Alejandro "Alex" Lara (born September 15, 1998) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a defender for USL Championship club Monterey Bay FC.

Career

Youth, college and amateur

Lara played one season with

USSDA The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's missio ...

side Arsenal in 2015–2016, before playing

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) is a public community college in southern California, located in Walnut in eastern Los Angeles County. It offers more than 260 degree and certificate programs, 25 support programs, and more than 50 studen ...

. After one season at Mt. SAC, Lara transferred to

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, where he played three more seasons. During his time with the Matadors, Lara made 53 appearances, scoring 2 goals and tallying 2 assists. While at college, Lara also appeared in the

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

for both

Weston FC Weston FC is a soccer club in Weston, Florida competing in the USL League Two. They are also one of the largest soccer clubs in the country for youth soccer. The club was founded in 1998 as a youth soccer club. They have approximately 1,100 pla ...

in 2017, and Ventura County Fusion during their 2019 season.

Professional

On December 13, 2019, Lara signed his professional contract with USL Championship side Hartford Athletic. He made his debut on July 17, 2020, appearing as an injury time substitute during a 1–0 win over New York Red Bulls II. On September 30, Lara scored his first professional goal in Hartford's 3–2 win over

Philadelphia Union II Philadelphia Union II is an American professional soccer team based in Chester, Pennsylvania competing in MLS Next Pro. Founded in 2015 as Bethlehem Steel FC, the team is the official affiliate of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. T ...

. Lara finished the 2020 season fourth on the team in blocks (4), clearances (33), interceptions (23) and tackles won (13) in 13 games played. He re signed with Hartford for the 2021 season in December 2020. On March 3, 2022, Lara signed with USL Championship side

Las Vegas Lights Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada, that plays in the USL Championship. The team made its debut in 2018 and plays its home games at Cashman Field. The team employs neon imagery in its crest a ...

. Lara joined Monterey Bay FC on December 27, 2022.

References

External links

*
Mt. SAC bioCal State Northridge bio
1998 births American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Cal State Northridge Matadors men's soccer players Hartford Athletic players Las Vegas Lights FC players Living people Monterey Bay FC players Soccer players from California USL Championship players USL League Two players Ventura County Fusion players Weston FC players {{US-footy-forward-stub