Full name Ross Benjamin Friedman Name Ross Friedman Current team Columbus Crew SC | 2008–2010 Columbus Crew Height 1.75 m Playing position Role Soccer Player Date joined 2014 | |
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Date of birth (1992-01-08) January 8, 1992 (age 23) Number 27 (Columbus Crew SC / Defender) Profiles | ||
Ross Benjamin Friedman (born January 8, 1992) is an American former professional soccer player who played for the Columbus Crew as a defender.
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Early life
Friedman is Jewish, and was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Tod & Cherie Friedman. He was a member of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus. He began his soccer career at the JCC and on the Columbus Torah Academy recreational FIFA team.
Amateur career
Friedman attended Bexley High School in Bexley, Ohio where he was a four-year letter winner and captained the Boys' Soccer Team his junior and senior years. During his tenure at Bexley, he led the team to two state semi-final appearances, earning first team ALL-MSL as a junior, first team all-district, first team all-state and NSCAA all region as a senior. Friedman also played for the Crew Soccer Academy that finished 3rd at the Development Academy finals.
Friedman committed to Harvard University in 2010. He played in fourteen games as a freshman, starting four and scoring the game-winning goal against the University of Massachusetts. As a sophomore, he started all seventeen games and led the team in points with six assists and six points, receiving an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention. Friedman attained two all-time records at Harvard his senior year by having 12 season assists and 17 career assists, also ranking 6th in the NCAA in assists and 5th in assists per game. He was named 2nd team All-Ivy League as well as named to the Academic All-Ivy League. He helped the Columbus Crew Junior win the 2010 and the 2011 Super-20 championship and was named the all-tournament teams in 2010 and 2012.
In 2013 Friedman helped Team USA capture the gold medal at the 2013 World Maccabiah Games in Israel, leading the tournament in assists. He scored on his penalty kick in the overtime shootout in the championship against Argentina.
Professional career
Friedman signed as a Homegrown Player with Columbus Crew on January 8, 2014. He was loaned out to their USL Pro affiliate Dayton Dutch Lions in March 2014. On November 18, 2014, the Crew declined his option.