Aaran Franklyn Lines (born 21 December 1976) is a New Zealand professional football manager and former player, most recently in charge of the Western New York Flash. He represented New Zealand at international level.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaran Franklyn Lines | ||
| Date of birth | 21 December 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Werder Bremen | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1997 | Werder Bremen | ||
| 1997–1998 | Kickers Emden | 14 | (4) |
| 1998–1999 | VfL Osnabrück | 40 | (1) |
| 1999–2001 | Football Kingz | 30 | (2) |
| 2002 | Dresdner SC | 9 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Ruch Chorzów | 22 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Arka Gdynia | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | Borussia 1912 Freialdenhoven | ||
| 2005 | Portland Timbers | 23 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 43 | (2) |
| 2008 | Richmond SC | ||
| International career | |||
| New Zealand U17 | 10 | (0) | |
| New Zealand U20 | 8 | (0) | |
| New Zealand U23 | 9 | (0) | |
| 1996–2004 | New Zealand | 31 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Buffalo Flash (W-League) | ||
| 2011 | Western New York Flash (WPS) | ||
| 2012 | Western New York Flash (WPSL Elite) | ||
| 2013–2015 | Western New York Flash (NWSL) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editBorn in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, Lines moved to Germany at the age of 16 to join SV Werder Bremen's youth team of the German Bundesliga, following his appearance playing in an U-17 tournament in Japan. Lines played 80 games with the Werder Bremen youth team and 60 games with the reserve team.
In 1997, Lines moved to VfL Osnabrück where he appeared in over 80 matches in the first and second Bundesliga. At the start of the new century, the New Zealand native headed back home to play in the newly launched A-League for the Auckland Football Kingz (now the Wellington Phoenix). Following his stint in the A-League, Lines returned to Europe where he played for Dresdner SC of the 2. Bundesliga, and Ruch Chorzów and Arka Gdynia of the Polish first division.
Lines then headed to America to play for the Portland Timbers of the USL, and in 2006 made the move to Rochester, NY to play for the Rochester Rhinos. Lines appeared in over 40 matches for the Rhinos in the last two years of his career, including the 2006 USL Championship match.[2]
International career
editLines played representative age group football for New Zealand, making ten New Zealand U17, eight New Zealand U20 and nine New Zealand U23 appearances before making his full New Zealand debut in a 1–0 win over Tahiti on 25 September 1998.[3]
He was included in the New Zealand side for the 1999 Confederations Cup finals tournament in Mexico where he featured in all three group games,[4] and again for the 2003 Confederations Cup finals tournament in France where he made a single appearance against Japan.[5]
Lines ended his international playing career with 31 official full international caps and four goals to his credit,[1][6] his final cap an appearance in a 2–0 win over Fiji on 6 June 2004.[3]
Coaching career
editAfter his two seasons with the Rochester Rhinos, Lines retired and accepted a coaching position with the semi-professional expansion W-League franchise Buffalo Flash.[7] Lines led the Buffalo Flash to an impressive 10–3–3 record in their inaugural season and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. In only his second year of coaching, he led the squad to an undefeated season and a W-League Championship defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3–1 in Santa Clarita, CA. Lines was named the Fieldturf 2010 Coach of the Year.
The WNY Flash joined Women's Professional Soccer as an expansion club in September 2010. Lines led a squad featuring five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan to the 2011 WPS title.[2] In 2013 the WNY Flash was announced as one of eight franchises selected by US Soccer to compete in the NWSL. Lines led the Flash, with a roster including Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd to the regular-season title with a record of 9–4–8. In the semi-final playoff game, the Flash beat Sky Blue 2–0 at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, NY. The Flash lost the championship 2–0 to the Portland Thorns FC in front of over 8,000 fans.[8] Lines focuses on the development of the WNY Flash Youth Academy. He continues[when?] to manage Sahlen's Sports Park indoor facility and oversee the direction of the Euros and Champions Soccer series based in Elma, NY.[citation needed]
Career statistics
edit- Scores and results list New Zealand's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lines goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 June 2001 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand |  Tahiti |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 13 June 2001 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand |  Vanuatu |
4–0 | 7–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 12 October 2002 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia |
2–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 4 | 31 May 2004 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand |  Solomon Islands |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2004 OFC Nations Cup |
Managerial statistics
editAll competitive league games (league and domestic cup) and international matches (including friendlies) are included.
- As of 11 April 2015
| Team | Nat | Year | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Buffalo Flash (W-League) | 
|
2009–2010 | 30 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 73.33 |
| Western New York Flash (WPS) |
|
2011 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 73.68 |
| Western New York Flash (WPSL Elite) |
|
2012 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 68.75 |
| Western New York Flash (NWSL) |
|
2013–2015 | 64 | 20 | 13 | 31 | 31.25 |
| Career Total | 129 | 67 | 21 | 41 | 51.94 | ||
Personal life
editLines is married to Alex Sahlen, who played for the Flash from 2009 to 2014, was the team's president, and is the daughter of team owner Joe Sahlen.[13][14] They have three children.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "A-International Appearances - Overall". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
- ^ a b "WNY Flash Coaching Staff". womensprosoccer.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
- ^ a b "A-International Lineups". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
- ^ "Federations Cup Mexico 1999 - New Zealand squad". FIFA. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
- ^ "Federations Cup France 2003 - New Zealand squad". FIFA. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
- ^ "A-International Scorers - Overall". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
- ^ "Flash named Lines head coach". womensprosoccer.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
- ^ "Flash named Lines head coach". SBNation.com. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ 2002 MATCHES INTERCONTINENTAL (July - December)
- ^ 1997 MATCHES INTERCONTINENTAL
- ^ 2001 MATCHES OCEANIA
- ^ 2004 MATCHES OCEANIA
- ^ DiVeronica, Jeff (2 July 2013). "Family ties don't stop the Flash's Alex Sahlen from doing a great job". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Aaran Lines steps down as WNY Flash coach". The Equalizer. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Aaran Lines - WNY Flash Soccer Academy". 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
External links
edit- Aaran Lines Interview
- Aaran Lines – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Aaran Lines at 90minut.pl (in Polish)