Lewis: Edward James (Eddie)

2005-2007 (Player Details)

Left Back/Left Wing

Born: Cerritos, USA: 17-05-1974

Debut: v Millwall (h): 07-08-2005

5’10” 11st 3lb (2007)

After playing initially for UCLA in American college football, Lewis started his Football career with San Jose Clash in 1996, but the club changed their name to San Jose Earthquakes in October 1999. He had started as a forward but moved back to left midfield and was voted into the MLS Best eleven in 1999. He scored nine goals in one hundred and fifteen games with San Jose and won International honours for USA starting in 1996. After three years with San Jose he moved to Fulham then in the English second tier for £1.3million in 2000. He struggled to get any playing time and in his second year in which Fulham won promotion to the EPL, he only started one game and there was a repeat in Fulham’s initial EPL season. He played twenty-two times, eight of which were as substitute, for the Craven Cottage team in two and a half years before moving to Preston North End for £500,000 in September 2002. He was able to cement a more regular place at Deepdale He made one hundred and nine appearances in the starting eleven, as well as fifteen from the bench, and scored sixteen goals in all games in his three year stay and helped Preston to the play-offs in 2004-05. Leeds snapped him up on a free-transfer as his contract was not renewed in June 2005. With Leeds he usually operated on the left flank of midfield or as an outright left winger and was generally impressive and well-liked by the fans, scoring several important goals from set-pieces. Once again he was part of a team that reached the play-offs and helped defeat his former club before Leeds failed in the Final. There was a bid from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2006 summer transfer window but it was rejected by Leeds and Lewis found himself playing left back for a while, a position he had often occupied for USA, as Leeds Manager Dennis Wise struggled to find a winning formula, but he was soon back in his more familiar role and performed well enough to take out the Leeds “Player of the Year” award for the 2006-07 season in which Leeds suffered the humiliation of relegation to the third tier for the first time in their proud history. In August 2007 he moved back to the EPL when Derby County bought him on a two year deal for an undisclosed fee. Before the start of the 2008-09 season, Lewis agreed to be released from his contract with Derby County to play in Major League Soccer. On 21st August 2008 he joined LA Galaxy and was reunited with the recently hired Bruce Arena, under whom he served on the USA men's national team. He did not score while at Pride Park but started twenty-two League games and came off the bench twice, while in the F.A. Cup he made two starts and had one game from the bench. He became the Vice-Captain of Galaxy and by the end of the 2009 season had scored three League goals in thirty-five games, of which four were as a substitute. He also had played three more games in the MLS Cup for LA Galaxy. He has been capped by USA eighty-two times and scored ten goals in a long international career and represented his country at both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, starting off as a left midfielder but later reverting to the defensive left-back position even though operating in the forward position at club level.