Midfielder
Chris Henderson
5' 10"
Biography of retired USMNT player Chris Henderson who is now sporting director with Atlanta United.
Caps: 79 | Goals: 3
Chris Henderson was one of the top wing players in the history of Major League Soccer, having won an MLS Cup with the Kansas City Wizards in 2000 and a Supporters’ Shield with the Miami Fusion for the league’s best record during the 2001 regular season.
Henderson’s prowess on the left flank earned him 80 full international appearances since breaking into the full national team at just 19 years of age. He played on the 1990 World Cup team coached by Bob Gansler.
After an 11-year career in Major League Soccer and with a record 317 appearances, Henderson announced his retirement from professional soccer on December 22, 2006. He served as the technical director of the Seattle Sounders before moving to a similar role with Inter Miami in 2021. He moved to Atlanta United as their sporting director on December 16, 2024.
USMNT Experience
2002
Appeared with the US National Team in MLS All-Star Game.
2000
Started his first game for the national team in nearly two years in the 2-0 win over Mexico.
1997
Scored a goal and added an assist as the U.S. completed qualifying play for the 1998 World Cup with a 4-2 win over El Salvador on November 16, 1997.
1994
Started 10 of 13 games for the national team, recording an assist.
1993
Led the U.S. with a record 26 starts in 1993 and was fourth in minutes (1,969).
1993
Tied the U.S. record for most assists in a year with five in 1993.
1992
Played in seven qualifying matches, netting three goals, for the U.S. Olympic team before being named to the squad for the 1992 Olympic Football Tournament.
1990
Was the youngest player to make the 1990 U.S. World Cup Team at the age of 19.
Professional Experience
2006
Played in all 32 regular season games for the New York Red Bulls. He scored three goals and added one assist.
2005
Traded to the Columbus Crew in May.
2004
Played a solid season with Colorado, a regular starter.
2003
Played 26 games, logging nearly 2,200 minutes, scored four goals and tallied three assists.
2002
Finished second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 7 assists in 28 games.
2002
Selected by Colorado in MLS Dispersal Draft.
2001
Finished fifth on the Fusion in scoring with three goals and eight assists, helping the team to the Eastern Division title and the semifinals of the MLS playoffs after coming to Miami from Kansas City.
2000
Won the MLS Cup with the Wizards and led them in scoring with a career-high nine goals and nine assists for 27 points.
2000
Set career highs in games played (31), games started (30) and minutes (2694) and was named to the Western All-Star team.
2000
Became the 12th MLS player to play 10,000 minutes on April 19, 2000.
2000
Started all seven Wizards play-off games and scored in game three of the first-round series against Colorado.
1999
Recorded four assists on June 20 against the New York/New Jersey MetroStars to tie an MLS single-game record.
1999
Finished his first season in Kansas City ranked second on the team in minutes (2625) and assists (six) after being traded from the Colorado Rapids.
1998
Ranked second in assists (nine) for Colorado and led the Rapids to the first round of the playoffs.
1997
Finished the season tied for ninth in MLS in scoring with 28 points on seven goals and 14 assists.
1997
Named a starter for the MLS Western Conference All-Star team and led Colorado to the MLS Cup Final.
1996
Was named the Rapids season MVP after starting 29 games, scoring three goals, and adding a team-high eight assists.
1994-1995
Scored eight goals for FSV Frankfurt in the German Second Division.
Youth and College
Henderson helped UCLA win the 1990 NCAA Championship, earning All-American honors while scoring five goals and adding five assists on the season.
