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Chris Pontius (soccer)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Richard Pontius (born May 12, 1987 in Yorba Linda, California
) is an American
soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United
in Major League Soccer
.
, and played club soccer with the Irvine Strikers, who he helped win the Nomads College Showcase in 2005. He played college soccer
at the University of California, Santa Barbara
, where he was named Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2007, and Hermann Trophy
candidate in 2008. Chris was also a part of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity at UCSB.
by D.C. United
. He made his professional debut, and scored his first professional goal, on 22 March 2009, in DC's first game of the 2009 MLS season against Los Angeles Galaxy
. On May 23, Pontius scored DC's 2nd goal in the 3-2 victory against Italian giants A.C. Milan
.
. Training in Carson, California
began for Pontius and the other players called up on January 4, 2010, leading up to a friendly match against . On August 29, 2011, Pontius was called up by the US National Team for friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium.
Yorba Linda, California
Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles....
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.
Youth and College
Pontius attended Servite High SchoolServite High School
Servite High School is an all-boys, Roman Catholic college preparatory high school operated by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary . Located on a campus in Anaheim, California, USA, as of 2011 it had an enrollment of about 985 and about 9200 alumni. Its mascot is the Friar and its colors are black...
, and played club soccer with the Irvine Strikers, who he helped win the Nomads College Showcase in 2005. He played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, where he was named Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2007, and Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
candidate in 2008. Chris was also a part of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity at UCSB.
Professional
Pontius was drafted in the first round (7th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft2009 MLS SuperDraft
The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC...
by D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
. He made his professional debut, and scored his first professional goal, on 22 March 2009, in DC's first game of the 2009 MLS season against Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
. On May 23, Pontius scored DC's 2nd goal in the 3-2 victory against Italian giants A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
.
International
On December 22, 2009, Pontius received his first call up to train with the senior US national teamUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. Training in Carson, California
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
began for Pontius and the other players called up on January 4, 2010, leading up to a friendly match against . On August 29, 2011, Pontius was called up by the US National Team for friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium.
Career statistics
| Club | Season |  Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... |
US Open Cup | CONCACAF CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region .... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| D.C. United D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the... |
2009 2009 Major League Soccer season The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington-Changes from the 2008 season:... |
28 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 6 |
| 2010 2010 Major League Soccer season The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion... |
17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 2 | |
| 2011 2011 Major League Soccer season The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 33rd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 16th season of Major League Soccer. The season marked the arrival of two new league clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver... |
24 | 7 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 7 | |
| Club Total | 69 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 83 | 15 | |
UC Santa Barbara
- NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship (1): 20062006 Division I Men's College CupThe 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup Final Four was held at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher-seeded...
- Big West Offensive Player of the Year 2007
- Herman Trophy Semi-Finalist 2008