Andrew Victor Boyens is a New Zealand international

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays and coaches with amateur side Forrest Hill Milford. Boyens has represented

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at the international level.

Career

College

Boyens spent his childhood in Napier where he was born on 18 September 1983 and moved to Dunedin at age 16. He was educated at

Kavanagh College , motto_translation = With Her As Our Guide , type = State-integrated secondary , established = 1989; years ago (antecedent secondary schools: 1871, 1876, 1878, 1897 and 1976) , streetaddress ...

and the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, completing a BA in 2004. He started his playing career in

, playing for

and semi-professional club

Dunedin Technical Dunedin Technical (known locally as Tech) is a semi-professional association football club in Dunedin, New Zealand. They compete in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League and were the 2018 ODT FootballSouth Premier League champions. Club history ...

before transferring to

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 ...

in 2004, where he was named a first-team All-American in 2006.

Professional

After briefly playing for

Otago United Southern United, previously known as Otago United, is a semi-professional football club based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Founded in 2004, they play their home games at the Logan Park and Forsyth Barr Stadium. It is the southernmost football clu ...

in the

New Zealand Football Championship The New Zealand Football Championship ( mi, Te Whakataetae Whutupaoro a Aotearoa) was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a m ...

, Boyens was drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

. He scored his first MLS goal off a corner in a 2–1 win over the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

on 2 June 2007. He was released by Toronto FC on 14 April 2008. Boyens went on trial at

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 ...

in April 2008, and signed with the team on 5 May 2008. He appeared in 19 matches during the MLS regular season. After an up and down season Boyens' solid play in central defence helped Red Bulls pull off a surprising first-round upset in the MLS playoffs, defeating defending champion

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

4–1 on aggregate. After appearing in 41 official matches for the club in three years, New York Red Bulls announced that Boyens would not be part of their plans for the 2011 MLS season. He signed with

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

on 9 February 2011. At season's end, Chivas USA declined his 2012 contract option and he entered the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Boyens was selected by

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 ...

in stage 2 of the draft on 12 December 2011. He signed with Los Angeles on 30 January 2012. After the conclusion of the 2012 season, LA declined the 2013 option on Boyens's contract and he entered the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Boyens went undrafted in both rounds of the draft.

Return to New Zealand

Following a stint as a head coach within the LA Galaxy Youth Academy, Boyens returned to New Zealand football in February 2014 when he was named as the new Football Development Officer for the Waitakere region. He began playing with amateur club Forrest Hill Milford, where he also serves as assistant coach. Boyens resumed his professional career when he signed with New Zealand side

Waitakere United Waitakere United was a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They were one of the franchises in the ISPS Handa Premiership. They played their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu and The Trusts Arena. History Waitakere Uni ...

on 20 October 2014. Waitakere cut ties with Boyens following the 2014–15 season.

International

Boyens was included in the

squad for a series of matches against

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

in February 2006, but did not play in any of them. He made his national team debut in an unofficial friendly later that year, when he came on as a substitute during

's 5–1 loss to Spanish club

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA Euro ...

on 15 August. Boyens' first official international appearance came in May 2007, when New Zealand drew with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

2–2.

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

noted that the defensive back two pairing of Boyens and

Ben Sigmund Benjamin Robert Sigmund (born 3 February 1981) is a New Zealand former international footballer. He represented New Zealand at under-17, under-20 and senior level. Club career Born in Blenheim, Sigmund spent his early career with Football ...

were "''boasting 10 minutes international experience between them''". He was named in the

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...

New Zealand squad, and gifted

David Villa David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. ...

Spain's fifth goal when he "air shot" a routine clearance during Spain's 5–0 rout over New Zealand on Sunday 14 June. On 10 May 2010, Boyens was named in New Zealand's final 23-man squad to compete at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

Club career statistics

Honors

New York Red Bulls

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 ...

Western Conference Championship (1):

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

External links

* *
NZ Football Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyens, Andrew 1983 births Living people All-American men's college soccer players Association football defenders Association footballers from Dunedin Chivas USA players LA Galaxy players LA Galaxy non-playing staff Major League Soccer players New Mexico Lobos men's soccer players New York Red Bulls players New Zealand association footballers New Zealand international footballers People educated at Trinity Catholic College, Dunedin Toronto FC draft picks Toronto FC players University of Otago alumni 2004 OFC Nations Cup players 2008 OFC Nations Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players New Zealand expatriate association footballers Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate soccer players in the United States New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in the United States New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Canada