Darnell King (born September 23, 1990) is an American soccer player who currently plays for

Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional Association football, 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 E ...

in the

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 ...

Career

King played in forward for Tampa's

Gaither High School Gaither High School is a public high school located in the Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida. It opened in 1984 and is located on 16200 North Dale Mabry Highway. Bloomingdale High School, located in Valrico, Florida, was built around ...

, setting a school record with 71 points in a season. In 2008, his senior year, King was named to the All-Hillsborough County team. From 2008 to 2011, King played as a forward for the

Florida Atlantic Owls The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of Conference USA. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accept ...

. King was the Owls' leading scorer during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. King participated in the 2012 NASL Combine where he was noticed by Fort Lauderdale Strikers' coaching staff. He was invited to preseason with the Strikers, where he impressed enough to earn his first professional contract. On March 27, 2012 the Strikers announced that King had signed professional terms with the club. King made his professional debut with the Strikers as a second half sub against FC Edmonton on April 7, 2012 in the first game of the 2012 NASL season. He played 15 minutes after replacing Leopoldo Morales in the 75th minute. On July 2, King started and played 90 minutes in an unfamiliar right back position, and took the throw-in that lead to the opening goal. He started at right back in the Strikers' next match against the

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 a ...

, and scored his first goal as a professional in the 31st minute of the 3–3 draw. King ended up primarily playing right back for the Strikers and was named to the 2014 NASL Best XI as a defender. On December 22, 2014, King returned to Tampa Bay by signing with the NASL's

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

On February 6, 2018, King made the move to

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

side

San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio F ...

. King earned a spot on the All-League team at the end of 2018. King signed with

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

on December 4, 2018, rejoining former Rowdies teammate

Matt Pickens Matt Pickens (born April 5, 1982) is an American retired soccer player who is currently the goalkeeping coach for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. Career Youth and amateur Pickens initially attended Meramec Community College before playi ...

. He then signed with

on December 18, 2019.

Career statistics

''Statistics accurate as of December 4, 2018''

References

External links

Tampa Bay Rowdies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Darnell 1990 births Living people American soccer players Florida Atlantic Owls men's soccer players Floridians FC players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Tampa Bay Rowdies players San Antonio FC players Nashville SC (2018–19) players Phoenix Rising FC players Soccer players from Tampa, Florida USL League Two players North American Soccer League players USL Championship players Association football wingers Association football fullbacks