José Arturo Álvarez Hernández (born June 28, 1985) is a former
professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
winger and
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. Born in the United States, he represented the
El Salvador national team.
Career
Professional
Álvarez did not play
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 ...
; instead, he joined MLS in 2003, signing a
Project-40 contract, and was selected thirteenth overall in the
2003 MLS SuperDraft
The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer.
Player selection
Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 program ...
by the San Jose Earthquakes. In his first year, Álvarez scored his first MLS goal on June 14, 2003, against
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
but would go on to get limited playing time. However, in January 2005 Álvarez was traded by San Jose with
Richard Mulrooney
Richard Mulrooney (born November 3, 1976) is an American former soccer player. He is the current men's soccer coach at the University of Memphis.
Career
College
Mulrooney played four years of college soccer at Creighton University, where he re ...
and the #6 and #29 picks in the
2005 MLS SuperDraft to FC Dallas in exchange for
Brad Davis, cash, and the #4 pick in the 2005 SuperDraft.
During the
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, in the second leg of FC Dallas' Conference semifinal match with the
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
, Álvarez was sent off for "violent conduct" after he kneed Brad Davis
in the groin while out of bounds in the forty-seventh minute. Dallas went on to lose the tie 4–1, and the match 4–2 on aggregate.
Álvarez was traded to the new San Jose Earthquakes in July 2008 for allocation money and their first round draft pick in the
2009 MLS SuperDraft. In his debut, he scored the first goal of the match against the
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
in a match that ended 3–2. On November 24, 2010, Álvarez was selected in the tenth round of the
2010 MLS Expansion Draft
The 2010 MLS Expansion Draft took place on November 24, 2010, and was a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers.
FormatPortland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
but was immediately traded to
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
for a 2nd round
2011 MLS SuperDraft
The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...
pick.
The Salvadoran American made his debut with Real Salt Lake on March 15, 2011, when he entered in the 88th minuteof the first leg of the
2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League semifinals against
Saprissa
Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...
.
After the 2011 season, Real Salt Lake did not re-sign Álvarez. He opted to participate in the
2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft and was selected by
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...
on December 5, 2011. However, he instead signed a two-year contract with Portuguese first division club
Paços de Ferreira
Paços de Ferreira () is a city in the Porto District, in the north of Portugal. The population of the city in 2011 was 7491, while its municipality had 56,340 inhabitants, in an area of 70.99 km².
Sometimes referred to as the ''Capital do ...
. On March 18, 2012, he scored his first goal with his new team against
Académica
On February 7, 2013, he was loaned to Hungarian club
Videoton. He played well enough with the team that in June 2013 he signed a two-year contract to stay in Hungary. He was released in 2015.
On March 3, 2016, after a successful preseason trial with the club, Álvarez was signed by
Chicago Fire to a one-year deal with one year option.
On December 10, 2017, Álvarez was traded by Chicago to his home town club, the
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
, in exchange for a second-round selection in the
2019 MLS SuperDraft
The 2019 MLS SuperDraft was the twentieth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is typically held in conjunction with the annual January United Soccer Coaches convention, which in 2019 was held in Chicago, Illinois. The fi ...
. Álvarez was mainly used as a sub and helped the Dynamo win the 2018
US Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
. He left the club again at the end of 2018.
On March 1, 2019, Álvarez announced his retirement from playing professional soccer.
International
United States
Álvarez represented the United States in various youth levels –
U-17, U-18, and
U-20. He also participated in various matches and training camps with the
U-23 team.
El Salvador
Though Álvarez played on various United States national squads at the youth level, he was never called up to the
senior national team. Being of Salvadoran descent, Álvarez was invited to play for the El Salvador national team by coach
Carlos de los Cobos
Carlos de los Cobos Martínez (born 10 December 1958) is a Mexican former professional football player and manager who last managed El Salvador.
Playing career
As a player, de los Cobos spent the majority of his playing career in his native Me ...
. On August 12, 2009, Álvarez made his debut for El Salvador in a
World Cup qualifier against
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. On September 5, 2009, Álvarez started in a World Cup qualifier against his home country at
Rio Tinto Stadium
America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is an American soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, that serves as home stadium for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008, ...
in Sandy, Utah. El Salvador fell, 2–1. On September 9, 2009, Álvarez played his first home game in
Estadio Cuscatlán
The Estadio Cuscatlán is a football stadium located in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador. It was inaugurated in 1976. It can hold 53,400 spectators, making it the stadium with the largest spectator capacity in Central America and the Cari ...
, in San Salvador, El Salvador against
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. El Salvador was victorious 1–0.
Career statistics
Club
International goals
Honors
Club
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
*
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
:
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
Videoton
*
Nemzeti Bajnokság I
The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, "National Championship"), also known as NB I, is the top level of the Hungarian football league system. The league is officially named OTP Bank Liga after its title sponsor OTP Bank. UEFA currently ranks the league 28th ...
:
2014–15
Houston Dynamo
*
US Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
:
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Álvarez, Arturo
1985 births
Living people
Soccer players from Houston
Salvadoran footballers
El Salvador international footballers
American soccer players
United States men's youth international soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's under-23 international soccer players
American sportspeople of Salvadoran descent
Salvadoran expatriate footballers
San Jose Earthquakes players
FC Dallas players
Real Salt Lake players
F.C. Paços de Ferreira players
Fehérvár FC players
Major League Soccer players
Primeira Liga players
Nemzeti Bajnokság I players
Citizens of El Salvador through descent
Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Expatriate footballers in Hungary
2011 Copa Centroamericana players
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2014 Copa Centroamericana players
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
San Jose Earthquakes draft picks
Association football wingers
Houston Dynamo FC players
Chicago Fire FC players