Eric Gehrig

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2014 (Columbus): Gehrig made 20 appearances, including 14 starts: six starts at centerback and eight at rightback. He made his season debut in a start at centerback in the shutout win against Chicago (May 24). Gehrig started in the club’s international friendly against Crystal Palace FC (July 23) at centerback and assisted on Adam Bedell’s opening goal. He started at rightback for the first time in 2014 versus Toronto FC (August 9), and continued there with starts in the club’s next six League matches. He made his MLS Cup Playoffs debut by making a substitute appearance at rightback in the club’s opener versus New England (November 1). He then made his first MLS Cup Playoffs start in the second leg at New England (November 9). Gehrig made two appearances -- both starts -- at centerback in the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament. He started in the 2-1 win over Indy Eleven in the Fourth Round (June 17) and again in the Fifth Round match at Chicago (June 25), playing all 240 minutes of action in a pair of extra-time tilts. 

2013 (Columbus): Gehrig made six starts at centerback in 2013 and became the first Black & Gold player to be awarded the Kirk Urso Heart Award after the honor was posthumously given to Urso in the inaugural year of its recognition. He made his season debut in a start at centerback in the match at Toronto (May 18) and then made four consecutive starts. Gehrig also made a substitute appearance in the international friendly against Wigan Athletic (July 13). He missed two matches with a right ankle sprain: against New England (July 20) and at Toronto (July 27) and returned to action with a start at centerback against Houston (September 4) and at Sporting KC (September 7). He did not travel to Montreal (September 14) with a hamstring injury. Gehrig made eight starts in MLS Reserve League action: six at centerback, one at rightback, and one at left back, while also often serving as captain. Additionally, he made two starts at centerback in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: in the Third Round win against Dayton Dutch Lions (May 29) and in the 2-1 loss in the Fourth Round at Chicago (June 13).

2012 (Columbus): Gehrig made 12 appearances, eight of which were starts, to log 812 minutes and one assist for the Black & Gold. Gehrig also captained Columbus to its second-straight MLS Reserve League crown. He started and played 90 minutes in the club's lone match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

2011 (Columbus): Gehrig made his MLS debut on June 26 against Colorado playing five minutes. He made his first MLS start on July 2 at Vancouver, appearing in a total of eight matches with four starts. Gehrig also appeared in seven matches with six starts in the MLS Reserve League, helping the Black & Gold to the best record in the East Division. As a rookie, Gehrig started in one Open Cup match.

COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Gehrig appeared in 78 matches during his four-year tenure at Loyola University Chicago (2006-2009), scoring 10 goals and recording 10 assists. He was named to the All-Horizon League First Team three years in a row (07-09).

ACQUIRED

Gehrig signed on February 21, 2011 as a Discovery Signing.

PERSONAL

Gehrig is the son of Lothar and Debbie Gehrig and has a twin brother named Greg. A Chicago-area native, Gehrig is an avid fan of the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. Outside of MLS, his favorite soccer team to support is Bayern Munich and he is a fan of Steven Gerrard. In his spare time, Gehrig enjoys working out, going to the movies, walking around Columbus as well as reading, specifically autobiographies, war books and the “Harry Potter” series. He enjoys thriller movies and his go-to flick is “Dumb and Dumber.” Gehrig’s favorite soccer memory was the day he signed with the Black & Gold. He enjoys traveling to the Florida Keys and would like to get to Rome someday. His grandpa played in Germany.