Daniel Alvarez is an American former

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 ...

midfielder. Alvarez graduated from Pine Forest High School. He attended

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

, where he was a 1999 First-Team All-American. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science. He was inducted into the Furman Paladins Hall of Fame in 2005. In January 2000, the MetroStars selected Alvarez in the fourth round (thirty-seventh overall) of the

2000 MLS SuperDraft The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds. One of the most successful draft picks was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a third round pick, who went on to hold the record ...

. He did not sign with the MetroStars, but played three games for the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

at the start of the USL A-League season. On April 19, 2000, the MetroStars traded Alvarez's rights to the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

in exchange for Daniel Hernández. Alvarez chose to pursue a contract in Germany. After unsuccessful trials with Borussia Dortmund, FC Cloppenburg, and FC Nuremberg, he returned to the United States and signed with the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, 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 professiona ...

of the USL A-League. In the spring of 2001, Alvarez was training with the Mutiny when he tore his left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

. He returned home to Fayetteville to recuperate. While there, he coached with the Fayetteville Force Soccer Club.Fayetteville Force: Daniel Alvarez
/ref> In February 2002, the Colorado Rapids selected Alvarez in the third round (twenty-ninth overall) of the

2002 MLS SuperDraft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted bot ...

. The Rapids did not sign him and he began the 2002 season with the

Cincinnati Riverhawks The Cincinnati Riverhawks were a professional soccer team that debuted in the USISL Premier Development League in 1997 and joined the A-League from 1998 to 2003. They played their games at Galbreath Field in Kings Mills, Ohio and later at the Ha ...

before finishing it with the Virginia Beach Mariners of the

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 b ...

. He played for the Mariners through the 2004 season. In 2005, he became an assistant with the Old Dominion University men's soccer team.

References

External links

Charleston Battery: Daniel Alvarez
1978 births Living people American soccer coaches Soccer players from North Carolina Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Charleston Battery players Cincinnati Riverhawks players Furman Paladins men's soccer players Virginia Beach Mariners players Virginia Beach Piranhas players A-League (1995–2004) players USL League Two players New York Red Bulls draft picks Colorado Rapids draft picks Sportspeople from Fayetteville, North Carolina All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders American men's soccer players {{US-footy-midfielder-stub