Gareth David Evans (born 10 January 1987) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. Evans is currently an assistant coach for

OKC Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessm ...

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, p ...

Career

England and Wales

Evans is a former Newi Cefn Druids player, who made 31 appearances, 25 as substitute, for the club in the

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...

during the 2003–04 season. He joined

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

in 2004 and signed a professional contract in summer 2006, after initially being told that the club could not afford to give him one. He broke into the first-team in the 2006–07 season, making 14 league and cup appearances. Manager Denis Smith praised Evans and fellow centre-back, Mike Williams, after a 1–0 win over Darlington in December 2006, saying, ''"It's possibly the youngest centre-back pairing the club's ever put out and I think they did tremendously well. I'm delighted with the way they played and I think the lads applied themselves well in difficult circumstances."'' Evans signed a new two-year contract in May 2007. Evans was loaned to

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

and Tamworth during the 2007–08 season but also made another 14 league and cup appearances for Wrexham as the club unsuccessfully battled against relegation from the Football League.

United States

Evans left Wrexham in January 2009 to continue his footballing career in the United States, and joined

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 ...

club

Austin Aztex FC Austin Aztex FC was an American professional soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2008, the team played in the USL First Division, and in the USL Division of the USSF D2 Pro League, the second tier of the American Soccer ...

in February 2009. He was released by the Aztex at the end of the 2009 season. After a brief stint back home with

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

side

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...

in late 2009, Evans signed with

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

side

Real Maryland Monarchs Real Maryland F.C., commonly known as the Real Maryland Monarchs, was an American soccer team based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the Amer ...

in 2010. In October 2010, Evans joined Chester until March 2011, when he returned to the United States to play for

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games ...

in the USL Professional League.LA Blues Sign Welsh Defender
/ref> He made his debut for Chester on 9 October as a 76th-minute substitute against

Harrogate Railway Athletic Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Station View. History The club was established in 1935 by employees of the London and Nor ...

. Upon returning to the United States in spring 2011, Evans trained with LA Blues, with whom he had signed a contract, but did not remain with the club. On 5 April 2011 he signed with

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. History ...

of the

USL Pro 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 ...

. At season's end he joined

Carolina RailHawks FC 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 ...

for the remainder of the 2011

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

season. Evans re-signed with Wilmington for 2012 on 5 December 2011. After two seasons with Wilmington, Evans joined

Oklahoma City Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessma ...

for its 2014 season. Evans retired from professional football following the 2016 season and entered a coaching role with Oklahoma City's youth partner, Oklahoma Energy FC. In June 2021, he returned to the pro club as an assistant coach.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gareth 1987 births Living people Footballers from Wrexham Wrexham A.F.C. players Northwich Victoria F.C. players Tamworth F.C. players Austin Aztex FC players Vauxhall Motors F.C. players Chester F.C. players Welsh men's footballers Wilmington Hammerheads FC players North Carolina FC players OKC Energy FC players Cymru Premier players English Football League players USL First Division players USL Second Division players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States USL Championship players Real Maryland F.C. players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Men's association football defenders Welsh expatriate sportspeople in the United States Welsh expatriate men's footballers OKC Energy FC coaches USL Championship coaches