Erik Benjaminsen

Erik Benjaminsen
Personal information
Full name Erik Gustav Benjaminsen[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-03) 3 September 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth San Francisco, California, United States
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Lommedalen
Number 18
Youth career
Hauger
2003–2010 Stabæk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Stabæk 4 (0)
2014– Lommedalen
International career‡
2010 United States U20 2 (0)
2010 Norway U19 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 August 2012
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 May 2010

Erik Gustav Benjaminsen (born September 3, 1992) is a US-born Norwegian footballer who plays for Lommedalen in the 3. divisjon.

With an American mother and a Norwegian father, Benjaminsen has represented both Norway and the United States at youth international level.

Career

Club

Benjaminsen has a Norwegian father and an American mother and was born in San Francisco. He lived in Fresno, California for six years before his family moved to Norway. As a young boy, Benjaminsen joined Hauger FK, but at the age of fifteen he moved to Stabæk.[2] He worked his way through the youth system, playing for the U-19 team and the reserve team.

Benjaminsen made his debut for the senior team in the first round of the 2010 Norwegian Cup, coming on as a substitute in a 12-1 demolition of Høland IL.[3] Benjaminsen signed a professional contract in August 2010, making him eligible for league play.[4]

On 12 May 2012, Benjaminsen made his debut in Tippeligaen in Stabæk's 5–0 loss against Molde, when he replaced Vegar Eggen Hedenstad as a substitute after 16 minutes.

International

Like his teammate Mix Diskerud, Benjaminsen is a dual national holding both Norwegian and American citizenship. Also like Diskerud, Benjaminsen has played for Norwegian youth teams in informal competitions. However, in 2009 Benjaminsen said that, "I am 100% American. I always have been. My goal is to make the US national team. It has always been my dream. If I were to get a call [from US Under-20 team coach Thomas Rongen], I would take it in a heartbeat."[2]

In May 2010, Benjaminsen accepted a callup to the US U-20 team to compete in a youth tournament in the Netherlands.[5]

Future callups were not forthcoming from the US U-20 camp and in September 2010, Benjaminsen accepted a callup to the Norwegian under-19 team.[6] He made his official debut for the team on September 29 in a 2–0 loss to Estonia U-19 in a qualifier for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship.

Career statistics

Season Club Division League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2010 Stabæk Tippeligaen 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011 0 0 1 0 1 0
2012 4 0 2 0 6 0
2013 Adeccoligaen 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career Total 4 0 3 0 7 0

References

  1. ^ "Erik Gustav Benjaminsen, Born 09/03/1992 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org.
  2. ^ a b Bell, Arch (9 November 2009). "BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITING BENJAMINSEN". Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Høland-Stabæk". 13 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Stabæk-kontrakt for Benjaminsen". Budstikka (in Norwegian). 23 August 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  5. ^ "Rongen Finalizes U-20 Roster for the Cor Groenewegen in the Netherlands". 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  6. ^ Bakkehaug, Wegard (19 September 2010). "Stabæk-kompiser med felles USA-drøm" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 4 November 2012.