Kim Røntved (born May 9, 1960 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

), known as "the Rocket", is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

former professional

football (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 and head coach. A 17-time all-star in various leagues, and a fan favorite with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

, he was inducted into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame in February 2014. The younger brother of

Per Røntved Per Christian Røntved (born 27 January 1949) is a Danish former professional footballer who played for German club Werder Bremen from 1972 to 1979. He also played for Danish clubs Brønshøj BK, Randers Freja, and Hvidovre IF. He was named 197 ...

, Kim started his career in

Brønshøj BK Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district (''bydel'') of Brønshøj-Husum, in Denmark. History The first mention of the village Brønshøj (Brunshoga), is in a letter dated Oc ...

before turning out for

Randers Freja Randers Sportsklub Freja (often abbreviated Randers Freja) is a Danish sport club with teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football. History Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted into the JBU in 1907. The football d ...

. In 1980, the

of the Major Indoor Soccer League purchased Røntved's contract. He spent seven seasons in Wichita. In 1982, he played outdoor soccer with the

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. In 1983, he played for the

Dallas Americans Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League, which itself lasted two seasons. It is also the name o ...

of the American Soccer League. In 1987, financial difficulties led the Wings to release Røntved and several other veteran players. On July 8, 1987, he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Comets. When the Comets folded in the summer of 1991, Rontved became a free agent. In September 1991, he signed as a player-assistant coach with the Wings. He was the 1993 NPSL Defender of the Year. On July 5, 1992, he signed with the

Colorado Foxes The Colorado Foxes were a professional soccer team, based in Commerce City, Colorado, that played in the American Professional Soccer League, and later in the A-League, between 1990 and 1997. The Foxes won two APSL titles, in 1992 and 1993. In 19 ...

of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. In 1992, the Wichita Wings moved to the National Professional Soccer League. In 1998, the Wings came under new ownership and they released Rontved, who then signed as a free agent with the

Kansas City Attack The Kansas City Attack, previously the Atlanta Attack and later known as the Kansas City Comets, were an indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. In its various incarnations the franchise played in the National P ...

.NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE FINAL OFFICIAL STATISTICS -- 1998–1999
Røntved served as the head coach of the

Missouri Comets Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to th ...

from August 16, 2010, to August 29, 2013. In October 2014, he was named Director of Operations for the

Wichita B-52s The Wichita B-52s was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Wichita, Kansas. Founded in July 2013, the team made its debut in the Professional Arena Soccer League with the 2013–14 season under head coach Larry Inlow. After begin ...

; two months later, he became head coach. On February 8, 2015, he and Missouri Comets head coach

Vlatko Andonovski Vlatko Andonovski ( mk, Влатко Андоновски; born 14 September 1976) is a Macedonian-American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the United States women's national team. Andonovski previously coach ...

came out of retirement to play against each other in a regular season game.

References

External links

MISL Greats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rontved, Kim 1960 births Living people American Soccer League (1933–1983) players American Professional Soccer League players Colorado Foxes players Dallas Americans players Danish men's footballers Danish expatriate men's footballers Brønshøj Boldklub players Kansas City Attack players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players Wichita Wings (MISL) players Wichita Wings (NPSL) players Footballers from Copenhagen Association football defenders Major Arena Soccer League coaches Danish football managers Danish emigrants to the United States Danish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States