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Frank KlopasAmerican football player and football coach
Date of Birth: 01.09.1986
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Frank Klopas: A Journey in Football
- Career in Greece
- International Career
- MLS Career
- Coaching Career
- Personal Life
Frank Klopas: A Journey in Football
Early Life and CareerFrank Klopas, born in Greece, immigrated to the United States at the age of eight. At 18, he became a citizen and began his football career with the Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League. Despite a season-ending injury in his debut year, Klopas played 140 games and scored 62 goals for the Sting, earning an All-Star selection in 1986/87.
Career in Greece
Klopas returned to his ancestral home in 1988, joining AEK Athens. He became a four-time Greek champion with the club but suffered a debilitating knee injury in 1991. This injury sidelined him for almost two years.
International Career
Klopas debuted for the United States national team in 1987. He participated in the 1988 Olympics and was a member of the 1994 World Cup squad, although he did not play a minute.
MLS Career
After a brief stint with Apollon Smyrnis, Klopas returned to the US in 1996 to join the Kansas City Wizards. He was traded to the Columbus Crew in 1997 before landing with the Chicago Fire in 1998. Klopas played a key role in the Fire's MLS championship and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victories that year, scoring the golden goal in the cup final against the Crew.
Coaching Career
Klopas retired as a player in 2000 and joined the Chicago Fire as a fitness coach. He later became the head coach of the Chicago Storm indoor soccer team from 2004 to 2006. In 2008, he returned to the Fire as technical director and was promoted to interim head coach in 2011. He was confirmed as head coach later that year but was dismissed in 2013. After a brief stint as head coach of the Montreal Impact, Klopas returned to the Fire in 2020 as an assistant coach. He was appointed interim head coach in 2021 and has since returned to his role as assistant under Ezra Hendrickson.
