{{short description|American soccer player|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Rhett Bernstein | image = | fullname = Rhett Anthony Bernstein | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|09|10}} | birth_place = San Diego, California, United States | height = | currentclub = | clubnumber = | position = Defender | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = La Jolla Nomads | collegeyears1 = 2005–2008 | college1 = Brown Bears | years1 = 2010 | clubs1 = Sevilla FC Puerto Rico | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2011–2015 | clubs2 = Mjøndalen IF | caps2 = 67 | goals2 = 5 | years3 = 2016–2017 | clubs3 = Miami FC | caps3 = 55 | goals3 = 1 | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | club-update = 11:41, October 30, 2017 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = }} '''Rhett Anthony Bernstein''' (born September 10, 1987) is an American former soccer player.<ref name="Miami FC">{{cite web |title=Miami FC Sign American Defender Rhett Bernstein |url=https://www.miamifc.com/news/2016/01/07/miami-fc-signs-american-defender-rhett-bernstein |work=MiamiFC.com |publisher=Miami FC |accessdate=January 7, 2016 |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119130649/http://www.miamifc.com/news/2016/01/07/miami-fc-signs-american-defender-rhett-bernstein |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, he won the Hermann Trophy. He played for Sevilla FC Puerto Rico, Mjøndalen, and Miami FC.

==Early and personal life== Bernstein was born in San Diego, California,<ref>{{Cite web |last=JL |first=SoccerNation |date=2016-05-24 |title=San Diego Homegrown Series: Rhett Bernstein - Soccer Nation |url=https://www.soccernation.com/san-diego-homegrown-series-rhett-bernstein/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=SoccerNation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-11-15 |title=Men's Soccer Places Four on All-Ivy Second Team |url=https://gocolumbialions.com/news/2005/11/15/306228 |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Columbia University Athletics |language=en}}</ref> and is Jewish.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/news/miami-dade/fl-jjdc-soccer-0719-20170712-story.html|title=Former Maccabiah soccer player helps Miami FC win Spring Championship|first=Marvin|last=Glassman|website=sun-sentinel.com}}</ref> As a teenager, he played soccer for the La Jolla Nomads.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/01/07/veteran-american-defender-rhett-bernstien-joins-miami-fc|title=Veteran American Defender Rhett Bernstein Bolsters Miami FC Back Line|website=www.nasl.com}}</ref> He attended University City High School in San Diego.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soccernation.com/san-diego-homegrown-series-rhett-bernstein/|title=San Diego Homegrown Series: Rhett Bernstein - Soccer Nation|first=Guest|last=Author|date=May 24, 2016}}</ref>

==Club career== While playing soccer at Brown University, Bernstein was named to the 2008 ''Jewish Sports Review'' All-America First-Team, along with Zac MacMath and Daniel Steres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ucfknights.com/story.aspx?filename=ucf_s_bacher_selected_as_a_i_jewish_sports_review_i_all_american_&file_date=1-22-2009|title=UCF's Bacher Selected as a Jewish Sports Review All-American.|website=UCF Athletics|access-date=September 14, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914080917/https://ucfknights.com/story.aspx?filename=ucf_s_bacher_selected_as_a_i_jewish_sports_review_i_all_american_&file_date=1-22-2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was nominated twice for the Hermann Trophy, given to the best male college soccer player in America.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> In 2009, he won the Hermann Trophy.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

He played for Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The team finished fifth in the Games.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

After graduating from Brown in 2009, Bernstein spent time in Israel, training with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=autogenerated2 />

Bernstein joined Sevilla FC Puerto Rico to participate in the SúperCopa DirecTV 2010 before moving to Europe.

Bernstein joined Mjøndalen's first-team squad ahead of the 2011 season. He scored his first goals for Mjøndalen against Tromsø on May 9, 2015. They won the game 4–3. Bernstein led Mjøndalen in scoring in 2015 with 5 goals from his center back position, which was also the most goals of all defenders in the Tippligaen.

After five years in Norway, Bernstein signed with expansion Miami FC ahead of the 2016 North American Soccer League season.<ref name="Miami FC" /> He chose uniform number 18, saying: "I want to wear number 18, ''Chai'', meaning life [in Hebrew] to express both my strong Jewish identity as well as a long career with Miami FC."<ref name=autogenerated1 />

== Career statistics == {{updated|January 7, 2016}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !rowspan="2"|Season !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Division !colspan="2"|League !colspan="2"|League !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Total |- !Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |2011 |rowspan="5" valign="center"|Mjøndalen |rowspan="3" valign="center"|Adeccoligaen |1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||1||0 |- |2012 |21||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||24||0 |- |2013 |13||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||14||0 |- |2014 |rowspan="1" valign="center"|1. divisjon |8||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||10||1 |- |2015 |rowspan="1" valign="center"|Tippeligaen |20||5||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||21||5 |- !colspan="3"|Career Total !67!!5!!5!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!72!!5 |}

==See also== *List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Rhett}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:American men's soccer players Category:American expatriate men's soccer players Category:Jewish American soccer players Category:Maccabiah Games competitors for the United States Category:Competitors at the 2009 Maccabiah Games Category:Mjøndalen IF Fotball players Category:Miami FC players Category:Eliteserien players Category:Norwegian First Division players Category:North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Category:Soccer players from San Diego Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Norway Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Category:Men's association football defenders Category:21st-century American Jews Category:Brown Bears men's soccer players