Benny Feilhaber was born in Brazil, but moved to the States when he was six. He played college soccer at UCLA, before going overseas to play for Hamburg SV, Derby County and AGF. The New England Revolution brought him to MLS in 2011, where he scored 5 goals and assisted 9 across two seasons. In 2013, Sporting Kansas City acquired Feilhaber for 2014 MLS SuperDraft picks and some allocation money. The central midfielder played his first season at SKC, scoring 3 and assisting 4. He helped them win the 2013 MLS Cup. Feilhaber also appeared in two matches for the United States at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored twice in 44 total caps for his country.
In 2014, he opened his account in Colorado by equalizing the match there. On a free kick against LA Galaxy, he calmly curled it over the wall and in. In a match against Chivas USA, he scored likely the easiest goal of his career, which was not uncommon while playing against Chivas. SKC finished fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but the New York Red Bulls sent them home in the first round, despite a Feilhaber assist to Dom Dwyer.
In 2015, Feilhaber broke out with numbers he had never produced before. He was not exactly an attacker, nor was he even an attacking midfielder. From his CM role, even sometimes playing the #6, he managed 10 goals and 15 assists. Before he scored his first goal of the season, he assisted 5 of them. SKC moved to the Western Conference before this season as well. The Feilhaber-Dwyer connection was strong, as they combined on a corner kick. He recirculated a ball in stoppage time that ended up being headed home to equalize for his second assist. On April 5th, Feilhaber cooly scored from the spot. In the 95th minute, down 4-3, he caught a volley absolutely perfect to tie the game up at four. He scored another penalty against New England in May, while also assisting twice.
He received a pass from Krisztian Nemeth inside the box and tapped it in to score against FC Dallas. In the following match, he scored the match-winner from the spot against Seattle with just minutes to go. In the next four matches in all competitions, Feilhaber assisted 6 goals. SKC was making a deep run in the US Open Cup. He assisted 3 of those in the USOC victory over FC Dallas. After a one match break, he then scored in three consecutive matches. He scored a massive goal against Houston in the Quarters of the Open Cup. Feilhaber was named a 2015 MLS All-Star, playing one half against Tottenham. He beat Joe Bendik in Toronto. On August 12th, SKC hosted Real Salt Lake in the USOC Semi-Finals. He scored the match-winner, sending his team to the final. Before the final, he scored a brace against FC Dallas in MLS play. SKC's No. 10 snuck a cheeky free kick into the far post netting, then doubled it from the spot. In the Open Cup final, Feilhaber played all 120 minutes, and SKC hoisted the trophy after a 7-6 win in penalties. SKC finished sixth in their first season in the West, but this time they lost 7-6 in penalties, getting knocked out by Portland in the first round. He was also named to the 2015 Best XI.
After an incredible 2015 campaign, Feilhaber looked to follow it up in 2016, and he did a pretty good job of that as well. He scored in the opening match of the season, but it ended up being a consolation goal. He also scored in the second match of the season, turning home a Graham Zusi square ball. He followed up a brutal rebound off the post against NYCFC later on. Benny assisted 13 goals, nearly matching his total of 15 from the previous year. He also scored 7, again from his central midfield role. In the playoffs, they faced off with Seattle, but it was a 1-0 loss that sent them packing.
In 2017, Sporting Kansas City returned to the US Open Cup Final. Before that, though, he scored one of the best goals of his MLS career against San Jose, looping a perfect curler into the top left corner. He went post and in on a shot from distance against Real Salt Lake in April. SKC knocked off FC Dallas in the Quarters of the USOC, Feilhaber assisting 2 goals in a 29 minute cameo. Prior to the Semis, he scored a goal in three straight MLS games. One of these goals was an overhead kick a couple feet from the goal mouth versus Chicago. He also tucked a penalty in against Brad Guzan very calmly, per usual. Feilhaber went all 120 in a penalty shootout win over San Jose in the Semis of the Open Cup. In August, they came up against the New York Red Bulls, where SKC once again hoisted the trophy, for the second time in three years. Feilhaber assisted a Daniel Salloi goal on a beautiful chip over the top. Their playoff run ended rather quickly again, losing to Houston straight away.
On January 3, 2018, Benny Feilhaber was traded to LAFC in exchange for $400K in allocation money. He joined the team ahead of their inaugural season in MLS. In his second match with the club, he scored at Rio Tinto Stadium. In a match on the road at Montreal, he spanked a shot into the upper 90, as top corner as it it could be. LAFC made it all the way to the Semis of the US Open Cup, but ended up losing to the eventual champions in the Houston Dynamo. Feilhaber would score once more for LAFC, cutting in on the left and scoring in Minnesota. He never got the thrill of scoring a home goal, because LAFC let him go after the season.
He began 2019 with the Colorado Rapids. In the opening match of the season, during the winter wonderland that was March 2nd in Colorado, Feilhaber made his mark. He scored once more in Colorado, sitting at the back post on a corner kick. In May, Sporting Kansas City reacquired one of their club legends in Benny Feilhaber, exchanging a small amount of TAM, a draft pick, and an international slot. He scored his first goal back in light blue on the volley, in August against San Jose. In his final professional soccer match, he finished it off with a bang. He scored what some call a shross, a mix between a shot and a cross. He will likely tell you he meant it, but he whipped it what looked to be a cross that caught Steve Clark out and hit the top left corner.
On March 11, 2020, Benny Feilhaber announced his retirement from a decorated professional soccer career. That date may be familiar, he escaped right before the world ended. Feilhaber had great success during his years in MLS, especially with Sporting Kansas City. He is now the head coach of Sporting Kansas City II, SKC's MLS NEXT Pro team. For his accomplished career, Feilhaber comes in at #46.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2019 | SKC/COL | 1,724 | 4 | 4 |
2018 | LAFC | 2,804 | 3 | 6 |
2017 | SKC | 2,269 | 5 | 3 |
2016 | SKC | 2,563 | 7 | 13 |
2015 | SKC | 2,731 | 10 | 15 |
2014 | SKC | 2,607 | 4 | 6 |
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