Roman Jacek Kosecki (born 15 February 1966) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker. In 1994, he was voted the Polish Footballer of the Year.
Career In his club career, Kosecki played for RKS URSUS, Gwardia Warsaw, Legia Warsaw, Galatasaray, CA Osasuna, Atlético Madrid, Nantes, Montpellier, and the Chicago Fire. Osasuna transferred Kosecki to Atlético Madrid after the 1992–93 La Liga season, the second most expensive transfer of a foreign player in that window. After a successful year with Atlético Madrid and the Poland national team, Kosecki was chosen as the 1994 Polish footballer of the year by Piłka Nożna magazine. He came to Major League Soccer in the Fire's inaugural season in 1998, joining fellow Polish internationals Peter Nowak and Jerzy Podbrozny. Kosecki proceeded to score the first goal in Fire's history in a 2–0 win over the Miami Fusion. He then helped the club to the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup double. Kosecki played two seasons in MLS, scoring 12 goals and 19 assists in league play, before retiring as a player.
For Poland, Kosecki was capped 69 times, scoring 19 goals between 1988 and 1995.
He was a deputy (poseł) to the Polish Sejm from Civic Platform in 2005. Kosecki ran for the position of president of the PZPN in 2012 but lost to Polish soccer legend Zbigniew Boniek. Boniek however appointed him to vice president of youth development.
Personal life His son Jakub Kosecki is also a professional football player.
Career statistics International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsPoland19887319891321990155199191199264199370199452199572Total6919
Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kosecki goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Roman KoseckiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 10 February 1988 Ramat Gan Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel 3–1 3–1 Friendly 2 13 July 1988 Veterans Stadium, New Britain, United States 1–0 2–0 Friendly 3 2–0 4 8 February 1989 Costa Rica National Stadium, San José, Costarica 2–1 4–2 Friendly 5 14 February 1989 Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla City, Puebla, Mexico 1–3 1–3 Friendly 6 11 February 1990 Helmy Zamora Stadium, Cairo, Egypt 1–0 1–1 Friendly 7 4 May 1990 Comiskey Park, Chicago, United States 1–2 1–2 Friendly 8 21 May 1990 Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France 3–0 4–0 Friendly 9 10 October 1990 Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland 1–3 2–3 Friendly 10 19 December 1990 Volos Municipal Stadium, Volos, Greece 2–1 2–1 Friendly 11 17 April 1991 Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying 12 19 May 1992 Stadion Lehen, Salzburg, Austria 1–0 4–2 Friendly 13 2–1 14 5 July 1992 Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium, Guatemala City, Guatemala 1–0 2–2 Friendly 15 2–1 16 9 February 1994 Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain 1–1 1–1 Friendly 17 4 September 1994 Ramat Gan Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel 1–2 1–2 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying 18 25 April 1995 Arena Zabrze, Zabrze, Poland 4–2 4–3 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying 19 7 June 1995 Arena Zabrze, Zabrze, Poland 5–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
Honours Legia Warsaw Polish Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90 Polish Super Cup: 1990
Galatasaray Turkish Cup: 1990–91 Turkish Super Cup: 1991
Chicago Fire MLS Cup: 1998 U.S. Open Cup: 1998
Poland U18 UEFA European Under-18 Championship third place: 1984
Individual Polish Newcomer of the Year: 1988 Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 1994 MLS All-Star: 1999
References