Eric Humberto Avila (born November 24, 1987) is an American 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 who has played 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 ...

and defender.

Early life and education

Avila who is of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

descent, was born on November 24, 1987, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, to Julio and Maria Avila. Avila was raised in the Carlsbad and

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south o ...

area and started playing soccer with an

American Youth Soccer Organization The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is one of the two main national organizations in youth soccer in the United States for children aged 4 through 19. AYSO was established as a non-profit soccer organization in Torrance (a suburb of Lo ...

team. He later played club soccer for the San Diego Crusaders and

La Jolla Nomads LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

. With the Nomads, he helped the team to the 2002

US Club Soccer US Club Soccer is a national organization and member of the United States Soccer Federation that works to develop and support soccer clubs in the United States. It was founded in 2001 as the National Association of Competitive Soccer Clubs (NA ...

national championship. He attended

La Costa Canyon High School La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school located in Carlsbad, California. Established in 1996, it is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School District and serves the communities of Encinitas, south Carlsbad, Leucadia, Oliv ...

for two years and played for their boys soccer program. He was named the

CIF San Diego Section The CIF San Diego Section (CIF-SDS) is the governing body of high school athletics for most of the two southernmost counties of California (San Diego and Imperial Counties), one of ten such sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Fede ...

's Avocado League MVP as a sophomore for the Mavericks. He finished his last two years of high school with the United States U-17 Residency Program in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

. Upon his return to California, Avila was briefly a member of

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

's U-19 club. UCSB men's soccer team at the White House 2007-06-18

Prior to enrolling in college, Avila was ranked as the 2nd best midfielder and 6th best prospect overall in the class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com. Avila was recruited with a scholarship to attend the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

by head coach

Tim Vom Steeg Timothy Harold Vom Steeg (born October 29, 1966) is an American collegiate soccer head coach who is currently with the University of California, Santa Barbara men's soccer team. He has been with the Gauchos since 1999 and is the most successful ...

. Avila was the marquee signing in a class that contained future professionals

Chris Pontius Chris Pontius (born July 16, 1974) is an American stunt performer and television personality. He is best known as a cast member of the reality comedy show '' Jackass'' and co-host of its spinoff ''Wildboyz'' with fellow cast member Steve-O. ...

Alfonso Motagalvan Felix Alfonso Motagalvan (born February 11, 1987) is an American soccer player. Playing career Youth and college Motagalvan was born in Santa Rosa, California, grew up in Gilroy, California, and attended Gilroy High School where he was a ...

, and

Ryan Kenny Ryan Jeffrey Brown Kenny (born September 11, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player. Early life and education Kenny was born September 11, 1987, in Livermore, California. He played high school soccer at Buchanan High School in ...

. As a freshman on the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the ...

team in 2005, he started 21 games while scoring three goals and assisting on five more. Avila was named to the College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team as well as being the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, Avila started 25 games, scoring eight goals to go along with five assists. He scored the national championship-winning goal in the

2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The 2006 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup Final Four was held at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. All the other games w ...

final over the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

. He was named to the All-College Cup team. As a junior, Avila appeared in 20 games, starting 18 of them. He scored four more goals and added eight assists. He left UCSB to pursue a professional career at the conclusion of the season and finished his Gaucho career with 66 games played, 15 goals, and 18 assists. During his college years, Avila also played 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 ...

for the

San Fernando Valley Quakes San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American association football, soccer team based in Calabasas, California, Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of th ...

and

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the ...

Club career

FC Dallas

Avila decided to forgo his senior season as professional clubs started to show interest. Avila decided to sign a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract and he was subsequently drafted in the 2nd Round (19th Overall) by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

in the

2008 MLS SuperDraft The 2008 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 18, 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the ninth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was made by the Kansas City Wizards, after acquiring the selection from the expansion San ...

. Avila made his MLS debut for

as an 85th-minute substitute against the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

in a 1–1 tie on June 26, 2008. He earned his first MLS career assist on a header by

Abe Thompson Abraham Broman "Abe" Thompson (born January 12, 1982) is an American former soccer player. Youth and college Born in Tucson, Arizona, Thompson attended Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School in Virginia, and played college soccer at the University ...

during stoppage time helping

to a 1–1 tie against the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

on July 4, 2008. and scored his first senior goal on June 20, 2009, in a game against

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 ...

. During the

2010 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs was the postseason tournament subsequent to Major League Soccer's 2010 season. The playoffs began on October 30, with the Los Angeles Galaxy defeating the Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinal-round. Three weeks la ...

