Tiffany Roberts

Last updated

Tiffany Roberts
Personal information
Full name Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak [1]
Birth name Tiffany Marie Roberts [2]
Date of birth (1977-05-05) May 5, 1977 (age 47) [2]
Place of birth Petaluma, California, U.S. [2]
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) [2]
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Team information
Current team
UCF Knights (head coach)
Youth career
0000–1995 Carondelet Cougars
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1995–1998 North Carolina Tar Heels 102 (24)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2001–2003 Carolina Courage 58 (1)
2005 Washington Freedom
International career
1997–1998 United States U21
1994–2004 United States 112 (7)
Managerial career
2007–2012 VCU Rams
2013– UCF Knights
2022– United States (assistant)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1996 Atlanta Team
FIFA Women's World Cup
Gold medal icon.svg 1999 United States
Bronze medal icon.svg 1995 Sweden
Bronze medal icon.svg 2003 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak (born Tiffany Marie Roberts; May 5, 1977) is an American soccer coach, former defender, and Olympic gold medalist. She was also a member of the 1999 U.S. national team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. She became the 16th player in U.S. history to play over 100 matches for her country and was a founding member of the WUSA, the first women's professional soccer league in the United States. She is currently head coach of the women's soccer team at the University of Central Florida.

Contents

Early life

Born in Petaluma, California, Roberts attended the all-girls' Carondelet High School in Concord, California where she scored 90 goals and provided 51 assists in three and a half seasons. During her senior year, she scored nine goals with five assists in six games before leaving to join the national team. She graduated from high school via correspondent courses in order to train full-time with the national team beginning in January 1995 in preparation for the 1995 Women's World Cup. Roberts was named the 1994 California High School Player of the Year. She was a three-time Parade High School All-American, a three-time NSCAA All-American and was the two-time National Girl's High School Player of the Year. As a junior, she scored 34 goals and served 20 assists and helped lead Carondelet to the state title and the number one ranking in the country. A top track athlete in high school, Roberts was ranked in the top 20 in the country for the 400 meter dash and was voted Carondelet's Most Valuable Track & Field Athlete in 1992 and 1993. [3]

Roberts played club soccer for two years with the San Ramon Soccer Club in San Ramon, California. She also played with Alcosta Lightning from age 12-15 and was a member of the Lightning's Under-15 team that won the regional championship. She was voted the MVP of the Far Western Regional in 1993. [3]

Playing career

University of North Carolina

Roberts attended the University of North Carolina and played for the Tar Heels under then former national team coach, Anson Dorrance. As a freshman in 1995, she scored five goals and served six assists while starting 22 games and earning First-Team All-ACC honors. As a sophomore, she helped the Tar Heels to the 1996 NCAA title while battling through injuries scoring nine goals and providing 15 assists. During her junior year in 1997, she started all 28 games, scored seven goals and provided 11 assists while helping the team to the NCAA title. She was named First-Team All-ACC and to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. During her senior year, she started all 26 games while scoring three goals with 12 assists and was named MVP of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. She helped the Tar Heels to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the NCAA Championship game and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The same year, she finished third in voting for both the 1998 Hermann Trophy and MAC Player of the Year Award. [3]

Club

Carolina Courage

Roberts was a founding player of the Women's United Soccer Association, the first women's professional soccer league in the United States, and played for the Carolina Courage from 2001 to 2003. During the club's inaugural season in 2001, she started all 21 games. She went on to captain the team over the next two seasons, winning the WUSA Championship in 2002, as well as earning two WUSA All-Star Team selections in 2002 and 2003. [4]

Washington Freedom

In 2005, Roberts joined the Washington Freedom Reserves, an exhibition team put together by the Washington Freedom ownership, joining former WUSA players like Kylie Bivens and Emily Janss, as well as U-21 National Team players, Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman. The team also brought in retired soccer players Sun Wen and Brandi Chastain as guest players for one game each. The Freedom compiled a 7–2–2 record for the season of exhibition matches, almost all against W-League teams.

