Justin Rasmussen (born December 15, 1998) 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 plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

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, pl ...

side

Oakland Roots Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

Youth and college

Rasmussen played high school soccer at

Bishop Gorman High School Bishop Gorman High School (also commonly referred to as Gorman High School or BGHS) is a private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic preparatory school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Ve ...

, where he was named Nevada State Offensive MVP two years in a row and high school Offensive Player of the Year. In 2016, he was named second team All-Star, and as a senior was named to the Class 4A All-Southern Nevada team. Rasmussen also played club soccer with the Las Vegas Sports Academy. In 2017, Rasmussen attended

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on ...

to play

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 Kingd ...

. In four seasons with the Antelopes, Rasmussen made 55 appearances, scoring 16 goals and tallying ten assists. In his senior year, Rasmussen recorded nine goals and six assists for a team-best 24 points, earning WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and All-WAC First Team honors. As a senior, Rasmussen became the first NCAA All-American in program history after scoring five goals in 10 appearances, landing himself on the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region First Team and featured on the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...

watch list. While at college, Rasmussen was part of the setup for

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

side

FC Arizona FC Arizona is an American soccer team based in the Phoenix area that plays in the National Premier Soccer League. History FC Arizona announced its formation on July 19, 2016, with a press release. The team held a launch party on August 5, 2016, at ...

in 2018, and with

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 ...

side

Orange County SC U-23 Orange County SC U-23 is an American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 2011 as the Los Angeles Blues 23, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at the Or ...

in 2019, and in 2021 he was with the Portland Timbers U23, in what was now named the

USL League Two 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 ...

. However, he didn't make an appearance for any team.

Professional career

On January 11, 2022, Rasmussen was selected 27th overall in the

2022 MLS SuperDraft The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was the 23rd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season and has been conducted via conference calls since 2020. Previously, the Su ...

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 ...

. He signed with the club on February 17, 2022. He made his professional debut on March 13, 2022, starting in a 1–0 victory against

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 ...

. Following his release from Portland at the end of their 2023 season, Rasmussen joined

side

on February 2, 2024.

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

GCU Lopes ProfilePortland Timbers Website
* 1998 births American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders FC Arizona players Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer players Living people Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players Orange County SC U-23 players Portland Timbers draft picks Portland Timbers players Portland Timbers 2 players Capital FC players Soccer players from Las Vegas Oakland Roots SC players {{US-footy-defender-stub