Chris Hegardt
{{short description|American soccer player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Chris Hegardt
|image =
|fullname = Christopher Hegardt
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2002|1|6}}
|birth_place = San Diego, California, United States
|height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
|position = Midfielder
|currentclub = Orange County SC
|clubnumber = 16
|youthyears1 = 2010–2016
|youthclubs1 = San Diego Surf
|youthyears2 = 2016–2017
|youthclubs2 = LA Galaxy
|youthyears3 = 2017–2018
|youthclubs3 = ASC San Diego
|youthyears4 = 2018–2020
|youthclubs4 = Seattle Sounders
| collegeyears1 = 2020–2021
| college1 = Georgetown Hoyas
| collegecaps1 = 31
| collegegoals1 = 3
| years1 = 2019–2020
| clubs1 = Tacoma Defiance
| caps1 = 17
| goals1 = 1
| years2 = 2022–2023
| clubs2 = Charlotte FC
| caps2 = 7
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2022
| clubs3 = → Charlotte Independence (loan)
| caps3 = 13
| goals3 = 3
| years4 = 2023
| clubs4 = → Crown Legacy (loan)
| caps4 = 7
| goals4 = 1
| years5 = 2023
| clubs5 = → Loudoun United (loan)
| caps5 = 6
| goals5 = 1
| years6 = 2024
| clubs6 = Stabæk
| caps6 = 9
| goals6= 0
| years7 = 2024
| clubs7 = → Orange County SC (loan)
| caps7 = 14
| goals7 = 1
| years8 = 2025–
| clubs8 = Orange County SC
| caps8 = 0
| goals8 = 0
|nationalyears1 =
|nationalteam1 =
|nationalcaps1 =
|nationalgoals1 =
|club-update = January 17, 2025
|nationalteam-update =
}}
Christopher Hegardt (born January 6, 2002) is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Orange County SC in the USL Championship. He played in the Seattle Sounders Academy and for reserve side Tacoma Defiance before making his Major League Soccer debut with Charlotte FC in 2022.
College career
Hegardt played for two seasons with the Georgetown Hoyas, scoring three goals in 31 matches. The Hoyas won the Big East tournament and advanced to the 2021 College Cup semifinals.{{cite news |last=Andrejev |first=Alex |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Charlotte FC signs college soccer star from Georgetown ahead of MLS SuperDraft |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article257095177.html |work=The Charlotte Observer |accessdate=March 4, 2022}}
Professional career
Hegardt made several appearances for the Tacoma Defiance of the USL Championship while enrolled in the Sounders FC Academy.{{cite web|url=https://www.uslchampionship.com/chris-hegardt|title=Chris Hegardt Profile – Tacoma Defiance|website=uslchampionship.com|publisher=USL Championship|accessdate=May 26, 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://glxy.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=1654386&player=76457331|title=Christopher Hegardt Bio|website=ussoccerda.com|publisher=U.S. Soccer Development Academy|accessdate=May 26, 2020|archive-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517080929/http://glxy.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=1654386|url-status=dead}} He was traded in January 2022 to Charlotte FC in exchange for $50,000 of general allocation money.{{Cite press release |date=January 6, 2022 |title=Charlotte FC Signs Georgetown Midfielder Chris Hegardt In Exchange For $50,000 in General Allocation Money from Seattle Sounders FC |url=https://www.charlottefootballclub.com/news/charlotte-fc-signs-georgetown-midfielder-chris-hegardt |publisher=Charlotte Football Club}} On June 17, 2022, Hegardt made a short-term stay on loan with USL League One side Charlotte Independence.{{cite web | url=https://www.charlotteindependence.com/news/2022/06/17/charlotte-independence-acquire-chris-hegardt-on-short-term-loan-from-charlotte-fc/ | title=Charlotte Independence Acquire Chris Hegardt on Short-Term Loan from Charlotte FC }} He was released by Charlotte following their 2023 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.charlottefootballclub.com/news/charlotte-fc-announces-end-of-season-roster-decisions-2023|title=Charlotte FC Announces End of Season Roster Decisions | Charlotte FC|first=Charlotte Football|last=Club|website=Charlotte Football Club}}
After spending the 2024 USL Championship season with Orange County SC on loan from Stabæk, Hegardt signed a permanent deal with Orange County on January 17, 2025.{{cite web |title=ORANGE COUNTY SC SIGN MIDFIELDER CHRIS HEGARDT |url=https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/news/2025/01/17/orange-county-sc-sign-midfielder-chris-hegardt/ |website=OrangeCountySoccer.com |publisher=Orange County SC |access-date=17 January 2025}}
Personal life
In December 2009, Hegardt was hospitalized after a youth soccer match and diagnosed with cancer following the discovery of a ruptured tumor in his liver. He went through six rounds of chemotherapy and received a liver transplant before returning in 2011 to the San Diego Surf, where Hegardt won a national championship.{{Cite news |last=Mondello |first=Joseph |date=September 13, 2019 |title=Nothing Can Stop Him: Chris Hegardt battled through cancer to make it back on the pitch |url=https://www.soundersfc.com/news/nothing-can-stop-him-chris-hegardt-battled-through-cancer-make-it-back-pitch |website=SoundersFC.com |publisher=Seattle Sounders FC}} During his hospitalization, Hegardt received a visit and jersey from then-Chivas USA player Sacha Kljestan. The two were reunited 12 years later in Charlotte FC's home debut against the LA Galaxy, where Hegardt played against Kljestan's Galaxy.{{cite news |last=Reineking |first=Jim |date=March 5, 2022 |title=Sacha Kljestan of LA Galaxy shares story of visiting Charlotte FC's Chris Hegardt in hospital 12 years ago |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mls/2022/03/05/galaxy-sacha-kljestan-visited-charlotte-chris-hegardt-cancer-hospital/9397000002/ |work=USA Today |accessdate=March 5, 2022}}
Hegardt is also a fan of Arsenal FC.
Career Statistics
=Club=
{{updated|18 August 2024}}{{Soccerway|510429|access-date=18 August 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="3"|Tacoma Defiance
|2019 |rowspan="2"|USL Championship |6 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2020
|11 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 11 | 1 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!17 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 17 | 1 | |||
| rowspan="3"|Charlotte FC
|2022 |rowspan="2"|MLS |3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2023
|4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Charlotte Independence (loan)
|2022 |14 | 3 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 14 | 3 | |||
| Crown Legacy (loan)
|2023 |7 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 7 | 1 | |||
| Loudoun United (loan)
|2023 |USL Championship |6 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 6 | 1 | |||
| Stabæk
|2024 |9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 10 | 0 | ||
| Orange County (loan)
|2024 |USL Championship |4 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 4 | 0 | |||
| colspan="3"|Career Total
!64 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 6 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|christopher-hegardt/510429}}
{{Orange County SC squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hegardt, Chris}}
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Charlotte Independence players
Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's soccer players
Category:Homegrown Players (MLS)
Category:Major League Soccer players
Category:Soccer players from San Diego
Category:Tacoma Defiance players
Category:USL Championship players
Category:USL League One players
Category:Crown Legacy FC players
Category:Loudoun United FC players
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:Orange County SC players
Category:Stabæk Fotball players
Category:Norwegian First Division players
Category:American expatriate men's soccer players
Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
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