Name
Eddie GavenHeight
6' 0"Weight
165 lbsDate of Birth
10.25.1986 (38)Birthplace
Hamilton, NJ USAPosition
MidfielderMLS Career Highlights: Had appeared in 208 games, 190 of them starting assignments, entering this season... Accumulated 37 goals and 30 assists in that time... Acquired by the Crew from New York on 3/28/06, along with the rights to Chris Leitch, in exchange for forward Edson Buddle... Was selected for MLS All-Star Game and named MLS Best XI after tallying seven goals and seven assists in 2004... Turned pro at the age of 16 and already has six MLS seasons under his belt... Established New York club record for youngest player to appear in a game (16 years, 232 days) and youngest to score a goal (16 years, 253 days)... He also set the New York record for youngest player to earn an assist in a game... When he signed with MLS in 2003, became the youngest ever to do so at that time... Selected by New York in the second round (No. 12 overall) of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
MLS Career Playoff Highlights: Had appeared in 14 postseason matches, with 13 starts, entering this season, and was a member of the Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup championship team... Has two goals and one assist in postseason career... The first postseason goal was the game-winner in the 2008 Eastern Conference Championship 11/13/08 vs. Chicago.
U.S. Open Cup Career Highlights: With the Crew, has made nine appearances, with eight starts… Has one goal and two assists.
CONCACAF Champions League Career Highlights: Had nine appearances, with six starts, entering this season… Has one goal and one yellow card.
2012 MLS Season: 2012 was a career year for the Crew veteran as Gaven recored a new career-high with nine goals to share the Black & Gold's Golden Boot award with Jairo Arrieta. Gaven netted his first brace with Crew and first since 2005 on April 21 in a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Gaven also recorded two assists on the season. On July 8, Gaven made history by becoming the youngest player in Major League Soccer history to play 250 regular season games at 25 years, 257 days old, beating Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman by nearly three-and-a-half years. He scored his 50th career goal in dramatic fashion via a headed stoppage time equalizer past Sporting Kansas City on October 7 to keep the Crew's playoff hopes alive with a 1-1 draw.
2011 MLS Season: Gaven started in 26 matches, scoring five goals and recording one assist in 2011. Gaven started in the Crew's 2012 MLS Playoff match in Colorado and both CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matches against Real Salt Lake.
2010 MLS Season: Appeared and started in 27 matches... Had three goals (5/8, 5/20, 6/2) and four assists (5/1, 5/20, 7/3, 10/16)... Missed match on 8/5 for concussion... Has two game-winning assists... Played five minutes in goal after Will Hesmer was forced to leave the match injured on 10/24... Recorded two saves and has one goal against.
2010 Playoffs: Started both matches against Colorado and tallied one goal.
2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League: Has appeared in three matches, with two starts... Received a yellow card vs. Santos Laguna on 9/21.
2010 U.S. Open Cup: Appeared in all four matches, with three starts... Had one goal (7/6) and one assist (6/29).
2009 MLS Season: Appeared in 30 matches, with 27 starts... Had six goals… Had three yellow cards... Had three game-winning goals... Converted one penalty kick in one attempt... Selected for the Crew Coaches award at the end of the season.
2009 MLS Cup Playoffs: Started both matches against RSL.
2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League: Appeared in all six matches, including four starts… Had one goal, the game-winner on 9/16.
2008 MLS Season: Appeared in 24 games, with 22 starts... Had three goals (8/30 at Dallas, 9/18 vs. N.Y. and 10/12 at Chicago) and two assists (3/29 vs. TFC and 8/23 vs. RSL)... Assist on 8/23 was the 25th of his career... Missed five games (6/14-7/12) with a sprained left ankle... Following the season, was named the Crew’s U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.
2008 MLS Cup Playoffs: Started all four playoff matches in Crew’s run to MLS Cup title... Scored first career playoff goal, the game-winner, in Eastern Conference Championship 11/13 vs. Chicago.
