David Testo (born August 7, 1981) is an American retired soccer player who, after his playing career ended in 2011, became the first male American professional player of that sport to come out as gay. Testo played professionally from 2003 to 2011, including two years in with the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

from 2004 to 2005. He began his career with the Richmond Kickers, and also played for the

Vancouver Whitecaps 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 Mar ...

and Montreal Impact before he was released by the Impact in 2011. He played collegiately for

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

Career

College

After a standout prep career at Asheville, North Carolina's TC Roberson High School, where he was named the North Carolina state player of the year in 1998, Testo played his first and second years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

at the University of South Carolina, where he registered six goals and 11 assists in 33 games. After his sophomore season, Testo moved to the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, where he emerged as a major force, helping lead the Tar Heels to an NCAA Championship his junior season. Testo was named to the All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

second team both his seasons at UNC, after scoring 11 goals and six assists as a junior, and seven goals and nine assists as a senior.

Professional

Upon graduating from college, Testo went undrafted in the

2003 MLS SuperDraft The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer. Player selection Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 Generat ...

despite his experience with the youth U.S. national teams. Testo signed with the Richmond Kickers, with whom he made an immediate impact, playing in 28 games and scoring six goals. For his performance, Testo was named the A-League's 2003 Rookie of the Year. After his performance in the A-League, he joined the

of Major League Soccer. Due to many injuries, Testo was sidelined; however, he received more action in 2005. After ending that season with a goal and multiple assists, Testo was released. He then signed with the

. He was named Newcomer of the Year and was second in team scoring (seven goals, seven assists) behind

Joey Gjertsen Joey Gjertsen (born June 13, 1982) is an American professional soccer player. Career College Gjertsen started his college soccer at Tacoma Community College where he produced 31 goals and a school record 14 assists in his freshman campaign. He ...

(13 goals, seven assists) while playing both as a striker and in his preferred midfield positions equally well. Testo assisted on both Whitecaps goals scored in the final five minutes of OT in the USL semifinal match on September 24 when the Caps defeated Montreal 2–0 to earn a spot in the USL championship game against Rochester on September 30. The Whitecaps became the first team in USL history to win a championship game on the road as they withstood a fifteen-minute all-out attack by the Rhinos to start the game and then dominated their hosts to win 3–0 before 10,000 partisan and rain-soaked fans. The 'Caps scored 11 goals and only surrendered one (on a free kick) in five playoff games and one OT period. Vancouver's second goal in this game was a result of Testo's pass to Gjertsen who one-timed it to a charging

Tony Donatelli Anthony "Tony" Donatelli (born June 7, 1984 in Glenside, Pennsylvania) is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Arena Soccer League. Career Youth and College Donatelli played for Hunter Soccer ...

; Tony held on for an interminable two seconds before powering it home to the back of the net. Testo earned an assist on the final goal with a pass to Matondo who scored easily to end all doubt. Testo started celebrating by running into the stands to hug his mother who had come up from North Carolina to join a small but vocal contingent of Whitecaps supporters. Testo was traded to the Montreal Impact on July 26, 2007, along with

for

Alen Marcina Alen Marcina (born July 30, 1979) is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of USL Championship side San Antonio FC. He is a three-time champion with San Antonio Scorpions and Rayo OKC in the NASL. Club ca ...

, and

Zé Roberto José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back or as a midfielder. Currently, he is a technical advisor to Palmeiras, acting directly ...

. He recorded his first goal for Montreal on August 1, 2007, against

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 ...

. During the 2008 USL season Testo played in 20 matches for the Impact, and scored one goal against

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

on July 18, 2008. In the

2008 Canadian Championship The 2008 Canadian Championship (officially the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the first edition of the Canadian Championship – Canada's domestic cup competition. The soccer tournament took place in the cities of Mon ...

he appeared in all four matches for the Impact, and scored a goal in 2–0 victory over the

. He helped the Impact qualify for the first time for the CONCACAF Champions League by winning the Canadian Championship. During the club's playoff run Testo scored in the quarterfinal match against Portland Timbers. During the 2009 USL season Testo contributed by helping the Impact clinch a playoff spot under new head coach

Marc Dos Santos Marc Dos Santos (born May 26, 1977) is a Canadian soccer coach who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. He was previously the head coach of Montreal Impact in D2 Pro League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, was North ...

. He recorded his first playoff goal in the quarterfinal match against

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 ...

. The match resulted in 2–1 victory for the Impact, and allowing the Impact to advance to the finals by winning their second match on aggregate. Montreal would advance on to the finals where their opponents would end up being the Vancouver Whitecaps, thus marking the first time in USL history where the final match would consist of two Canadian clubs. In the final Testo helped the Impact win the series 6–3 on aggregate. The victory gave the Impact their third USL Championship and also the victory marked Testo's second USL Championship. On October 6, 2009, Testo received the Giuseppe-Saputo Trophy, presented to the Impact’s Most Valuable Player during the team’s 2009 awards banquet. On November 30, 2009, Testo signed a new two-year deal with the club. Testo was released by Montreal on October 12, 2011. In 2019, he appeared in '' Standing on the Line'', a documentary film about homophobia in sports by Paul-Émile d'Entremont.

Personal life

In an interview on French Canadian public broadcaster

Radio Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government ...

that was aired on November 10, 2011, Testo announced he was gay and that his family, friends, teammates, and team management were aware of his sexuality. Testo became the first American professional soccer player to come out as gay. Testo is a member of the Advisory Board for

You Can Play You Can Play is a social activism campaign dedicated to the eradication of homophobia in sports, centered on the slogan, "If you can play, you can play." The campaign was launched on March 4, 2012, by its three co-founders: Patrick Burke (a sco ...

, a campaign dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports.

Career statistics

Honors

Vancouver Whitecaps *

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 ...

Championship: 2006 Montreal Impact *

Championship: 2009 *

Voyageurs Cup The Voyageurs Cup (french: Coupe des Voyageurs) is the domestic trophy for professional soccer in Canada, awarded to the best men's and women's clubs in the country. The Cup was conceived and commissioned by fans of the Canada men's national ...

: 2007, 2008

References

External links

Montreal Impact bioOfficial site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Testo, David 1981 births Living people American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players American people of Italian descent Columbus Crew players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Men's association football midfielders Major League Soccer players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Richmond Kickers players Soccer players from North Carolina South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer players Sportspeople from Winston-Salem, North Carolina USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players LGBT people from North Carolina American LGBT sportspeople Gay sportsmen American LGBT soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players 21st-century American LGBT people