International

Roberts made her international debut with the United States women's national soccer team at the age of 16 in 1994 during a match against Portugal and was a member of the U.S. team that won the title at the CONCACAF Qualifying Championship in Montreal in 1994. She scored her first goal on April 10, 1994 in a match against Trinidad & Tobago.

In 1995, she played for the team that finished third at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden. In 1996, she was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Her defensive play in the midfield was considered key to the victory over Norway during the Olympic semifinals. [5]

In 1998, Roberts was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1998 Goodwill Games. During the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, she played in two matches helping the team win gold.

Previously, Roberts represented the United States on the U-21 national team that won the 1997 Nordic Cup in Denmark and finished second at the 1998 Nordic Cup in the Netherlands. [3]

Coaching career

Roberts began her coaching career as co-head coach of the women's soccer team at Virginia Commonwealth University along with her husband, former MLS player, Tim Sahaydak. [6] She was then hired as head coach at the University of Central Florida on May 6, 2013, with Tim hired as an assistant. [7]

In January 2022, Roberts began working as an assistant coach for the United States women's national team under head coach Vlatko Andonovski. [8]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
UCF Knights (American Athletic Conference)(2013–present)
2013UCF 16–2–48–0–1American ChampionsNCAA Tournament First Round
2014UCF 18–5–08–1–0American ChampionsNCAA Tournament Sweet 16
UCF:34–8–416–1–1
Total:87–57–23

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Sports administration career

In 2011, Roberts traveled to Brazil on behalf of the United States Department of State to conduct soccer clinics with former national team member and teammate, Linda Hamilton. [9]

In June 2014, Roberts traveled to Brazil on behalf of the United States Department of State to participate in a Sports Envoy program with former U.S. national team member Cobi Jones. [10] In July 2014, Roberts returned to Brazil as a member of the official White House delegation at the opening game of the FIFA World Cup in São Paulo, Brazil. [11]

Honors

Tiffany Roberts Field in San Ramon Sports Park. [12]

Player

United States

Coach

UCF Knights

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristine Lilly</span> American soccer player

Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey is an American former professional soccer player. She was a member of the United States women's national team for 23 years and is the most-capped football player in the history of the sport, gaining her 354th and final cap against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010. Lilly scored 130 international goals for the US national team, making her the team's fourth-highest goal scorer behind Carli Lloyd's 134, Mia Hamm's 158 goals, and Abby Wambach's 184.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat Whitehill</span> American soccer player

Catherine Reddick Whitehill is an American retired professional soccer defender, who was also an assistant coach of the Boston Breakers in the NWSL. Whitehill last played for the Boston Breakers in 2015 and previously played for the Washington Freedom and the Atlanta Beat in the WPS. She was a member of the United States women's national soccer team from 2000 to 2010; during that time, she earned a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Parlow Cone</span> American sports executive

Cynthia Marie Parlow Cone is an American soccer executive and president of the United States Soccer Federation. A former professional soccer player, she is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion. As head coach in 2013, Parlow Cone led the Portland Thorns FC to clinch the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Overbeck</span> American soccer player (born 1968)

Carla Werden Overbeck is an American former soccer player who is currently an assistant coach for the Duke Blue Devils women's soccer team. Captain of the United States national team from 1993 to 2000, she helped lead the team to two FIFA Women's World Cups and an Olympic gold medal. She played collegiately for the North Carolina Tar Heels. She has been an assistant coach for Duke since 1992, overseeing its defensive unit principally. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006.

Leslie Gaston Marcus is an American former soccer player who played as a defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Tarpley</span> American soccer player (born 1983)

Lindsay Ann Tarpley Snow is an American former professional soccer forward and midfielder. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning gold at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and was a member of the United States women's national team that finished third at the 2007 Women's World Cup in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lori Chalupny</span> American former soccer player

Lori Christine Chalupny Lawson is a former American soccer defender who last played for the Chicago Red Stars and the United States women's national soccer team. She is a gold medalist from 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a bronze medalist in 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup hosted by China. She was also on the roster of the United States national soccer team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She is the current head woman's soccer coach of Maryville University in St. Louis.