2008 U.S. Open Cup: Had two appearances, with one start.
2007 MLS Season: Appeared in 27 games, with 21 starts... Had five goals (6/20, 7/7, 9/2, 10/6, 10/13) and seven assists (6/23-2, 9/15-2, 9/22, 10/13, 10/20) on the season... Produced a goal and an assist on 10/13 at N.E. and enjoyed multiple assist games on 6/23 at L.A. and 9/15 at K.C. ... Missed games on 6/30 and 7/4 due to U.S. National Team duty at Copa America.
2007 U.S. Open Cup: Started the Crew’s USOC qualifier vs. L.A. on 4/24.
2006 MLS Season: In his first season with the Crew, appeared in team-high 30 games, all of them starts, and notched four goals (7/4, 7/22, 9/2 and 10/7) and four assists... Became the youngest player ever to score for the Crew on 7/4, at 19 years, 252 days... Tallied an assist in his first game as a member of the Crew, in the season opener at K.C. on 4/1... Acquired by the Crew from New York on 3/28, along with the rights to Chris Leitch, in exchange for forward Edson Buddle.
2006 U.S. Open Cup: Started both of the Crew’s USOC matches.
2005 MLS Season: Scored eight goals and notched four assists in 28 games (26 starts) for New York... Two of the goals were game-winners and two of the assists were on game-winners... Departed for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with the U.S. U-20 National team after the 5/31 game, and missed games on 6/4, 6/12 and 6/18.
2005 MLS Cup Playoffs: Started both New York playoff games.
2004 MLS Season: Tallied seven goals and seven assists in his breakout season in New York, en route to being named to the MLS Best XI team at just 17 years of age... Scored goals in back-to-back matches twice (6/30-7/3 and 9/11-9/18)... Notched three game-winning assists... Missed the 7/10 contest due to senior National Team duty, during which he earned his first cap on 7/11... Became the youngest player to start an MLS All-Star Game when he did so for the Eastern side in the 2004 MLS All-Star Game in D.C.
2004 MLS Cup Playoffs: Started both playoff matches.
2003 MLS Season: Played in 12 games, seven of them starts, in his rookie campaign in New York... Picked up one goal and one as-sist... Broke club records in his rookie campaign with N.Y. as he became the youngest player in team history and second youngest in league history at 16 years, 232 days when he made his debut on 6/14 vs. Chicago... Became the youngest player in team history and second youngest in MLS history at 16 years, 253 days to score a goal with the game-winner at D.C. on 7/5... Entered as a goalkeeper substitute and was switched to the field in order to remove the injured Mark Lisi and thus holds the team and league record for youngest goalkeeper in a game.
2003 MLS Cup Playoffs: Appeared in two games, starting one.
U.S. National Team: Had appeared eight times, including two starts, for the senior U.S. National Team as of November 2010... Has also played for the U.S. at the U-23, U-20, U-17, U-16 and U-14 levels, including spots on the U.S. rosters for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and the FIFA U-17 World Champion-ship in 2003... Graduated from U.S. Soccer’s full-time U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida.
Senior: Came on as a substitute on 1/24/09 vs. Sweden... Was named to the U.S. roster for 2007 Copa America, where he earned two caps as a substitute, vs. Argentina on 6/28/07 and Colombia on 7/5/07... Made his National Team debut on 7/11/04 in a 1-1 draw vs. Poland in Chicago... His other appearances were 11/2/05 vs. Scotland and 3/9/05 vs. Colombia... U-23: In February 2004, at 17 years and 89 days, Gaven be-came the youngest player ever to appear on a U.S. Olympic Qualifying squad, passing fellow N.J. native Claudio Reyna.
U-20: C o m p e t e d in the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup on the U.S. squad coached by Sigi Schmid. U-17: Played every minute for the U.S. U-17 squad at the FIFA U-17 World Championship Finland 2003, helping the team to a quarterfinal berth.
Personal: Married his wife, Paula, on 1/18/08... The son of Ed and Janet Gaven... Has an older brother, Jim, and a younger sister, Megan... Graduated with a degree in Business Administration from American Intercontinental University in January 2006... Was named the Crew’s 2008 U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.