The native of the 50th state in the U.S. created quite a stir last November. After being left unprotected by the Houston Dynamo in the 2012 MLS Expansion Draft, Brian Ching told the media that if selected, he would rather retire than join the Montreal Impact, citing a love for the city of Houston and the organization.
“I made an emotional decision at an emotional time. I didn’t have the time to reflect,” he told reporters Monday, after his first training session with the Impact. “But over the past few months, I’ve come to terms with the fact that in professional sports, things don’t always go your way. I have nothing against Montreal. I want to win games. I’m here now to play for my teammates and the fans.”
Ching has had a very distinguished career and is very well known in MLS and all across the North American soccer community.
“What you might not know about Brian is that he is the consummate professional,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “He is a competitor. I’ve seen that from him at every level, be it in MLS or with the U.S. National Team. He still wants to win and he’ll bring it every day to help this team be a winner.”
Here are five other things you may not know about Brian Ching:
1. Made in Hawaii
First Hawaiian native ever taken in an MLS draft, Ching started playing soccer at age 7, and his mother was his first coach. He was forced to travel to tournaments on the mainland (U.S.), where he was noticed by Gonzaga University coaches. He was also the very first Hawaiian-born player to be capped by the U.S. Men’s National Team.
2. Man of the people
Is involved in a number of charities, including the Recipe for Success Foundation to help fight childhood obesity and The House that Ching Built, a commitment to give back to the community by raising money to build an affordable home through Houston Habitat for Humanity. With the support of Dynamo Charities and Major League Soccer W.O.R.K.S., Ching raised $75,000.
3. He loves the ice
After every game, he sits in a bathtub full of ice. “First there's a lot of shrivelling. Ice relaxes your muscles and reduces inflammation and swelling. When you first get in there, it feels like pins and needles. It takes your breath away. It's unbelievably cold and you can't believe you're doing this. But it helps a lot.”
4. Ching is a champ
The 33-year-old striker won three MLS Cups over his career (2003, 2006 and 2007), four conference championships (2003, 2006, 2007 and 2011), one Supporters Shield (2005), one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2001), and the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S. national team (2009).
5. Goalscoring machine
Renowned sports website bleacherreport.com ranked Brian Ching as one of the top 15 MLS goal scorers of all-time after scoring 77 goals in 189 league appearances.
Ching and the rest of his teammates are in Guadalajara, Mexico until January 29 for the first leg of its training camp tour.
