ntupdate = 5 June 2006

Ezra Hendrickson (born January 16, 1972 in Layou, St. Vincent) is a Vincentian soccer player, who currently plays defender for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.

Hendrickson played college soccer at Drake University from 1990 to 1993, where he was named all-Missouri Valley Conference three times, and was named a NSCAA third team All-American as a senior.

Upon graduating, Hendrickson joined the amateur Des Moines Menace in 1994, where he played striker, scoring 13 goals in his first year. After a season with the Menace, Hendrickson was signed to a professional contract by the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers of the USISL. Hendrickson would play for the Riverboat Gamblers, and was named Select League Defender of the Year in 1996.

After his exceptional 1996 season, Hendrickson was drafted 5th overall in the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, for whom he would play eight forgettable matches in 1997. Midseason, Hendrickson was cut and picked up by the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he would solidify his role as a starter, and earn a reputation as one of the best wing backs in MLS. After seven seasons with the Galaxy, Hendrickson was traded to the Dallas Burn in 2003. When the Burn reorganized the team following their dismal 2003 campaign, Hendrickson found himself without a team in MLS, and briefly signed with the Charleston Battery of the A-League. However, not long into the 2004 season, D.C. United acquired him to play a backup role in their central defense. Hendrickson was selected fifth overall by C.D. Chivas USA in the Expansion Draft after the season. After a year with Chivas, he was on a move again, sent to Columbus early in the 2006 season.

Hendrickson has also spent time as the captain of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team, and has been one of the team's best players since earning his first cap in 1995 against Barbados.

Ezra Hendrickson: Encyclopedia BETA

Ezra Hendrickson

See also