Liam Ridgewell

Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is primarily a centre back but can also play at left back.

Ridgewell began his senior career with Aston Villa, spending a spell on loan at A.F.C. Bournemouth in 2002, before moving to Villa's local rivals Birmingham City in 2007, where he was part of the 2011 Football League Cup Final-winning team. He spent two and a half seasons with West Bromwich Albion, who released him at the end of 2013–14. He then joined the Portland Timbers, whom he captained to victory in MLS Cup 2015. During the MLS off-season, he spent time on loan in England with Wigan Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Internationally, he has eight caps for England at under-21 level.

Club career

Early career

Ridgewell was born in Bexleyheath, London. He began his career with West Ham United, but moved to Aston Villa in February 2001. He was part of the team that won the 2002 FA Youth Cup final against Everton.

Ridgewell

Coordinates: 52°02′21″N 0°31′28″E / 52.0391°N 0.5244°E / 52.0391; 0.5244

Ridgewell is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England, about six miles from Haverhill on the main road between Haverhill and Braintree.

Its population was 503 in the 2001 census (in 216 households) with the mean age being 41.35 years It was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Ridgewell has a village shop, primary school, and two pubs: The White Horse and The King's Head. St Laurence's church dates from the 14th century and is a grade I listed building.

During World War II it was home to the USAAF 381st Bomb Group (H) and 90 Squadron, RAF who served out of Ridgewell airfield.

References

External links

Media related to Ridgewell at Wikimedia Commons

Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers are an American professional soccer club based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The Timbers are the 18th club of Major League Soccer, and the fourth franchise based in Portland to share the legacy of the Timbers name, which originated in the North American Soccer League in 1975.

In the 2013 MLS season, the Timbers finished first in the Western Conference, clinching both their first-ever playoff appearance and CONCACAF Champions League berth. In the 2015 playoffs, Portland won the Western Conference final and advanced to MLS Cup 2015, where they defeated Columbus Crew SC 2–1, winning their first MLS Cup trophy.

History

The announcement of the Timbers' entry into MLS was the culmination of a nearly two-year-long process for Merritt Paulson, dating back at least to May 2007, when Paulson led a group that bought the Portland Beavers and the USL Timbers. The group included former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Meritt Paulson's father. The biggest issue for the city of Portland was that due to league concerns about seating configuration, field surface and scheduling, obtaining an MLS club would require a new stadium.

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States and is the United States' 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border in the Atlantic Ocean with Rhode Island, east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the north and Ontario to the west and north. The state of New York, with an estimated 19.8 million residents in 2015, is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City, the state's most populous city and its economic hub.

With an estimated population of nearly 8.5 million in 2014, New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. The New York City Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City is a global city, exerting a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace defining the term New York minute. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York City is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State. Two-thirds of the state's population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% live on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th century Duke of York, future King James II of England. The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany.

Liam

Liam is a short form of the Irish name "Uilliam", itself a derivative of the Frankish name "Willahelm".

Liam has been one of the most popular names for boys in the United States since 2010.

Etymology

The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: vila ("will" or "resolution"); and helma ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these two elements effectively means "helmet of will" or "Guardian".

When the Frankish Empire was divided into two parts, the name developed differently in each region. In the French half, Willahelm developed first into "Guilielm", and then into "Guillaume", whereas in the German half, the root form developed into "Wilhelm". This latter form was further developed by the English into the familiar modern form "William".

Origin

Although the names Willahelm and Guillaume were well known in England prior to 1066, through Saxon dealings with Guillaume, Duc de Normandie, it was viewed as a "foreign" name. The Norman Conquest had a dramatic effect on English names. Many, if not most Saxon names, such as Ethelred, died out under the massive influx of French ones. Since the Royal Court now rang with names such as Alain, Guy, Aeginald and William, they were quickly adopted by the English, the Welsh, and eventually the Irish.