Kirk Wilson is a retired American

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 played professionally in

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 ...

and 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 ...

Youth

Wilson’s family moved from California to El Paso, Texas when he was a child. He graduated from Coronado High School where he was part of the 1996 Texas State High School soccer championship team. During the summer of 1997, Wilson played for the

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The Menace have had sustained success in USL League Two duri ...

of the

USISL Premier Development Soccer 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 syst ...

. Wilson attended

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

, playing on the men’s soccer team 1996 and 1997.

Professional

In 1998, Wilson left Drake soon after and moved to Germany where he spent time training with various teams. In the spring of 1998, he returned to the United States and signed with the

El Paso Patriots El Paso Patriots was an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southe ...

of the

USISL A-League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

for the

1998 A-League The 1998 USISL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1998. Regular season Northeast Division Atlantic Division Central Division Pacific Division Conferenc ...

season. He was fourth in the league’s points chart, finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year, and was Second Team All League. In February 1999, the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

selected Wilson in the first round (seventh overall) of the

1999 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1999 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft took place in Fort Lauderdale on the afternoon of Sunday, February 7. The second and third rounds of the 1999 MLS College Draft had taken place earlier that morning. In this supplemental draft, a nu ...

. He played five games for the Burn that season, going on loan to the Patriots in June and the MLS Project 40 team, which also competed in the USISL A-League, from June through the playoffs. In 2000, Wilson began the MLS season with the Burn, playing one game. On April 2, 2000, the Burn waived Wilson. He quickly signed with the El Paso Patriots where he played the rest of the season. In 2001, Wilson moved 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 to ...

where he was part of the Rhinos 2001 championship squad. He spent five seasons in Rochester. In 2005, his last season with the Rhinos, Wilson was first team All League. In December 2005, Wilson signed as a free agent with the Montreal Impact. Wilson retired at the end of the season and moved his family back to

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

where he founded a company focused on training soccer players.

International

In 1998 and 1999, Wilson played for the

United States men's national under-23 soccer team The United States U-23 men's national soccer team, also known as the United States men's Olympic soccer team, is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is qualification into and competition at the quadr ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Kirk Living people 1977 births American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Austin Lone Stars players FC Dallas players Des Moines Menace players Drake Bulldogs men's soccer players El Paso Patriots players Major League Soccer players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players Rochester New York FC players USL First Division players MLS Pro-40 players Expatriate soccer players in Canada Soccer players from California United States men's under-23 international soccer players USL League Two players A-League (1995–2004) players FC Dallas draft picks Association football forwards Association football midfielders