Daniel Woolard (born May 22, 1984 in

Bedford, Texas Bedford is a city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 46,979 at the 2010 census. Bedford is part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedf ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional

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.

Early career

Woolard played college soccer at

Midwestern State University Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2020 it had 5,141 undergraduate students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts. History Founded in 1922 as ...

earning

First Team 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 ...

honors during his senior season. Afterwards, he spent two seasons with the

DFW Tornados DFW Tornados (also known as Dallas–Fort Worth Tornados) was an American soccer team based in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1986, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer P ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Professional career

In 2007, Woolard was drafted in the fourth round, 47th overall, by the Chicago Fire in the

2007 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft was held on January 18, 2007, following the SuperDraft (held on January 12, 2007), as teams filled out their developmental rosters. Changes from 2006 * 2007 expansion club Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (co ...

, and spent the next three 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 ...

, appearing in 16 first team games including 8 starts and scoring one goal. After his release from Fire in February 2010, and having been unable to secure a professional contract elsewhere, he returned to play for the

in the PDL in 2010. Woolard signed with the USSF D2 Carolina RailHawks in September 2010, and he started his first league match with the RailHawks against Crystal Palace Baltimore on September 3]. While with the RailHawks he played for the full duration of every match. On January 6, 2011, Woolard returned to the Major League Soccer, MLS after being signed by

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 ...

. Woolard impressed with DC, and became a starter as the season went by. Finding a home with the Black and Red again in 2012, Woolard started 20 games on DC’s backline. Woolard tallied his thir
MLS goal
and contributed two assists in 1,754 minutes on the pitch. Woolard upheld his reputation as a constant performer on the back before suffering a concussion in August which left him sidelined until he was cleared during the 2012 MLS Playoffs.

Woolard was cleared of his concussion symptoms during the 2012 Playoffs, and continued his stay as one of the most consistent players on the backline for DC United in 2013. Since joining the Black-and-Red on Jan. 6, 2011, Woolard has never played less than 20 games in each his first three seasons. In 2013, he played and started 27 games and dished out one assist while logging the fourth most minutes on the team (2,235). He was released following the 2013 season and retired from professional soccer thereafter.

Personal life

Upon retiring from professional soccer, Daniel Woolard enrolled in law school at

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

's Cumberland School of Law, graduating with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in May 2019 and obtaining the State Texas Bar attorney license in October 2019. Together with his wife, they run an operate their own business ''Savvy Wool''. He currently resides in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Woolard is the son of Marvin and Jane Woolard. He is married to Emily Woolard, and they have a pet

Vizsla The Vizsla () is a dog breed from Hungary and belongs to the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) group 7 (Pointing Dogs), the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) group 1 (Sporting group), and the American Kennel Club (Sporting group). The H ...

. Woolard is an avid Bowhunter and bass fisherman. Daniel is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). He attended

Honors

D.C. United

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

(1):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolard, Daniel 1984 births Living people Latter Day Saints from Texas American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Businesspeople from Dallas Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC players D.C. United players DFW Tornados players Major League Soccer players Midwestern State Mustangs men's soccer players North Carolina FC players People from Bedford, Texas Soccer players from Texas USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players