Ricardo Clark life and biography

Ricardo Clark (born February 10, 1983, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Fußball-Bundesliga.

After making his name in the MLS with Metrostars, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo, Clark made his much-anticipated move to European football when he sealed a move to Germany's top-flight last summer.

Metro Stars
After his sophomore year, Clark signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, and entered the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected second overall by the MetroStars. Clark was excellent from the first game with the Metros, playing a vital role in the team's midfield, and finishing the season first on the team in minutes. Although Clark was an early favorite to be named MLS Rookie of the Year, he faded near the end, but still was a finalist for the award. He helped the MetroStars win four games en route to the first final in club history … MetroStars were defeated 1-0 by Chicago Fire in Open Cup final.

In his second year with the Metros, Clark struggled to find playing time in a very crowded midfield and to find his form after some minor injuries, but he came on strong at the end of the year, becoming an automatic starter. In two years with the MetroStars, Clark scored four goals and added two assists. Playing 90 minutes on October 23 at LA Galaxy, Clark scored his first career playoff goal in the 68th minute and received a yellow card.

San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo
He was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes for an allocation before the 2005 season.

Clark played very well in San Jose in a defensive midfield position, scoring three goals and two assists. He was named Player Of The Month for July and Earthquakes Player Of The Month for July. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season where he was part of two MLS Cup Championship runs in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Clark scored MLS Goal of the Week nominee on August 16 vs. Real Salt Lake with a long-range strike.

In 2007, Clark started 19 games in 2007 despite missing almost a month while competing in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONMEBOL 2007 Copa America with the U.S. national team. He was named to MLS All-Star squad that faced Celtic F.C.. He finished season with two goals and three assists, but missed the final two regular season and all playoff matches due to a suspension resulting from a deliberate kick aimed at a prone Carlos Ruiz in a match with FC Dallas. On March 3, 2009, started in second leg of a CONCACAF Champions League match at Atlante, made him the fifth player in club history to make 100 starts in all competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt
Clark, whose contract with MLS expired at the end of the 2009 season, signed a deal with Fußball-Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt that will see him play with them for the remainder of the 2009/2010 season, with an option to extend the contract at the end of the season. Despite being injured for much of his time in Germany, Clark inked a three-year deal with Frankfurt on May 7, 2010

He has the speed and trickery to test the best of defences and proved his worth in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring a significant winning goal against Trinidad & Tobago, the country where his father Lancelot was born.

His long-range shooting could be a useful weapon for USA in South Africa this summer and it seems he is confident of success. "There are no favourites this time as playing the World Cup in Africa will be a new experience for all the teams," he said. "We did well in the Confederations Cup in the stadiums being used for this tournament, so let's believe in ourselves."

Strengths: A solid defensive midfielder with a rocket foot.
Weaknesses: Can sometimes get too emotional on the field.

Career high: His strike in the 62nd minute gave the U.S. a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in a World Cup qualifier in September.
Career low: Back in October '07, MLS slapped Clark with a nine-game suspension and a $10,000 fine after he kicked Carlos Ruiz of FC Dallas while he was on the ground. Clark accused Ruiz of kneeing him in the back on a corner kick.

Style: A high-energy player who never backs down and a ferocious tackler.

Quotes: "Throughout the whole game, Landon [Donovan] had been going down the line, and that cutback was on. Landon spotted me, and it was good timing and I let it rip." -- Clark on his game-winning goal against Trinidad & Tobago.

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