Brandon Pollard (born October 9, 1973, in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

) is a retired American

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 played as a defender. He is probably best known for having his career ended by a vicious tackle from

Dema Kovalenko Dmytro "Dema" Kovalenko ( uk, Дмитро (Діма) Коваленко; born 28 August 1977) is a former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his playing career in the United State ...

. Pollard was a standout player with the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and was a member of the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Youth

Pollard grew up in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

where he attended J.R. Tucker High School. He was a four-time All Colonial District, and All State soccer player as well as a Parade Magazine All American as a senior. After graduating from high school, Pollard attended the

where he was a defender on the men's soccer team. While at Virginia, he was a member of the 1992, 1993, and 1994

NCAA championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

teams. On an individual level, he was selected as second team All American in 1993 and a first team All American in 1994 and 1995, his junior and senior years.

National teams

During Pollard's collegiate career, he also became a regular with various U.S. youth national teams. In 1993, he was of the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

soccer team. That year he also started all four games at the

U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...

. In that tournament, the U.S. went 1-1-1 in the first round, making the second round only to fall eventual champions Brazil. In 1995, he was a member of the U.S. team at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Professional

In 1996, the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

selected Pollard in the first round (third overall) of the

1996 MLS College Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at the s ...

. Pollard played only ten games with the Burn that season, largely because of time spent at the

. In 1997, Pollard worked himself into a regular player on the Burn back line and was protected in the

1997 MLS Expansion Draft The 1997 MLS Expansion Draft was held November 6, 1997. Two teams participated, the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion F.C., both expansion Major League Soccer clubs starting play in the 1998 season. Format Each team in the league made ten players, in ...

. In 1998 and 1999, his career began to hit it stride as he played 29 games and 31 games (all starts) respectively. However, his career took a hit during the last few minutes of the Burn's playoff game with the Chicago Fire. In that game, Fire player

tackled Pollard, shattering his leg. Although Pollard came back for the 2000 season, even going on loan with the Tennessee Rhythm in the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

for one game and the

Texas Rattlers DFW Tornados (also known as Dallas–Fort Worth Tornados) was an American soccer team based in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1986, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer P ...

for three games, he never regained the form he had prior to the injury. He retired from playing professionally during the 2001 pre-season.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Brandon 1973 births Living people American men's soccer players Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics FC Dallas players Major League Soccer players Olympic soccer players for the United States Tennessee Rhythm players Texas Rattlers players University of Virginia alumni A-League (1995–2004) players USL Second Division players Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players Sportspeople from Richmond, Virginia Soccer players from Richmond, Virginia 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 Pan American Games competitors for the United States Footballers at the 1995 Pan American Games FC Dallas draft picks All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football defenders