Shannon Danise Higgins-Cirovski is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who earned 51 caps with the United States between 1987 and 1991. She was a member of the U.S. team at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Engen</span> American soccer player

Whitney Elizabeth Engen is an American soccer player and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She most recently played as a defender for the United States women's national soccer team as well as the Boston Breakers of the National Women's Soccer League, the highest division of women's soccer in the United States. She first appeared for the United States national team during the 2011 Algarve Cup in a match against Norway on March 4. During her time with the team, she made 40 appearances for the team and scored four goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghan Klingenberg</span> American soccer player (born 1988)

Meghan Elizabeth Klingenberg is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A former member of the United States women's national soccer team, she is a one-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She has also played for three teams in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, for Tyresö FF in Sweden's Damallsvenskan and for the Houston Dash in the NWSL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer</span> American college soccer team

The North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in men's NCAA Division I soccer competition. They compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels won the NCAA championship in 2001 and 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCF Knights women's soccer</span> American college soccer team

The UCF Knights women's soccer program represents the University of Central Florida in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I. The Knights compete in the Big 12 Conference. UCF plays home games on its main campus in Orlando, Florida at the UCF Soccer and Track Stadium. The Knights are led by head coach and Olympic gold medalist Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Hamilton (soccer)</span> American soccer player (born 1969)

Linda Ann Hamilton is an American retired soccer defender and former member of the United States women's national soccer team. She is currently head coach of the women's soccer team at the Southwestern University. Hamilton was inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2022.

Tim Sahaydak is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently associate head coach of the UCF Knights women's soccer program. As a player, he played several seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS) for Miami Fusion F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Gregg</span> American soccer coach and retired soccer player

Lauren Gregg is an American soccer coach and retired soccer player who played as a defender or midfielder. She made one appearance for the United States women's national soccer team in 1986. She was the first-ever female assistant coach for any of the United States' national teams between 1987 and 2000, and was interim head coach of the United States women's national soccer team in 1997 and 2000. As head coach of the women's soccer team at the University of Virginia from 1986 to 1995, Gregg was the first woman to lead a team to the NCAA Division I Final Four and to be named NSCAA Coach of the Year.

Angela Kelly is the head coach of the University of Texas women’s soccer team. Kelly was previously the head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s soccer team for 12 seasons.

Susan Elizabeth Quill is an American former soccer player and current coach who played as a forward, making ten appearances for the United States women's national team.

Robin Janelle Confer is an American former soccer player who played as a forward, making eight appearances for the United States women's national team.

Laurie Annette Schwoy is an American former soccer player who played as a midfielder or forward, making four appearances for the United States women's national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brianna Pinto</span> American soccer player (born 2000)

Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

References

  1. "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: USA" (PDF). FIFA. July 11, 2023. p. 30. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tiffany Roberts". North Carolina Tar Heels. Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Tiffany Roberts". Soccer Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  4. "More About Coventry Commonwealth Games Spokesperson Tiffany Roberts". Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Archived from the original on September 22, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. "1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta, United States – Soccer" Archived August 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved on May 17, 2008)
  6. "Life After Soccer: Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak". Our Game Magazine. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  7. "UCF hires Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak to take over women's soccer program". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel.
  8. Forcella, Daniel (January 19, 2022). "Roberts Sahaydak Joins U.S. Women's National Team Coaching Staff". UCF Knights . Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  9. "Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte Receive U.S. Female Soccer Champions". US Consulate. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  10. "World Cup Kickoff: Empowering Brazilian Youth Through Soccer". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  11. "President Obama updates Presidential Delegation". whitehouse.gov . June 12, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014 via National Archives.
  12. "PARK AND AQUATIC CENTER PICNICS". City of San Ramon. Retrieved June 19, 2024.