Brian Bates (born August 16, 1972 in Woodbridge, Virginia) 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 ...

defender who spent four seasons in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and three in the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

Club career

Bates attended the University of Virginia, playing on the men’s soccer team from 1990 to 1993. Bates and his team mates won the 1991, 1992 and 1993

NCAA Men's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champ ...

. In 1994, he signed with the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the

. In 1995, the Kickers won both the league and Open Cup titles, giving Bates a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

. On February 6, 1996, the Colorado Rapids selected Bates in the fourth round (thirty-second overall) in the

1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United State ...

. On November 6, 1997, the Chicago Fire selected Bates with the 19th pick 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 ...

. He played two games for Chicago before being traded to the Dallas Burn for Tom Soehn. On January 16, 1999, the Dallas Burn traded Bates to

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

for a second round pick in the

1999 MLS College Draft The 1999 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on February 6 and 7, 1999 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The first round of the draft took place on February 6 with the second and third rounds on February 7. The College Draft was followed by the ...

. Bates played one game for D.C. before being placed on waivers on May 13, 1999. He moved to the

Maryland Mania Maryland Mania was a soccer club based in Baltimore Maryland that competed in the A-League for one year, in 1999. The Mania's original home was UMBC Stadium in Catonsville, but they club relocated to Anne Arundel Community College midway through ...

of the USISL for four games before signing with the Charleston Battery for the remainder of the season.

National team

In 1989, he was a member of the U.S. U-16 national team at the

1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship The 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the third edition of the tournament, was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 June and 24 June 1989. Players born after 1 August 1972 could participa ...

.FIFA player profile
/ref> Although the U.S. defeated Brazil its first game, the team finished group play with a 1-1-1 record, and failed to qualify for the second round. Following the tournament, Bates played several games with the U.S. U-20 national team in 1989 and 1990.

References

External links

Charleston Battery: Brian Bates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Brian 1972 births Living people American men's soccer players Charleston Battery players Chicago Fire FC players Colorado Rapids players FC Dallas players MLS Pro-40 players D.C. United players Maryland Mania players Richmond Kickers players Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players People from Woodbridge, Virginia Sportspeople from Prince William County, Virginia USISL players Major League Soccer players Soccer players from Virginia United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players Men's association football defenders San Diego State University alumni