Jamil Walker (born April 21, 1981 in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, New York) is a retired American soccer

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

and

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 ...

, who played professionally in Major League Soccer and the

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 ...

College

In 1999, Walker spent his freshman season at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...

where he was a member of the men's soccer team. He played in ten of the Falcons' nineteen games, scoring three goals and adding one assist. He transferred to Santa Clara University after his freshman year and went on to play three seasons with the Broncos. During his senior season at Santa Clara, Walker scored fourteen goals and was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Far West Team, the All-West Region Team and the All-West Coast Conference First Team.

Professional

In February 2003, the San Jose Earthquakes selected Walker in the fourth round (thirty-ninth overall) of 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 ...

. Used as a substitute during the season, Walker gained three starts during the playoffs including the championship game. The Earthquakes went on to win the 2003 MLS Cup. In 2004, injuries limited him to ten games. On November 19, 2004,

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. G ...

selected Walker with the fifteenth selection of the

2004 MLS Expansion Draft The 2004 MLS Expansion Draft was held on November 19, 2004 and consisted of 10 rounds. The two new teams, Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, drafted players from the other 10 Major League Soccer teams. Existing MLS teams were allowed to protect 12 pl ...

. Chivas then traded him to

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 exchange for United's second round pick in the

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

. During the 2005 season, Walker played for both the D.C. United first and reserve teams. He led the reserve division in scoring with nine goals. In May 2007, he ruptured his

achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

during a reserve team game. D.C. United released him at the end of the season. Walker signed with 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 ...

of the

for the 2008 season. He played his first game with the RailHawks in a 1–1 tie with the Atlanta Silverbacks on April 19, 2008. On July 9, 2008, the RailHawks traded Walker to the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos t ...

in exchange for Hamed Diallo. The Rhinos then immediately traded Walker and Chase Harrison to the Portland Timbers for

Andrew Gregor Andrew Gregor (born November 22, 1975) is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in Major League Soccer, the USL First Division, the USL Premier Development League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He is now the assistan ...

Honors

* 2003 MLS Cup * Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield (1): 2006 *2014 NSCAA Youth/Club Boys Coach of the Year

References

External links

MLSNet: Jamil Walker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jamil 1981 births Living people African-American soccer players American soccer players Air Force Falcons men's soccer players North Carolina FC players D.C. United players Association football midfielders Association football forwards Major League Soccer players Sportspeople from Rochester, New York Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players San Jose Earthquakes players Soccer players from New York (state) USL First Division players Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players San Jose Earthquakes draft picks 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people