Collin Martin (born November 9, 1994) is an American professional
soccer player who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship. He has played for
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 Supp ...
and
Minnesota United FC in
Major League Soccer, and for
Richmond Kickers and
Hartford Athletic
Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut.
History
On June 8, 2021, Ha ...
in the
United Soccer League
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 ...
. He
came out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
as gay in June 2018, making him at the time the only out man in any of the big five American sports leagues or any top-division professional men's national soccer leagues.
Club career
Youth and College
Born in
Chevy Chase, Maryland, Martin joined the
D.C. United Academy during the 2009–10 season as a 14-year-old in the under-16 category.
In his second season with the u16s, Martin led the team in scoring with 13 goals while leading the side to finish top of its group in the
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 ...
.
[ Then, the next season, Martin was promoted to the under-18s where he led the team in scoring with 11 goals. He impressed the coaching staff enough that season to earn playing time with the D.C. United Reserves in MLS Reserve League action.][
Martin then choose to attend ]Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
where he would play for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a mem ...
soccer team for the 2012 season in which he scored one goal and registered six assists.[ At the end of the season, Martin earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors.][
]
D.C. United
On July 10, 2013 it was announced that Martin had signed on as a homegrown player with 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 Supp ...
of Major League Soccer, thus becoming the team's sixth homegrown signing.[ After a short loan spell at the Richmond Kickers in the ]USL Pro
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 ...
, Martin made his debut for D.C. United on August 3, 2013 against the Montreal Impact in which he came on in the 76th minute for Nick DeLeon
Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American soccer player. Although he is capable of playing as a full-back, he typically plays as a wide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate and 1-on-1 ski ...
as United won the game 3–1. He finished the 2013 season with seven league appearances.
Richmond Kickers (loan)
On July 17, 2013 it was announced that D.C. United had sent Martin out on loan to their USL Pro
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 ...
affiliate, the Richmond Kickers. He made his one and only appearance for the Kickers on July 23 against the Vancouver Whitecaps Reserves in which he started and played 85 minutes as the Kickers won the match 2–1.
On September 13, 2014 he scored his first professional goal to open a 2–1 win over the Charleston Battery
The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...
in the playoff quarter-finals.
Minnesota United
In January 2017, Martin was traded by D.C. to MLS expansion side Minnesota United FC in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft
The 2018 MLS SuperDraft was the nineteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. As customary, the SuperDraft was held in conjunction with the annual United Soccer Coaches convention. The 2018 UCS was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania bet ...
. He made his debut on March 25 in a 5–2 loss at the New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...
, as a 63rd-minute substitute for Mohammed Saeid
Mohammed Khalid Saeid (born 24 December 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Superettan club Trelleborg. Born in Sweden, he represents the Eritrea national team.
Career
Saeid was spotted at age eleven by Fulham whil ...
.
Martin played 12 matches in his first season in Minnesota, five as a starter. Having taken no part in the 2019 season, he was loaned in late April to 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, p ...
team Hartford Athletic
Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut.
History
On June 8, 2021, Ha ...
.
In October 2019, at the end of Minnesota's season, Martin was one of five players released.
San Diego Loyal
In February 2020, Martin was signed by San Diego Loyal for its inaugural season. He made his debut on March 11 in a 2–1 win at Tacoma Defiance
Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Sounde ...
, assisting the opener by Francis Atuahene
Francis Takyi Atuahene (born 8 June 1996) is a Ghanaian footballer.
Career Youth & College
Atuahene played three years of college soccer at the University of Michigan between 2015 and 2017. He left college a year early to sign a Generation A ...
via a free kick, and scored his first goal on September 2 to open a 1–1 tie at Las Vegas Lights FC
Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho ...
.
During a home match against Phoenix Rising FC
Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship.
History
On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of an advert ...
on September 30, 2020, Martin was the target of a homophobic slur by Phoenix midfielder Junior Flemmings during first-half stoppage time. Flemmings called him a "batty boy
In Jamaican Patois, ''batty boy'' (also ''JSAP'', ''batty man'', and ''chi chi bwoy/man'') is a slang expression often used to refer to a gay or Effeminacy, effeminate man. The term batiman (or battyman) is also used in Belize owing to the populari ...
", a homophobic slur in his native Jamaica. After he went to the referee to report the incident, Martin was shown a red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction.
Red card may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers
* Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
that was later rescinded after the referee admitted he was confused. After Phoenix manager Rick Schantz declined to apologize and remove Flemmings, San Diego walked off the field and forfeited the match in protest. A week earlier, the Loyal had forfeited a match against the LA Galaxy II
LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...
after a racial slur was used against one of their players. Flemmings was banned for six games and fined an undisclosed amount.
On May 7, 2022 Martin came on as a half-time substitute at New Mexico United
New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2018, the team currently plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer.
History
Former teams
The state of New Mexic ...
with his team winning. He was sent off for his second yellow card in the 79th minute, and the hosts scored for a 1–1 tie in added time.
International career
Martin has represented the United States at U-14, U-15, U-17, and U-20 levels.[
]
Personal life
Martin was raised in an observant Episcopalian family.
On June 29, 2018, Martin came out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
publicly as gay. He was reported at the time to be the only active male professional soccer player to be openly gay.
Martin transferred his credits from Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
to George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...
after joining D.C. United. He attended part-time for four years, and online for a fifth from Minnesota, before graduating in 2019 with a degree in history.[
]
Career statistics
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Collin
1994 births
Living people
American soccer players
Association football midfielders
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni
D.C. United players
Gay sportsmen
Hartford Athletic players
Homegrown Players (MLS)
American LGBT soccer players
LGBT people from Maryland
American LGBT sportspeople
Major League Soccer players
Minnesota United FC players
People from Chevy Chase, Maryland
Richmond Kickers players
San Diego Loyal SC players
Soccer players from Maryland
USL Championship players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer players