Lars Hirschfeld

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Lars Hirschfeld bigraphy, stories - Canadian soccer player

Lars Hirschfeld : biography

17 October 1978 –

Lars Justin Hirschfeld (born on October 17, 1978) is a Canadian soccer goalkeeper currently playing for Vålerenga Fotball in Norway.

Honours

Individual

  • CONCACAF Gold Cup Most Valuable Goalkeeper: 2002
  • The Voyageurs Player of the Year:
    • Third place: 2007

Club

Rosenborg BK

  • Norwegian Premier League: 2006

CFR Cluj

  • Liga I: 2007-08
  • Romanian Cup: 2008-09

Club career

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Hirschfeld started his career with the Edmonton Drillers, playing indoor soccer. He has also played with Energie Cottbus in Germany, Calgary Storm, and Vancouver Whitecaps.

England

In September 2002, he joined Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, but he rarely featured for the first team at Spurs, however, and went on loan to Luton Town and Gillingham before joining Dundee United in August 2004. A move to Leicester City followed in January 2005, but Hirschfeld only made one start during the remainder of the 04/05 season.

Norway

Hirschfeld was then signed by Tromsø I.L. as a replacement goalkeeper for the remainder of the Norwegian 2005-season. Hirschfeld made some crucial saves during Tromsø’s campaign to avoid relegation and was a key figure in the UEFA Cup matches against Esbjerg fB and Galatasaray, both of which were won by Tromsø I.L. Nordlys, a local newspaper in Tromsø, called Hirschfeld the greatest goalkeeper ever to play for Tromsø I.L., after only 6 matches at his new club. Nordlys ranked him ahead of such goal keepers as Einar Rossbach, Knut Borch and Bjarte Flem.

The following season, Hirschfeld won the Norwegian Tippeligaen with Rosenborg, having beaten Espen Johnsen for first-string goalie at the club. Hirschfeld was in goal when Rosenborg beat Valencia CF twice in the UEFA Champions League 2007-08 group stage, recording two clean sheets in home-and-away 2-0 wins, and made a number of saves in his side’s 1-1 draw away to English club Chelsea FC, the last match in charge of Chelsea for manager José Mourinho.

CFR Cluj

Hirschfeld played for CFR Cluj in Romania after joining from Rosenborg for €1,300,000 on 6 January 2008. With Cluj he immediately won the domestic double but he only played in 5 games in that first (half) season and he did not play at all for them in 2008/2009.

Energie Cottbus

He then turned back to Energie Cottbus on 26 June 2009 and signed a contract until 30 June 2011.

Valerenga

On 15 January 2010 left his club Energie Cottbus and turned back to Norway to sign for Vålerenga Fotball.

International career

He made his debut for Canada in a January 2000 friendly match against Bermuda but had to compete with Pat Onstad for the national goalkeeper’s jersey. By November 2009, he earned a total of 29 caps. He has represented Canada in 6 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. – FIFA Hirschfeld’s big break with Canada came at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament after allowing only four goals in five matches and recording an impressive semifinal shutout against the United States. This caused English club Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to take interest, and Hirschfeld signed with them in September 2002. On 8 June 2012, Hirschfeld was sent off in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Cuba for handling the ball outside his penalty area, but Canada prevailed by a score of 1:0 despite the numerical disadvantage.