Christian Dean (born March 14, 1993) is an 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 currently plays as a

center back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Forward Madison FC Forward Madison FC is an American professional soccer team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was founded in 2018, and played its inaugural season in 2019. The team competes in the third division of the US soccer league system and plays the ...

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

Career

Youth

Dean began his youth soccer career at the youth teams of Palo Alto Football Club, Santa Clara Sporting FC and

U.S. Soccer Development Academy 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 mission ...

club De Anza Force. He was also selected into the National Academy Select 93 teams in 2009 and 2010 for the West and won the 2010 New York Red Bulls National High School Cup. He then went on to attend the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he played college soccer for the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

. During the 2013 season Dean was awarded All-Pac-12 and NSCAA Far West Region first-team honors as he led his team to the elite eight in the NCAA.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On January 16, 2014 Dean was selected as the third overall pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center ...

by the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

on a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract. He made his professional debut 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 ...

on March 16, 2014 against

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 ...

when he came on as a 77th minute for Andy O'Brien as Vancouver drew 1–1.

Chicago Fire

On August 9, 2017, Dean was acquired by Chicago Fire in exchange for $50,000 of General Allocation Money as well as $50,000 of Targeted Allocation Money, and a percentage of any future transfer fees. He announced his retirement on November 1, 2018.

Charlotte Independence

On April 24, 2021, Dean returned to professional soccer after two years, signing a contract with

USL Championship 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 ...

club

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial ...

ahead of the 2021 season.

Bay Cities FC

Ahead of the 2022 NISA season, Dean joined Bay Cities FC. He scored his first goal for the club on April 23, 2022 against

California United Strikers FC is an American professional soccer club based in Orange County, California. History The club was founded by Bronwyn & Pete Capriotti and Michael Collins, who have had connections to the adult amateur United Premier Soccer League. California U ...

Forward Madison FC

On June 8, 2022,

manager Matt Glaeser announced at a community meeting that the club had signed Dean.

International

Dean trained with the United States U20 side in 2012. Dean scored his first international goal for the U-23 team in a 30 friendly win over Mexico on April 22, 2015.

Career statistics

References

External links

* 1993 births Living people American soccer players American expatriate soccer players California Golden Bears men's soccer players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Whitecaps FC 2 players Chicago Fire FC players Charlotte Independence players Bay Cities FC players Forward Madison FC players Association football defenders Soccer players from California Expatriate soccer players in Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players National Independent Soccer Association players United States men's under-23 international soccer players People from East Palo Alto, California USL Championship players USL League One players De Anza Force players {{US-footy-defender-stub