Matt Hedges

This article is about the American soccer player. For the British academic, see Arrest of Matthew Hedges.

American soccer player (born 1990)

Matt Hedges

Hedges with FC Dallas in 2021

Personal information
Full name|  Matthew James Hedges
Date of birth|  (1990-04-01) April 1, 1990 (age 32)
Place of birth|  Rochester, New York, United States
Height|  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Position(s)|  Center-back
Club information

Current team

|  Toronto FC
Number|  2
College career
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
2008–2010|  Butler Bulldogs|  59|  (12)
2011|  North Carolina Tar Heels|  26|  (6)
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
2009|  Fort Wayne Fever|  9|  (0)
2010–2011|  Reading United|  24|  (4)
2012–2022|  FC Dallas|  310|  (18)
2023–|  Toronto FC|  0|  (0)
International career‡
2015–2017|  United States|  5|  (0)

Honours

Representing  United States
Winner | CONCACAF Gold Cup | 2017

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 19, 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 19, 2017

Matthew James Hedges (born April 1, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Hedges has been one of the better defenders in MLS since 2014, landing on the MLS Best XI in 2015 and 2016, and winning the MLS Defender of the Year award in 2016.

## Contents

* 1 Career
* 1.1 College and amateur
* 1.2 Professional
* 1.3 International
* 2 Career statistics
* 2.1 Club
* 3 Honors
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Career[edit]

### College and amateur[edit]

Hedges was born in New York but grew up in Carmel, Indiana.[2] He attended Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana), where he was a member of the 2006 Greyhounds soccer team that went undefeated, and won both the IHSAA Boys' Soccer State Championship[3] and the NSCAA National Championship. He played college soccer at Butler University between 2008 and 2010, and at the University of North Carolina in 2011. During his time at Butler, Hedges was named to the NSCAA All-America Second Team as a junior, and he was also named Horizon League Defender of the Year in both his junior and sophomore years. After transferring to North Carolina, he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and to the NSCAA All-America First Team. He scored 6 times on the season and helped lead the Tar Heels defense to a 0.69 goals-against average en route to the 2011 NCAA National Championship.

Hedges spent time with USL Premier Development League club Fort Wayne Fever in 2009, making 9 appearances. He also spent time with USL PDL club Reading United in 2010 and 2011, scoring 4 goals in 24 appearances.[4]

### Professional[edit]

FC Dallas selected Hedges in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.[5] He made his professional debut on April 5, 2012, in a 1–0 victory against the New England Revolution. Due to injuries and his excellent play for a rookie, he became a regular starter for the club. His first goal in the 2014 season was a header in the 90th minute against Sporting Kansas City off a free kick taken by Michel. The goal tied the game, 1–1.[6]

Hedges captained the team for the first time in 2014,[7] a move that eventually became permanent.[8] Since becoming captain, he has led the club into the MLS playoffs in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Also in 2015, the club was the Western Conference regular season champions and Supporters' Shield runner-up. For the 2015 MLS season, he was named to the Best XI[9] and as a finalist for Defender of the Year.[10] Dallas was even more successful in 2016, winning the Supporters' Shield and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Hedges was once again named to the Best XI[11] and, this time, was the winner of the Defender of the Year award.[12]

In 2020, he became the all-time leader in MLS appearances for FC Dallas, passing Jason Kreis.[13]

In December 2022, he signed a two-year contract with Toronto FC beginning in the 2023 season.[14]

### International[edit]

Hedges made his United States men's national soccer team debut on February 8, 2015, when he came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute against Panama in a friendly.[15] He was selected to the U.S. squad for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which the U.S. ended up winning. Hedges started and played 90 minutes in victories over Martinique in group stage play and El Salvador in the quarterfinals.

## Career statistics[edit]

### Club[edit]

As of match played October 23, 2022[16][4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition  Club  | Season  | League  | National cup  | Continental  | Other  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|

Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals
Fort Wayne Fever | 2009 | USL PDL | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0
Reading United | 2010 | ? | ? | 1 | 0 | — | — | ? | ?
2011 | ? | ? | 1 | 0 | — | — | ? | ?
Total  | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6
FC Dallas | 2012 | MLS | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3
2013 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 4
2014 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 37 | 3
2015 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 36 | 1
2016 | 26 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3[b] | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 35 | 4
2017 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 32 | 2
2018 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 38 | 3
2019 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[a] | 1 | 36 | 3
2020 | 19 | 0 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 21 | 0
2021 | 20 | 1 | — | — | — | 20 | 1
2022 | 28 | 1 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 30 | 1
Total  | 310 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 349 | 25
Career total  | 345 | 24 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 386 | 31

1. ^ a b c d e f g Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
2. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League

## Honors[edit]

University of North Carolina

* NCAA National Champions: 2011

FC Dallas

* U.S. Open Cup: 2016
* Supporters' Shield: 2016

United States

* CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2017

Individual

* Horizon League Defender of the Year: 2009,[17] 2010[18]
* ACC Defender of the Year: 2011
* NCAA 1st Team All America: 2011
* MLS Best XI: 2015,[19] 2016[11]
* MLS Defender of the Year: 2016[12]
* MLS All-Star: 2017,[20] 2018,[21] 2019[22]

