José Luis Burciaga Jr. (born November 16, 1981, in

Oak Cliff, Texas Oak Cliff is a neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, that was formerly a separate town in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1901. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as one of Dallas' older established neighborhoods. Oak C ...

) is an American retired

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 is currently the General Manager of Keene FC. He is the former founder o
Wizards Futbol Club
a youth soccer academy.

Career

Burciaga played youth soccer for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club and graduated from

Duncanville High School Duncanville High School is a secondary school located in Duncanville, Texas, United States, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The school is a part of Duncanville Independent School District. The school includes grades 9 through 12. The high school ...

where he was the 2000 District 7 soccer MVP and two-time All State. Instead of attending college, Burciaga opted to turn professional after finishing high school, signing a

Project-40 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 with

MLS 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 ...

. Burciaga was selected 12th overall in the

2001 MLS SuperDraft The 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Player selection Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 program. Round 1 Round 1 trade ...

by 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 ...

. Although a star with United States youth national teams, he was not immediately ready for MLS. He played two games on loan to the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

of the

USL A-League 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 ...

. He also played three games for Project 40 and one game with the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

in an August 2001

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

game. He finished the season with the Wizards with three games, two of them starts. Burciaga tore his left knee's ACL in preseason and missed the entire 2002 season rehabbing the injury. He came on strong in 2003, earning the left back starting position in preseason and looking poised to finally come into his own; he tore his right knee's ACL in the fourth game of the season and so finished the year with only those four starts. After two painful years, Burciaga returned to the Wizards' lineup in 2004 and was injury-free for the entire year. Given the opportunity, he seized the left back position and kept it all year long. He finished the season with 21 starts out of 24 games played, and added one goal and one assist. In 2005, Burciaga was selected out of all the MLS players to th
MLS Select
team vs.

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

at the

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

for the Trofeo Bernabeu. 2006 was Burciaga's breakout year, as he scored 8 goals and 8 assists, several of them spectacular, in earning MLS Best XI honors for the first time and team MVP. Burciaga was traded by the

to league rivals

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 ...

on January 16, 2008, in return for a 2009 second round

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft wa ...

pick. Colorado opted not to renew his contract for the 2009 season. Burciaga trialed with Orlando City during the 2011 preseason but was not offered a contract with the team. In the spring of 2012, Burciaga attempted to earn a roster spot with

side

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 Suppo ...

but was not successful. He ended up playing in 2012 for the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of the second division NASL. Burciaga returned to professional soccer in late 2018, signing with the

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...

's Dallas Sidekicks.

Jose Burciaga Jr. Academy

In 2002, Burciaga founded th
Wizards Futbol Club
in Dallas, Texas. Established by Jose Luis Burciaga Sr. and Jose Luis Burciaga Jr., Wizards FC is a community based not for profit organization designed to provide a high level of training and development that will prepare all players for college and beyond. At the 2014

Dallas Cup The ''Dallas Cup'', is an annual international Football (soccer), football tournament for invited youth teams. The tournament was established i1980and is held in Dallas, Dallas, Texas, with FC Dallas serving as its host club. Venues used for the t ...

, Wizards FC had two teams participating with one team going to the finals.

Partnership

On August 4, 2014,

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

of England agreed to a partnership with Wizards FC. Wizards FC coaches and players will have the opportunity to work with the academy coaches of Wolves in both North America and England, offering an insight into the player development program of one of the top English soccer academies. The partnership will provide players and coaches access to a club renowned for producing world class players. The partnership will see the Wolves North American Academy hosting a series of Elite Player ID events with Wizards FC. Wolves will send Academy staff members over to work with Wizards FC players at these events. The best male and female players at these events will be invited to attend the Wolves National Camp. The National Camp will host the top players from each of partner club in North America. From the National Camp, the top players will be invited to attend the Elite Player Tour at Wolves' Academy in

Wolverhampton, England Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. stated that: "We are excited about our new partnership with Wolves, and we are looking forward to working together to help develop our young players to become the next generation of soccer players. Thank you to Global Image Sports for thinking about our club, and thank you Wolves for the opportunity."

Honors

Champion: 2004 *

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 ...

Runner Up: 2004

Individual

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

: 2006 * KC Wizards MVP: 2006 *

MLS Humanitarian of the Year The MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award, also known as the MLS W.O.R.K.S Humanitarian of the Year Award, is given to a Major League Soccer player who exemplifies both skill on the field and service within the community. This finalists of the award ...

: 2008 Burciaga Jr. was recognized as an exemplary athlete within the community based on his work with the

U.S. Soccer The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

Foundation's Passback Program and the establishment of his foundation, the Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. Foundation. Burciaga Jr.'s foundation focuses on the positive impact of sports and the ideals of teamwork, discipline, and respect in the developing of young minds. The foundation promotes youth involvement in sports, education, community service, and cultural awareness. *'
Top 50 MLS Moment #29. Bomb Drop
'': 2004 In 132 games played in MLS, Burciaga scored 14 times. But not many of his blasts were more impressive, and certainly none came on a bigger stage, than his goal in the

2004 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2004 was the ninth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which took place on November 14, 2004, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. It was contested between D.C. United and the Kansas ...

against

at the

Home Depot Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

. "He can crush a ball," said former Kansas City teammate

Jimmy Conrad James Paul Conrad (born February 12, 1977) is an American retired association football player who played as a defender. During his 13-year MLS career, he was four-time MLS Best XI and the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year. He also earned 27 caps wi ...

. "He can crush it, and even if it skips a few times, you know it's going in." "That was the first goal scored on me in MLS Cup, so I took it pretty hard," recalled

Nick Rimando Nicholas Paul Rimando (born June 17, 1979) is an American retired soccer player who last played as a goalkeeper for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and the United States national team. He holds the Major League Soccer records for career ...

, now manning the nets for

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 ...

. "Ryan Nelsen was right there, and it went by him, and that's why I reacted a bit slow to it. If I’d seen it, I would’ve probably reacted a little earlier. But urciagahit it well and I reacted slow, and it cost us a goal. It was kind of a shock."

References

External links

* *
Whatever Happened To: Jose Burciaga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burciaga, Jose Jr. 1981 births Living people American men's soccer players Sporting Kansas City players MLS Pro-40 players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Colorado Rapids players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Sportspeople from Duncanville, Texas A-League (1995–2004) players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Sporting Kansas City draft picks Men's association football defenders People from Oak Cliff, Texas Soccer players from Dallas Dallas Sidekicks (PASL/MASL) players