Kim Røntved (born 9 May 1960), known as "the Rocket", is a Danish former professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player and head coach. A 17-time all-star in various leagues, and a fan favorite with the
Wichita Wings, he was inducted into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame in February 2014.
Career
Born in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, Røntved is the younger brother of
Per Røntved. He started his career in
Brønshøj BK 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 Jydsk Boldspil-Union, JBU i ...
. In 1980, the
Wichita Wings 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 of the
North American Soccer League
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to
1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
. In 1983, he played for the
Dallas Americans of the
American Soccer League. In 1987, financial difficulties led the Wings to release Røntved and several other veteran players. On 8 July 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 5 July 1992, he signed with the
Colorado Foxes 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. ...
. 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.
Røntved served as the head coach of the
Missouri Comets
The Kansas City Comets are an American professional indoor soccer team based in the Kansas City metropolitan area that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Originally called the Missouri Comets, the team joined the Major Indoor S ...
from 16 August 2010, to 29 August 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 Professional Arena Soccer League season, 2013–1 ...
; two months later, he became head coach. On 8 February 2015, he and Missouri Comets head coach
Vlatko Andonovski
Vlatko Andonovski (; born 14 September 1976) is a Macedonian-American association football manager and former player who is the head coach and sporting director of the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League. He was the head c ...
came out of retirement to play against each other in a regular season game.
Honours
*
MISL Defender of the Year: 1983–84, 1985–86
*
NPSL Defender of the Year: 1992–93
* Member of the Indoor Stars of the Century Team
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
Men's 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 men's soccer players in the United States
20th-century Danish sportsmen