, he scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to give Dallas a win over

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...

in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals, helping the Red Stripes win the series, 3–2, on aggregate as Dallas made its first-ever

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

appearance. In December 2008, Avila traveled to England with fellow

teammates

Bruno Guarda Bruno Ernesto Guarda (born February 6, 1986), also known as Peter Jackson and DJ - BG is a Brazilian footballer who last played for the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League. Career College Guarda moved to the United States in high ...

Josh Lambo Joshua Gregory Lambo (born November 19, 1990) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and then signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 17, 2017. H ...

, and Anthony Wallace along with other

players for friendlies against the reserve squads of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, and

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

. He graduated from the MLS

program at the end of the 2010 season. In July 2011 it was announced that Avila had been transferred on a loan to

F.C. Atlas Atlas Fútbol Club () is a Mexican professional football club based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that currently plays in Liga MX. It plays home matches at the Estadio Jalisco. Founded in 1916, Atlas has won three league titles and four domestic ...

for 6 months, but the loan deal fell through.

Toronto FC

On August 2, 2011, FC Dallas traded Avila to

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

for

Maicon Santos Maicon dos Santos Corrêa (born 18 April 1984) is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played as a forward for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League. Career Maicon started his career at Madureira, where he was aw ...

and an international roster spot (through the remainder of the 2011 season). Four days later Avila made his debut for the team against

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 ...

in a 3–3 away draw. Avila scored his first goal for Toronto on August 27 in a 1–1 home draw against

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. Avila scored his first goal of the 2012 season against

April 28 in a 3–2 away defeat.

Chivas USA

When Avila's contract expired at the end of the 2012 season he elected to participate in the

2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 7, 2012 (Stage 1) and December 14, 2012 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the t ...

. On December 14, 2012, Avila was selected by

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

in stage two of the draft. About a month later, Avila was traded to

for

Nick LaBrocca Nick LaBrocca (born December 4, 1984) is a former American association football, soccer player. Career Youth and college LaBrocca played high school soccer at Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey), Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New J ...

. Avila went on trial with

C.D. Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divi ...

of the

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

on two occasions but the club never signed him. There was also speculation that

Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...

were going to sign him but the negotiations seemed to stop.

Orlando City

Avila joined Orlando on a loan from

. He scored his first goal May 17, 2015 against

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

in which

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

won 4–0. Avila made 21 appearances for Orlando in 2015, totaling 1,325 minutes of play.

Tampa Bay Rowdies

On February 26, 2016, Avila joined the

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 a one-year contract with a club option for 2017.

Phoenix Rising

Avila signed with

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 ...

on April 28, 2017.

ASC San Diego

For the 2018 season he was on the roster at NPSL team ASC San Diego.

Coaching

Following his retirement from playing, Avila coached the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads wer ...

U-15 team in

MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth soccer league in the United States and Canada, that is managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Developmen ...

in 2021 and early 2022. On March 3, 2022, Avila returned to

Birmingham Legion Birmingham Legion FC is an American professional soccer club based in Birmingham, Alabama, that competes in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. The team was established in August 2013 and played under the name Birmingh ...

to serve as the Legion's Academy director and first team assistant coach.

International career

Avila entered the US U17 Residency Program in

in the fall of 2003. He made his first appearance with US U-17's at the age of 15 against England. He went on to earn 9 international caps with the U-17's, appearing in 15 total matches. The total was the highest of the 1987 boys class. His last appearance came in Spring of 2005. He helped lead the U.S. to the finals of the Ballymena International Tournament held in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, which he regards as one of his most memorable moments in sports. He also participated in the Mondial Minimes Montaigu Vendee Tournament held in France. In addition to tournaments, he played in a number of matches against

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 ...

teams, including

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

, Chicago Fire, and

, while scoring the game-tying goal in a friendly against the

Career statistics

Honors

UC Santa Barbara *

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate College soccer, soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the NCAA Division I, ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

FC Dallas *

Western Conference Championship:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Toronto FC *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

References

External links

*
UC Santa Barbara player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avila, Eric 1987 births Living people Soccer players from San Diego American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Association football midfielders UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players San Fernando Valley Quakes players Ventura County Fusion players FC Dallas players Toronto FC players Chivas USA players Santos Laguna footballers Orlando City SC players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Phoenix Rising FC players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players USL Championship players Expatriate soccer players in Canada Sportspeople from Carlsbad, California United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent FC Dallas draft picks Las Vegas Lights FC players Birmingham Legion FC players San Diego Loyal SC players USL Championship coaches