Chris Carrieri (born April 28, 1980 in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

) is a former American soccer player.

Career

College and Amateur

After a successful high school career at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Virginia, Carrieri played

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 K ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, where he was hugely successful. In his rookie year, he scored 13 goals and 3 assists, and was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. He did just as well his second year, finishing with 12 goals and 5 assists, and was named a third team

NCAA All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

. In his junior season, he led the nation by scoring 25 goals, and added an astonishing 14 assists, and was named an NCAA first-team All-American. He also played club soccer for the Prince William Cardinals.

Professional

In 2000, Carrieri played two games, scoring three goals, with the New Brunswick Brigade in the Premier Development League. Following his junior season, Carrieri signed a Project-40 contract with MLS. He was drafted first overall in the

2001 MLS SuperDraft The 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Player selection Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 Generation Adidas is a joint ventur ...

by the San Jose Earthquakes, and immediately vowed to lead the team to a championship. Although the Earthquakes won the

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 Conferen ...

that year, Carrieri was not there to see it - shortly into the season he was traded to the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

for Junior Agogo. Carrieri had a relatively impressive rookie campaign with the Rapids, registering 5 goals and 4 assists in only 14 games with the team. In his second year with the team, Carrieri established his reputation as a quality American forward in scoring 11 goals and 5 assists for the Rapids, including
remarkable 2nd half hat trick
on July 4 (the second in club history) in front of 61,213 fans at Invesco Field at Mile High. In his third year, Carrieri's production slowed, partially because of a contested (and temporary) move to right midfield, and he finished the year with 3 goals and 8 assists. Following the season, Carrieri was not re-signed by the Rapids, apparently partially because of conflicts with the coach

Tim Hankinson Timothy Milledge Hankinson (February 18, 1955 – September 22, 2022) was an American soccer coach. He initially coached American college teams, before becoming head coach in Major League Soccer, as well as managing teams in Iceland, India, and ...

, and partially because of salary cap concerns. Carrieri signed before the 2004 season with the

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...

of the A-League. He had a solid season with the team, finishing the year with 8 goals and 8 assists in 27 games. After the end of the season, he played one game with the Chicago Fire, after being called up as an injury replacement. Carrieri also briefly played

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

for the Chicago Storm of the MISL. In 2005, with coach

no longer at the helm, the Rapids brought back Carrieri for tryouts, but did not offer him a contract after pre-season. He then signed with Richmond Kickers of the then A-League. In 2006, Richmond went down to

USL-2 The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

. Still under contract with the Kickers, Carrieri stayed with the newly demoted club and helped lead them to the 2006

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

Championship, where he scored the championship winning goal for the Kickers. In 2007, he became one of the first players to sign with the expansion

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

club

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

. He played in twenty-eight games, most as a starter, before announcing his retirement from professional soccer on March 18, 2008. After spending 2008 coaching with the

Capital Area Soccer League North Carolina FC Youth (NCFC Youth) is an American soccer club and eponymous league based in Raleigh, North Carolina and serving greater Research Triangle. It is the largest youth-to-professional soccer club in the country. Club NCFC Youth was ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

, Carrieri was coaxed out of retirement in 2009 by the Richmond Kickers, and he subsequently played 5 games and scored 1 goal for the team on the way to winning the 2009 USL2 championship. On January 14, 2010 Richmond announced the re-signing of Carrieri for the 2010 season.

References

External links

Richmond Kickers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrieri, Chris 1980 births Living people All-American men's college soccer players American soccer players Association football midfielders Chicago Fire FC players Colorado Rapids players Major League Soccer first-overall draft picks Major League Soccer players New Brunswick Brigade players North Carolina FC players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players People from Stafford, Virginia Richmond Kickers players Rochester New York FC players San Jose Earthquakes draft picks San Jose Earthquakes players Soccer players from San Antonio A-League (1995–2004) players USL First Division players USL League Two players