Marco Rojas
Encyclopedia
Marco Rodrigo Rojas is a New Zealand
association football player who plays as a midfielder
for A-League
team Melbourne Victory, and for the New Zealand national team.
and put in some good performances in the Phoenixs warm up friendlies resulting in Rojas getting offered a 2 year contract with the Hyundai A-League side.
On September 13, 2009 he made his senior debut in the A-League for the Wellington Phoenix against Melbourne Victory
at the age of 17, coming off the bench as a 77th minute substitution for Daniel
making him the second youngest player to play for the Phoenix behind Kosta Barbarouses. Rojas got his second appearance for the Phoenix when he was substituted on for Paul Ifill
in the 73rd minute against Central Coast Mariners on 27 September 2009.
Rojas scored his first goal on his full debut for the Phoenix on 18 December 2010 in a 4-0 victory over the Newcastle Jets. His second goal was in the 72nd minute on 5 January against Melbourne Victory
helping them secure a 2-0 win at Westpac Stadium. Rojas provided the assist for Chris Greenacre
's opening goal in a 3-1 win over North Queensland Fury in the Phoenix's final home game of the 2010-11 season.
On 18 February 2011, Rojas was awarded the NAB Young Player of the Month.
On 22 February 2011, Rojas was awarded the Wellington Phoenix young player of the year.
On 27 February 2011, Wellington Phoenix announced that Rojas declined to sign a new contract with the club and wanted to move on. Following this announcement, some media outlets claimed unofficially that Rojas had signed for Melbourne Victory
, however, officially, Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick
denied this. It was believed at the time that Melbourne Victory
, Adelaide United and a South American club were vying for the signature of the highly rated youngster.
ended weeks of speculation by officially confirming that they had indeed signed Rojas, securing him on a two-year deal.
On 8 October 2011, Rojas made his A-League debut for Melbourne Victory
in the season opener against Sydney FC
.
and Japan
for New Zealand
's national team the All Whites.
He made his debut as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with China on 25 March 2011 before he made any appearance for any other junior New Zealand sides. The scheduled match against Japan was called off due to logistics and safety concerns following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. He gained his 2nd International cap against Australia, 5th May 2011 he came on as a second half substitute. Australia won the game 3-0
Rojas could still yet play for Chile as he has not played in an official FIFA tournament yet
Rojas was selected for the New Zealand U-20
team to compete in the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship in April 2011 and the Suwon Cup in Korea. During the OFC U-20 championship he played in all four matches helping the Junior All Whites win the tounrment and secure qualification to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
.
During the junior All White's
game against Uruguay in the 2011 under-20 World Cup
, Rojas contributed to the goal that put New Zealand in the lead at 54 minutes (the game finished in a 1-1 draw).
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
association football player who plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
team Melbourne Victory, and for the New Zealand national team.
Wellington Phoenix
Marco Rojas was awarded a trial with the Wellington Phoenix after winning the "Retro Ricki Youth Scholarship" from the Yellow Fever. Rojas impressed Wellington coach Ricki HerbertRicki Herbert
Ricki Lloyd Herbert, CNZM is a New Zealand former association football player who represented his country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain...
and put in some good performances in the Phoenixs warm up friendlies resulting in Rojas getting offered a 2 year contract with the Hyundai A-League side.
On September 13, 2009 he made his senior debut in the A-League for the Wellington Phoenix against Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
at the age of 17, coming off the bench as a 77th minute substitution for Daniel
Daniel Lins Cortês
Daniel Lins Côrtes , nicknamed Daniel, is a Brazilian-born New Zealand football player who currently plays for Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League.-Club career:...
making him the second youngest player to play for the Phoenix behind Kosta Barbarouses. Rojas got his second appearance for the Phoenix when he was substituted on for Paul Ifill
Paul Ifill
Paul Everton Ifill is a Barbadian British footballer who plays for Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League.-Club career:...
in the 73rd minute against Central Coast Mariners on 27 September 2009.
Rojas scored his first goal on his full debut for the Phoenix on 18 December 2010 in a 4-0 victory over the Newcastle Jets. His second goal was in the 72nd minute on 5 January against Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
helping them secure a 2-0 win at Westpac Stadium. Rojas provided the assist for Chris Greenacre
Chris Greenacre
Chris Greenacre is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.-Club career:...
's opening goal in a 3-1 win over North Queensland Fury in the Phoenix's final home game of the 2010-11 season.
On 18 February 2011, Rojas was awarded the NAB Young Player of the Month.
On 22 February 2011, Rojas was awarded the Wellington Phoenix young player of the year.
On 27 February 2011, Wellington Phoenix announced that Rojas declined to sign a new contract with the club and wanted to move on. Following this announcement, some media outlets claimed unofficially that Rojas had signed for Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
, however, officially, Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick
Ernie Merrick
Ernest 'Ernie' Merrick is the Scottish former head coach for the Australian A-League football team, Melbourne Victory.-Melbourne Victory:...
denied this. It was believed at the time that Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
, Adelaide United and a South American club were vying for the signature of the highly rated youngster.
Melbourne Victory
On the 11th of March 2011, Melbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
ended weeks of speculation by officially confirming that they had indeed signed Rojas, securing him on a two-year deal.
On 8 October 2011, Rojas made his A-League debut for Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
in the season opener against Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
.
A-League Career Statistics
| Club | Season |  A-LeagueA-League The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company... |
Finals Series | Asia | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||||
| Wellington Phoenix F.C. (A-League A-League The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company... ) |
2009–10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| 2010–11 2010–11 A-League The 2010–11 A-League season is the sixth season of the Australian football championship since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 February 2011. The addition of brought the total number of teams to 11... |
16 | 2 | 16 | 2 | |||||||
| Club Total | 20 | 2 | 20 | 2 | |||||||
| Career totals | 20 | 2 | 20 | 2 | |||||||
| Last updated 18 Feb 2011 | |||||||||||
International career
On the 8 March 2011 Rojas was called up to play to a 30 man squad for the up coming games against ChinaChina national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
and Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
for New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's national team the All Whites.
He made his debut as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with China on 25 March 2011 before he made any appearance for any other junior New Zealand sides. The scheduled match against Japan was called off due to logistics and safety concerns following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. He gained his 2nd International cap against Australia, 5th May 2011 he came on as a second half substitute. Australia won the game 3-0
Rojas could still yet play for Chile as he has not played in an official FIFA tournament yet
Rojas was selected for the New Zealand U-20
New Zealand national under-20 football team
The New Zealand Under 20's football team, more commonly known as the Junior All Whites, is controlled by New Zealand Football and represents New Zealand in international Under 20 or youth football competitions.-OFC:...
team to compete in the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship in April 2011 and the Suwon Cup in Korea. During the OFC U-20 championship he played in all four matches helping the Junior All Whites win the tounrment and secure qualification to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the eighteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities...
.
During the junior All White's
New Zealand national under-20 football team
The New Zealand Under 20's football team, more commonly known as the Junior All Whites, is controlled by New Zealand Football and represents New Zealand in international Under 20 or youth football competitions.-OFC:...
game against Uruguay in the 2011 under-20 World Cup
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the eighteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities...
, Rojas contributed to the goal that put New Zealand in the lead at 54 minutes (the game finished in a 1-1 draw).