1. Ryan William Nelsen was born on 18 October 1977 and is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.
26 Facts About Ryan Nelsen
1. 2.
Ryan Nelsen notably captained the New Zealand national team and started his professional football career in his native country for Christchurch United.
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Ryan Nelsen agreed to return to MLS on 8 January 2013 by signing with Toronto FC as head coach.
4.
Ryan Nelsen was fired from Toronto FC on 31 August 2014.
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Ryan Nelsen was named Stanford's Most Valuable Player as a junior and an NSCAA All-American as a senior while playing as a defensive midfielder.
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Ryan Nelsen graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science.
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Ryan Nelsen was drafted fourth overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft by DC United, with whom he spent four years in Major League Soccer.
8.
In four years in MLS, Ryan Nelsen had seven goals and five assists.
9.
Ryan Nelsen was signed by Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer in January 2005, shortly after the completion of the 2004 MLS season.
10.
Ryan Nelsen was successfully awarded a work permit on appeal after the initial application had been refused due to New Zealand being ranked outside the top seventy in the FIFA World Rankings.
11.
Nevertheless, his performances since arriving in England prompted much interest from rival clubs including Portsmouth, whose bid for Ryan Nelsen was rejected by Blackburn.
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Ryan Nelsen then scored his second Premier League goal against Portsmouth with a header from a corner taken by David Dunn on 7 November 2009, and has scored goals against Birmingham City and Fulham.
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Ryan Nelsen signed a two-year contract extension with Rovers in late January 2011 which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2013.
14.
Under Steve Kean as manager following the sacking of Sam Allardyce, Ryan Nelsen was relieved as team captain of Blackburn in favour of Christopher Samba, Ryan Nelsen moving to vice-captain.
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Ryan Nelsen was signed by Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer on 2 February 2012, to replace defender Sebastien Bassong, who joined Wolves on loan.
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Ryan Nelsen made his debut for Tottenham on 11 February 2012 in the Premier League match against Newcastle United, when he replaced Ledley King in the seventy-fourth minute.
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Ryan Nelsen made his first starting debut on 19 February 2012 against Stevenage in their FA Cup tie.
18.
Ryan Nelsen scored his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur on 27 March 2012 in the seventy-fourth minute of an FA Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers in a replay of a previous game, due to Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba having a cardiac arrest in the first tie.
19.
On 18 June 2012, it was announced that Ryan Nelsen had signed a one-year deal with Queens Park Rangers.
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Ryan Nelsen made his New Zealand debut against Poland on 19 June 1999.
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Ryan Nelsen captained the New Zealand U-23 squad for their first appearance at the Olympic Games against China.
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Ryan Nelsen captained the All Whites side as they qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, beating Bahrain in a two-legged playoff in November 2009.
23.
On 10 May 2010, Ryan Nelsen was named in New Zealand's final 23-man squad to compete at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
24.
Ryan Nelsen was named in a football "World Cup Best XI" by American sports channel, ESPN on 10 July 2010.
25.
On 8 January 2013 Ryan Nelsen accepted an offer to become head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.
26.
Ryan Nelsen was sacked, along with his assistants, on 31 August 2014 after winning three out of his last 13 matches.