Ryan Gyaki

Ryan Gyaki
Personal information
Date of birth (1985-12-06) 6 December 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder
Youth career
2000–2002 Calgary Storm
2003–2005 Sheffield United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Sheffield United 0 (0)
2007–2009 Hansa Rostock II 9 (0)
International career‡
2004–2005 Canada U20[1] 17 (4)
2008 Canada U23 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 November 2007
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 June 2008

Ryan Gyaki (born 6 December 1985) is a Canadian former professional soccer player and professional soccer coach. He was last signed with FC Hansa Rostock in Germany.[2] Currently, he is the head coach of the Mount Royal University men's soccer team in Calgary, Canada, called The Cougars.

Awarded "Canadian U20 player of the Year" in 2005, Gyaki was a creative midfielder who usually played in a forward playmaking role as an attacking midfielder. He represented the Canada national team in 2005 as captain of the U20 soccer team.

Gyaki, a former standout in the Calgary youth soccer scene, made his transition to the professional ranks at only 17 years old. He played for Sheffield United F.C. in England, before a knee injury sidelined him for the remaining part of the season. The following season, he signed a contract with F.C. Hansa Rostock in the German first Bundesliga.  

After continuing knee problems, Gyaki decided to retire his professional career as a player and focus on this coaching career instead. In 2014, Gyaki became assistant coach of the men's soccer team at Mount Royal University and in 2015 he succeeded as head coach. In his first season as manager, Gyaki guided the Mount Royal Cougars to the playoffs for the first time in University history, finishing third in the Prairie Division.

Career

Gyaki started his career with Calgary Storm and was discovered at 17 years old, by Sheffield United in Cuba while touring with a Calgary select team. He signed with Sheffield United F.C. in the English Premier League.

Unfortunately, after just one game with United's reserves in August 2005, he damaged knee ligaments and missed the entire 2005–06 promotion campaign. After five years with the Premiership and Championship outfit, he left United in 2007 and signed with F.C. Hansa Rostock[3] in the German first Bundesliga.

After a continuing battle with knee problems, he was released by FC Hansa Rostock on 27 May 2009.

International career

In 2004–05 season, after recovering from torn abdominal muscles, Gyaki captained the Canadian U20 national team and scored all four of their goals during qualifying for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.[4] He played 90 minutes in all three of Canada's games in the tournament against Colombia, Syria and Italy. He was named Canada Youth Player of the Year in 2005. Gyaki presented Canada in Seventeen games on Under-20 Level and scores four goals.[1] He was rated as one of the top 10 players to watch at the under 20 world cup in 2005.

Personal life

Gyaki holds an Austrian and a Canadian passport and his girlfriend Vivienne Gliesche was Miss Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2007.[5] His father is from Burgenland and his mother is from Wien, his grandparents raised in Oberwart in Austria.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Trainieren, trainieren und nochmals trainieren" (in German). bundesliga.de. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Nach dem Training zum Arbeitsamt" (in German). derwesten.de. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Ryan Gyaki – von der Insel an die Ostsee" (in German). FC Hansa Rostock. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Kanada" (in German). FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Doppelpass ins rot-weiß-rote Abseits" (in German). kurier.at. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009.
  6. ^ "Nach Verletzung: Austro-Kanadier Gyaki steht bei Hansa Rostock vor Neuanfang!" (in German). news.at. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2012.