Robin Fraser

Robin Fraser (born December 17, 1966) is an American soccer coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids. Fraser was formerly an assistant coach for Real Salt Lake, New York Red Bulls, and Toronto FC, and was the head coach of Chivas USA for two seasons.
Fraser played six seasons in the American Professional Soccer League and ten in Major League Soccer. He earned 27 caps with the United States men's national soccer team between 1988 and 2001.
Youth and college
Fraser was born in Jamaica and grew up in Miami, Florida where he played soccer at Miami Palmetto High School. He played college soccer at Florida International University from 1984 to 1988, leading the team to an NCAA Division II Championship as a freshman. After the team moved to Division I before the 1987 season, he was recognized as a 1987 and 1988 second-team All-American, and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy as a senior.
Playing career
Professional
In 1988, Fraser signed with the Miami Sharks in the American Soccer League. He played two seasons with the Sharks. In 1990, he moved to the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League, for whom he played from 1990 to 1995. While with the Foxes, Fraser was named an APSL All-Star four straight years, from 1992 to his final season in 1995.
When Major League Soccer was created, he was the Los Angeles Galaxy's first selection (fourth overall) in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. Fraser played five seasons with Galaxy, and was named to the league's Best XI four times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000), and was named MLS Defender of the Year in 1999.
Fraser was traded to the Colorado Rapids in a salary-cap-related move before the 2001 season. He spent three years in Colorado, before being traded to the Columbus Crew for two draft picks. Fraser anchored the Crew defense in 2004, and was once again considered one of the best in MLS at the position, winning his second Defender of the Year award and being named to his fifth Best XI while captaining the Crew to the Supporters' Shield. During the 2003 and 2004 season, Fraser helped mentor two of MLS's most promising young defenders, Nat Borchers and Chad Marshall. Never a big scorer, Fraser only scored one regular season and one playoff goal in his entire MLS career. He retired after the 2005 season.
Fraser was honored as one of The 25 Greatest players in MLS history on December 10, 2020.
International
Although Fraser was born in Jamaica, he chose to represent the United States at the international level, after becoming a citizen in June 1986. He made his debut against Chile on June 1, 1988, and amassed 27 caps. His last came in a scoreless tie with Ecuador on June 7, 2001.
Coaching career
Early Career & Chivas USA
During the late 90s, Robin Fraser and Greg Vanney co-coached a local girls soccer club in Los Angeles California known as the Santa Anita Soccer Club or SASC.
In 2007, Real Salt Lake hired Fraser as a third assistant coach. On January 4, 2011, Fraser was hired as the new head coach of Chivas USA, becoming the team's sixth coach in seven years.
Fraser was dismissed by Chivas after a two-year run saw him post a 15–32–21 record, including a 14-match winless streak in his second season. During the off-season, he was named as an assistant coach for the New York Red Bulls under new head coach Mike Petke.
After two season in New York, Fraser moved to Toronto FC, where served as assistant coach alongside head coach Greg Vanney. The two previously had worked together with Chivas USA, albeit in reversed roles, with Fraser the head man and Vanney working underneath him.
Colorado Rapids
On August 25, 2019, Fraser became the head coach for Colorado Rapids, following the dismissal of then intern head coach Conor Casey. The Rapids won their first three games under Fraser and won five of their last seven to close 2019 just shy of the playoffs. Colorado ended the season tied for the third-most goals scored in MLS with 58, the club's highest total since scoring 62 in 1998.
The Rapids' offensive growth continued in 2020. Colorado scored 32 goals in 18 games. The Rapids' 1.78 goals per game ranked sixth in MLS. Colorado posted a positive goal differential for the first time since 2016. On Sep 12, Colorado defeated Real Salt Lake, 5–0, earning its first ever win at Rio Tinto Stadium and reclaiming the Rocky Mountain Cup. The win also marked the Rapids' largest margin of victory ever, which they would match three games later in a 5–0 win over San Jose Earthquakes. Fraser led Colorado on a three-game winning streak, the second of his Rapids tenure, to close out the regular season and clinch a berth in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Fraser posted the best 25-game start of any Rapids head coach in history, scoring 47 goals, winning 13 games and earning 43 points, which are the most by a Rapids head coach since the introduction of draws to MLS In 2000.
On March 23, 2022, the Rapids announced that Fraser had signed a new contract with the team, extending his tenure through the 2025 season.
Coaching statistics
Honors
Player
MLS Cup
Runner-up: 1996, 1999
MLS Supporters' Shield
Winner: 1998, 2004
Runner-up: 1996, 1999
MLS Eastern Conference
Winners (Regular Season): 2004
MLS Western Conference
Winners (Regular Season): 1996, 1998, 1999
Winners (Playoffs): 1996, 1999
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Winners: 2000
Runner-up: 1997
Assistant coach
MLS Cup
Winners: 2009, 2017
MLS Supporters' Shield
Winners: 2015, 2017
Runners-up: 2010
MLS Eastern Conference
Winners (Playoff): 2009, 2016
Canadian Championship
Winners: 2016, 2017, 2018
CONCACAF Champions League
Runners-up: 2018
Individual
MLS All-Star: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000
MLS Best XI: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
MLS Defender of the Year: 1999, 2004
References
External links
Soccer Times player profile
1966 births
Living people
Footballers from Kingston, Jamaica
American men's soccer players
American soccer coaches
United States men's international soccer players
Jamaican men's footballers
Jamaican football managers
Jamaican emigrants to the United States
Association football commentators
Men's association football defenders
FIU Panthers men's soccer players
Miami Freedom players
Colorado Foxes players
LA Galaxy players
Colorado Rapids players
Columbus Crew players
American Soccer League (1988–89) players
American Professional Soccer League players
Major League Soccer players
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Major League Soccer All-Stars
Real Salt Lake non-playing staff
Chivas USA coaches
New York Red Bulls non-playing staff
Toronto FC non-playing staff
Colorado Rapids coaches
Major League Soccer coaches
Florida International University alumni
Soccer players from Florida
Miami Palmetto Senior High School alumni