Luboš Kubík (born 20 January 1964) is a former Czech professional

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 lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

or defender. He represented the former

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

at the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...

and then the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in their runners-up-finishing

UEFA Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in ...

campaign. Aside from his native Czechia, Kubík also played in Italy, France, Germany and most notably the United States, being named in the

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

twice in 1998 and 1999.

Early and personal life

Kubík was born on 20 January 1964 in

Vysoké Mýto Vysoké Mýto (; , also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. The historic town ...

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...

. He attended Prague University of Economics and Business but dropped out. As a result of his football career, Kubík can speak English and Italian apart from his native Czech, along with some Polish, German, French and Russian. After retiring, he has cooperated with local schools in developing young football talent. Kubík's son, Luboš Jr., founded the USA Sport and Study organization, where he leads the soccer division.

Club career

European football

Kubík began his career in 1981 with Hradec Králové before moving to Slavia Prague the following year. In 1988, he and compatriot Ivo Knoflíček fled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

from a training camp in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In January 1989, they attempted to sign for Derby County as free agents, and were presented as new signings by the club's then-owner, the Czechoslovak-born

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. After escaping the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, ...

, during a match against

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. However, both footballers were still under contract with Slavia Prague, who refused to allow them to transfer. Upon the expiry of his FIFA disqualification, Kubík signed for Italian club

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

in April 1989 for approximately 600 million lire. Wanting to obtain the required transfer to play in Italy, he came to an agreement with the Czechoslovak Football Federation to fulfil his military service obligations in his homeland first. With Fiorentina, Kubík scored three goals in 26 league matches and played in the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, where the club reached the final before losing to

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

. Kubík moved to

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

FC Metz Football Club de Metz () is a Football in France, French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 1, the highest division in the French football league system, for the 2025–26 Ligue 1, ...

in 1991 before transferring to

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

team 1. FC Nürnberg in 1993, Returning to the

, he played for Drnovice FK,

SK Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional association football, football football team, club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are ...

, and AFK Lázně Bohdaneč.

MLS and retirement

Kubík moved to

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

in 1998, joining the expansion team Chicago Fire. While helping the Fire to win both the

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

and the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural year, Kubík was named the MLS Defender of the Year. Kubík continued to be a valuable attacking force from the back in 1999, registering five goals and eight assists, and was named in the

for a second time. Kubík signed for

Dallas Burn Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

during the 2001 off-season in exchange for Sergi Daniv. Kubík's final year was again plagued by injuries, having only played in 11 matches for the club. He retired at the end of the 2001 MLS season and returned to the Czech Republic.

International career

Kubík debuted for the

Czechoslovakia national football team The Czechoslovakia national football team (, ) represented Czechoslovakia in men's international Association football, football from 1919 to 1993. The team was controlled by the Czechoslovak Football Association, and the team qualified for eight ...

in 1985 against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. He represented Czechoslovakian and

national teams, respectively at the

and 1996 UEFA European Football Championship. Kubík played his last international game in 1997 against

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Managerial career

Kubík was appointed as manager of Polish side

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław (), is a Polish professional Association football, football club based in Wrocław that plays in , the second level of the Polish football leagu ...

in summer 2006, but was sacked later that October after just 11 league games in charge. Kubík was appointed coach of the

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

side

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

on 27 November 2006 through his close friendship with Torquay chairman Chris Roberts. Despite his impressive playing career, his lack of managerial experience and contacts in England was a problem, not aided by Roberts appointing Richard Hancox as Kubík's assistant. Torquay struggled in the relegation zone with Kubík, winning just twice in 15 matches, thus he left club by mutual consent on 5 February 2007. Roberts also resigned as chairman later that month. The club was relegated at the end of the season, ending a 79-year spell in the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

. Kubík was appointed coach of third-tier Czech club SK Týniště nad Orlicí in 2007. His first match in charge was a friendly match against Převýšov, the leading champions of the Hradec Králové Regional League. Later that year, he left the club due to poor performances in the league. In March 2010, Kubík was appointed assistant coach of the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

for the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

later that year.

Honours

Individuals *

MLS Defender of the Year Award The Major League Soccer Defender of the Year Award is an annual award handed out to the top defender in Major League Soccer annually since the league's inception in 1996.

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

: 1998,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kubik, Lubos Living people 1964 births Sportspeople from Vysoké Mýto Men's association football midfielders Czech men's footballers Czech football managers Czech expatriate football managers Czechoslovak men's footballers Czech Republic men's international footballers Czechoslovakia men's international footballers 1. FC Nürnberg players ACF Fiorentina players Chicago Fire FC players FC Dallas players FC Hradec Králové players FC Metz players 1. FK Drnovice players SK Slavia Prague players AFK Atlantic Lázně Bohdaneč players Torquay United F.C. managers Śląsk Wrocław managers Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Czech First League players Ligue 1 players Serie A players 1990 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1996 players Czech expatriate men's footballers Czech expatriate sportspeople in Italy Czech expatriate sportspeople in Germany Czech expatriate sportspeople in the United States Czech expatriate sportspeople in France Czech expatriate sportspeople in Poland Expatriate football managers in England Expatriate football managers in Poland Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Czechoslovak expatriate men's footballers Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in France Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Footballers from the Pardubice Region Czechoslovak defectors