jose Clash picked up Rodriguez in the third round (24th overall) in the

1997 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1997 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 2, 1997. Round 1 Round 1 trades Round 2 Round 2 trades Round 3 Round 3 trades References {{DEFAULTSORT:1997 Mls Supplemental Draft ...

. The Clash waived him in March. He then signed with the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

. Although Rodriguez had begun in the midfield, he moved to backline with the Wizards. He played sixteen games, scoring one goal. The Wizards also sent him on loan to the

Albuquerque Geckos Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. The Wizards waived him in April 1998. He unsuccessfully attempted to sign with the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

and ended up playing for the Raleigh Flyers of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

that season. In July 1999, the Express traded Rodriguez to the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

in exchange for

Mike Mekelburg Mike Mekelburg (born February 20, 1975) is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the USISL and National Professional Soccer League. Youth Mekelburg grew up in Tampa, Florida, playing for Tampa's Black Watch S.C. In 1 ...

. He played fifteen games for the Battery. In the fall of 1999, he returned to the NPSL, this time with the Harrisburg Heat. He would play the next two winter indoor seasons in Harrisburg. On May 9, 2000, he returned to Raleigh, now to play for the

Raleigh Capital Express Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

. In April 2001, he moved to the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

. He may have also played for the

Jacksonville Cyclones The Jacksonville Cyclones were a professional soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They played in the A-League from 1997 to 1999. The team originated as the Tampa Bay Cyclones, who played in Tampa, Florida from 1995 to 1996 before moving ...

in the

Coach

Rodriguez has spent some time as an assistant coach with the

women's soccer team.

References

External links

MetroStars player profileTen Years Ago: Worst Metro everFuture Faces of American Soccer
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Edmundo 1970 births Living people Footballers from Guadalajara, Jalisco Albuquerque Geckos players Arizona Sandsharks players Atlanta Silverbacks players Charleston Battery players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Harrisburg Heat players Sporting Kansas City players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players Mexican footballers New Mexico Lobos men's soccer players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Raleigh Flyers players Raleigh (Capital) Express players Tampa Bay Terror players USL Second Division players A-League (1995–2004) players New York Red Bulls draft picks San Jose Earthquakes draft picks Association football defenders Association football midfielders Mexican expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Mexican expatriate sportspeople in the United States