Chris Armas
Chris Armas (born August 27, 1972 in The Bronx, New York) is a Puerto Rican-American soccer player, who currently plays defensive midfield for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.
Armas attended Adelphi University from 1990–1993, amassing 17 goals and 15 assists over the four years, and being named an NCAA First Team All-American his senior year. After graduating, Armas played in 1995 for the USISL's Long Island Rough Riders, being selected as a USISL All-Star, before joining Major League Soccer in its inaugural season.
Armas was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft, and played a significant role in their first and second seasons. However, the Chicago Fire acquired Armas in a trade for their inaugural 1998 campaign (with Jorge Campos in return for Kevin Hartman and Danny Pena, who the Fire just took from the Galaxy in the Expansion Draft). It was with Chicago that he emerged as an exceptional player. Between 1998 and 2001, Armas was named to the MLS Best XI four consecutive times, his streak only being broken by an unfortunate ACL injury that kept him out of much of the 2002 campaign — Armas was named to his fifth Best XI after the 2003 MLS season, in addition to being named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year. In nine years in MLS, he totaled nine goals and 39 assists, plus added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.
Although Armas had five caps for the Puerto Rico national team, none were in official matches, so he was granted a right by FIFA to play for the United States, for whom he made his debut November 6, 1998 against Australia. He has since registered 58 caps. Unfortunately for Armas, he did not break into the squad until soon after the 1998 World Cup, and his ACL injury came just before the 2002 World Cup, so he may never play for the United States in the world's most prestigious soccer competition. He was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2000.