## See also[edit]

* Biography portal

* List of current Major League Soccer players with national team caps

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Matt Hedges". FC Dallas. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
2. ^ "Matt Hedges, a Schellas Hyndman kind of player". January 14, 2012.
3. ^ IHSAA. "IHSAA Boys Soccer State Champions". www.ihsaa.org. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
4. ^ a b "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
5. ^ SportsDayDFW.com. "FC Dallas drafts defender Matt Hedges in SuperDraft | Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
6. ^ "By The Numbers: Sporting KC at FC Dallas - March 14, 2015".
7. ^ "Why FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja made Matt Hedges youngest captain in team history". March 27, 2015.
8. ^ "8 New Faces Klinsmann Should Consider for the U.S."
9. ^ "2015 MLS Best XI revealed: 10 first-time selections get the nod".
10. ^ "MLS Announces 2015 Awards Finalists".
11. ^ a b "MLS Best XI revealed: Who was the best at each position in 2016?".
12. ^ a b Stejskal, Sam (November 11, 2016). "FC Dallas' Matt Hedges named 2016 MLS Defender of the Year". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
13. ^ "Matt Hedges Breaks FC Dallas' All-Time MLS Appearance Record". FC Dallas. August 21, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
14. ^ "Toronto FC sign defender Matt Hedges". Toronto FC. December 19, 2022.
15. ^ "MNT Earns First Win of 2015, Shuts Out Panama 2-0 at StubHub Center".
16. ^ Matt Hedges at Soccerway. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
17. ^ "Butler Lands Eight On All-League Men's Soccer Team". butlersports.com. Butler University Athletics. November 10, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
18. ^ "Horizon League Announces Men's Soccer Award Winners". horizonleague.org. Horizon League. November 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
19. ^ "2015 MLS Best XI revealed: 10 first-time selections get the nod".
20. ^ "2017 MLS All-Star Roster".
21. ^ "2018 MLS All-Star Roster".
22. ^ "2019 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved July 14, 2019.

## External links[edit]

* Matt Hedges at Soccerway
* Matt Hedges at Major League Soccer
* University of North Carolina bio
* Soccerstats bio

Awards and achievements

* v
* t
* e

USL League Two Defender of the Year

* 1996: D. Demmin
* 1997: C. Demmin
* 1998: Adams
* 1999: Schulte
* 2000: Nelson
* 2001: Nelson
* 2002: Clanton
* 2003: Delgadillo
* 2004: Thompson
* 2005: Taylor
* 2006: Telesford
* 2007: Horst
* 2008: Barnes
* 2009: Di Biase
* 2010: Hedges
* 2011: Givens
* 2012: Cope
* 2013: Givens
* 2014: Kiffe
* 2015: Castillo
* 2016: Abubakar
* 2017: Osmond
* 2018: Skelton
* 2019: Conte
* 2020: none awarded
* 2021: Sims

* v
* t
* e

Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year

Player of the Year (1970–2003)|

* 1970: Skirka
* 1971: Vixaysouk
* 1972: Browne
* 1973: Browne
* 1974: Browne
* 1975: Browne & Obueze
* 1976: Obueze
* 1977: Poppola
* 1978: Ogunsuyi
* 1979: Nwokocha
* 1980: Afejuku
* 1981: Ulrich
* 1982: Okpodu
* 1983: Otorubio
* 1984: Gaffney
* 1985: Conner
* 1986: Kerr
* 1987: J. Harkes
* 1988: Agoos
* 1989: Meola
* 1990: Gutierrez
* 1991: Gutierrez
* 1992: Schweitzer
* 1993: Glenn
* 1994: Campbell
* 1995: M. Fisher
* 1996: M. Fisher
* 1997: Cullen
* 1998: Krakowiak
* 1999: Curtis
* 2000: Carrieri
* 2001: Martino
* 2002: Eskandarian
* 2003: White

Offensive Player of the Year (2004– )|

* 2004: Sealy
* 2005: Garey
* 2006: Davies
* 2007: Bedoya
* 2008: Grella
* 2009: Bone
* 2010: Finley
* 2011: Wenger
* 2012: Mullins
* 2013: Shipp
* 2014: Hodan
* 2015: Harrison
* 2016: Gallagher
* 2017: Bakero
* 2018: Fernandez
* 2019: R. Robinson
* 2020: Noël
* 2021: Úlfarsson
* 2022: Mohammed

Defensive Player of the Year (2004– )|

* 2004: Parkhurst
* 2005: Sturgis
* 2006: Seitz
* 2007: Gonzalez
* 2008: Opara
* 2009: Opara
* 2010: Wenger
* 2011: Hedges
* 2012: Ibeagha
* 2013: Okwuonu
* 2014: Bono
* 2015: K. Fisher
* 2016: M. Robinson
* 2017: Politz
* 2018: Comsia
* 2019: Mbaye
* 2020: Löeffelsend
* 2021: Löeffelsend
* 2022: Ueland

