Matthew David Crawford (born August 20, 1980 in Durham, North Carolina) is an 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 ...

midfielder who last played for the Colorado Rapids of

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 ...

. He played high school soccer at Durham Academy in Durham, North Carolina and helped earn them state titles in 1995 and 1996. Crawford played college soccer at the University of North Carolina from 1999 to 2002, leading the Heels to a national title in 2001 including an assist in the title game. He finished his career at UNC with 12 goals and 35 assists in 89 games, 81 of them starts. Upon graduating, Crawford was drafted 38th overall in 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 program ...

by the Rapids. Crawford surprised by earning a place on the team, and played extensively as a reserve defender, appearing in 16 games, 8 of them starts, and adding one assist. In 2004, Crawford cemented a starting role in the Rapids midfield, although he still played occasionally in defense. He played in all 30 Rapids games that year, starting 28, and adding one goal and four assists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Matt 1980 births Living people American men's soccer players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Colorado Rapids players Major League Soccer players Colorado Rapids draft picks Men's association football midfielders