Quick Facts
Biography
Christian Ramirez (born April 4, 1991) is an American soccer player currently with Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer.
Early life and education
Born in Santa Ana, California, Ramirez attended La Quinta High School in Westminster, California near his hometown of Garden Grove where he played center midfield and forward. As a freshman, he scored 17 goals and tallied 10 assists. During his sophomore year, he scored 18 goals and served eight assists. He opted not to play for the high school team during his junior and senior seasons. Ramirez played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and earned the Golden Boot award at the nationals in 2008 after the squad won the tournament. He was named team captain for three seasons.
Ramirez played two years at Concordia University Irvine in Irvine, California after starting his college career at UC Santa Barbara, where he appeared 24 times in two years, making two starts and scoring one goal. The 6'2" forward finished his CUI career with 44 goals and 18 assists. While at Concordia, Ramirez was named NAIA First Team All-American in 2012 while recording 23 goals and 6 assists and was also the GSAC 2012 Player of the Year. In 2011 Ramirez was named All-GSAC First Team and broke the school record for points in a game with five goals and three assists for 13 points against William Jessup. Ramirez tied the school single season mark for points with 48 in 2011 and would go on to set the school record for points in a season with 52 in 2012.
Playing career
Charlotte Eagles
In 2013, Ramirez signed with the Charlotte Eagles of the USL PRO. He made his debut for the squad in a match against Antigua Barracuda FC, in which he tallied his first professional goal and was named to the USL PRO Team of the Week.
Minnesota United FC
On January 8, 2014, Minnesota United FC announced that they had signed Ramirez for the 2014 NASL season. After first-choice striker Pablo Campos suffered a torn ACL in preseason, Ramirez enjoyed a breakout season while starting every game. Ramirez was named NASL Player of the Week three times, and the NASL Player of the Month twice, for May/June and for August.
On the final game of the 2014 NASL Season, Ramirez scored his 20th goal, equaling the league record held by Campos and Etienne Barbara. Ramirez won the 2014 NASL Golden Boot by an 8 goal margin and the NASL Young Player of the Year award.
With Minnesota United FC's move to Major League Soccer, Ramirez was signed to an MLS contract, which was announced in January 2017, to remain with the club. He scored the first goal in Minnesota's MLS history, on March 3, 2017 in Portland. As of July 2017, Ramirez has scored 10 goals in 19 games, putting him 8th on the MLS top scorer list.
Career statistics
- As of June 22, 2017
| Club | League | Season | League | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Charlotte Eagles | USL Pro | 2013 | 26 | 12 | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 12 |
| Club total | 26 | 12 | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 12 | ||
| Minnesota United FC | NASL | 2014 | 28 | 20 | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 30 | 21 |
| 2015 | 31 | 13 | - | - | 1 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 14 | ||
| 2016 | 31 | 18 | - | - | 2 | 1 | – | – | 33 | 19 | ||
| MLS | 2017 | 25 | 13 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 13 | |
| Club total | 106 | 60 | - | - | 5 | 2 | - | - | 120 | 67 | ||
| Career total | 132 | 72 | - | - | 6 | 2 | - | - | 147 | 79 | ||
Personal life
Christian's father, Juan, is a Colombian former footballer who emmigrated the United States prior to Christian's birth.
Honors
Individual
- NASL Best XI: 2014, 2015
- NASL Golden Boot: 2014
- North American Soccer League Young Player of the Year: 2014
- NASL Player of the Month - May/June 2014, August 2014