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Frank Simek
Personal information
Full name	Franklin Simek
Date of birth	October 13, 1984 (1984-10-13) (age 23)
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Sheffield Wednesday
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2003-2005 2004 2005 2005-	Arsenal → QPR (loan) → Bournemouth (loan) Sheffield Wednesday	00 (0) 05 (0) 08 (0) 89 (2)
National team2
2007-	United States	5 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:23, 24 March 2007 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 9 June 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Franklin "Frank" or "Frankie" Simek (born October 13, 1984 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA) is an American soccer (football) player who currently plays for English club Sheffield Wednesday at right back.

Simek played soccer as a child in the United States, but didn't think of the game as a career until his family moved to London after his father was assigned to a position at the English office of Anheuser-Busch when Frank was 12. He was signed by Arsenal to a development contract, but decided to move back to St. Louis, where he played at Saint Louis University High School. However, during this time Arsenal called him back to play on the youth team.

While at Arsenal he rose to assume the captaincy of the reserve side, but had difficulty breaking into the first team; he found himself behind Lauren, Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué and Justin Hoyte in the pecking order. He played a single match for Arsenal, in the League Cup against Wolves on December 2, 2003.

Simek joined the Owls on a free transfer from Arsenal in the summer of 2005 and made his Sheffield Wednesday debut on the opening day of the 2005-06 season away at Stoke City. He went on to win a regular starting spot, ousting fan-favourite Lee Bullen from his preferred right-back position. Simek scored his first goal in his first season at Wednesday away at Millwall. The goal gave the Owls a 1-0 win and helped them in their battle against relegation. Frank then managed to get his first home goal against Colchester in the 2006-2007. Frank has managed to gain a regular first team place at Hillsborough and is becoming a crowd favourite for his tough tackling and powerful running. Due to Simek's American roots, the crowd is often heard chanting "USA! USA! USA!" after he's done summat good.

Simek signed a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday on 26th July 2007. The contract will see him through until 2010.

Simek received his first call up to the United States National Team in 2007, and made his full debut on the international stage on March 28 in a 0-0 draw against Guatemala in Frisco, Texas. Frank currently has five full caps for his country. His most recent call up was for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

• Frank Simek career stats at Soccerbase
• Frankie Simek articles on Yanks Abroad

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