Midfielder of the Year (2016– )|

* 2016: I. Harkes
* 2017: Lindley
* 2018: Lapa
* 2019: Bell
* 2020: Pereira
* 2021: Stroud
* 2022: Stroud

* v
* t
* e

2012 MLS SuperDraft first-round selections

* Andrew Wenger
* Darren Mattocks
* Kelyn Rowe
* Luis Silva
* Casey Townsend
* Sam Garza
* Nick DeLeon
* Andrew Jean-Baptiste
* Austin Berry
* Ethan Finlay
* Matt Hedges
* Aaron Maund
* Chandler Hoffman
* Tony Cascio
* Andrew Duran
* Dom Dwyer
* Enzo Martínez
* Colin Rolfe
* Tommy Meyer

* v
* t
* e

Dallas Burn / FC Dallas first-round draft picks

* Pollard
* Cassar
* T. Suarez
* Jordan
* Alavanja
* Rhine
* Broome
* Korol
* Vaca
* R. Suarez
* Gbandi
* Bussey
* Morrison
* Thomas
* Núñez
* Goodson
* Moor
* McCarty
* Wallace
* Shea
* Lambo
* Marošević
* John
* Loyd
* Warshaw
* Hedges
* Zimmerman
* Akindele
* Earle
* Herman
* Hayes
* Atuahene
* Twumasi
* Montgomery
* Nelson
* Burgess
* Jennings
* Hernandez
* Parker
* Bartlett
* Ntsabeleng

* v
* t
* e

MLS Defender of the Year

* 1996: Doyle
* 1997: Pope
* 1998: Kubík
* 1999: Fraser
* 2000: Vermes
* 2001: Agoos
* 2002: Bocanegra
* 2003: Bocanegra
* 2004: Fraser
* 2005: Conrad
* 2006: Boswell
* 2007: Parkhurst
* 2008: Marshall
* 2009: Marshall
* 2010: Olave
* 2011: Gonzalez
* 2012: Besler
* 2013: Gonçalves
* 2014: Marshall
* 2015: Ciman
* 2016: Hedges
* 2017: Opara
* 2018: Long
* 2019: Opara
* 2020: Zimmerman
* 2021: Zimmerman
* 2022: Glesnes

* v
* t
* e

2015 MLS Best XI

* GK: Robles
* DF: Ciman
* DF: Hedges
* DF: Waston
* MF: Castillo
* MF: Feilhaber
* MF: Finlay
* MF: McCarty
* FW: Giovinco
* FW: Kamara
* FW: Keane

* v
* t
* e

2016 MLS Best XI

* GK: Blake
* DF: Hedges
* DF: Sjöberg
* DF: Van Damme
* MF: Díaz
* MF: Dos Santos
* MF: Kljestan
* MF: Piatti
* FW: Giovinco
* FW: Villa
* FW: Wright-Phillips

* v
* t
* e

2011 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer First-Team All-America

Goalkeeper|

* Brian Holt

Defenders|

* Chris Estridge
* Matt Hedges
* Charles Rodriguez

Midfielders|

* Miguel Ibarra
* Enzo Martínez
* Luis Silva

Forwards|

* Ashton Bennett
* Ethan Finlay
* Billy Schuler
* Andrew Wenger

* v
* t
* e

Toronto FC - current squad

* 1 Ranjitsingh
* 2 Hedges
* 4 Bradley
* 5 MacNaughton
* 7 Marshall-Rutty
* 8 Kaye
* 9 Jiménez
* 10 Bernardeschi
* 11 Nelson
* 12 Chung
* 19 Laryea
* 20 Akinola
* 21 Osorio
* 24 Insigne
* 26 Singh
* 27 O'Neill
* 29 Kerr
* 30 Romero
* 47 Thompson
* 77 Perruzza
* 81 Antonoglou
* 83 Mbongue
* Vázquez

* Head Coach: Bradley
* Assistant Coach: Sorber
* Assistant Coach: Stalteri
* Goalkeeper Coach: Conway

* v
* t
* e

United States squad – 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners (6th title)

* 1 Guzan
* 2 Villafaña
* 3 O. Gonzalez
* 4 Miazga
* 5 Besler
* 6 Rowe
* 7 Pontius
* 8 Morris
* 9 Zardes
* 10 Corona
* 11 Bedoya
* 12 Hamid
* 13 McCarty
* 14 Dwyer
* 15 Lichaj
* 16 Morrow
* 17 Roldan
* 18 Agudelo
* 19 Zusi
* 20 Arriola
* 21 Hedges
* 22 Johnson
* 23 Acosta
* 24 Howard
* 25 Nagbe
* 26 Bradley (c)
* 27 Altidore
* 28 Dempsey
* 29 J. González
* Coach: Arena

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals
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