Michael Farfán Stopani (born June 23, 1988) is an American former

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.

Career

Youth and College

Played youth club soccer in Southern California where he captured numerous team titles, including the 2002 national championship. He also played in the Youth World Championships in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 2000 representing a Mexican youth national team. Farfan played for Castle Park High School in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh largest city in Southern California, the List of largest California cities by population, fifteenth largest city ...

where he won All-CIF honors as an underclassman. He later played for Edison Academic Center in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

while training for the United States U-17 team. As a member of the U-17 team, Farfan played in the 2005 Youth World Cup. After a two-year residency on the United States U-17 team, he enrolled at Fullerton State in the Spring of 2006. Farfan enrolled in the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in January 2009. He scored five goals with the

Tar Heels Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans. The origins of the Tar Heel nickname trace back to North Carolina's promi ...

, with three coming in the first four games, and had four assists. While at North Carolina, he was named NSCAA First Team All-America and All-ACC First Team. During his college years Farfan also played extensively in the

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 ...

, for

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Weste ...

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the ...

, the

Los Angeles Legends LA Laguna FC was an American soccer team based in the Los Angeles area, United States. Founded in 2010, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL) (now USL League Two), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Sou ...

, and the

Ogden Outlaws Ogden Outlaws is an American soccer team based in Ogden, Utah, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western ...

Professional

On January 13, 2011, Farfan was drafted in the second round (23rd overall) in the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...

by the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

. He made his professional debut on April 6, 2011 in a

Lamar Hunt 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 against

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 ...

and scored his first professional goal – a 25-yard drive from outside the box – on May 21, 2011 in a 2–1 win over Chicago Fire. He was part of the MLS Team of Week 10 for this performance. After three seasons in Philadelphia, Farfan was sold to

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

ahead of the 2014 Clasura. He scored in his debut with Cruz Azul against Pachuca. Farfan was released by Cruz Azul just 6-months into his 3-year deal. Farfan was signed by

on February 10, 2015. Farfan signed with

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

on January 20, 2016. On February 24, 2017, Farfan announced his retirement via

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Career statistics

Club

Updated March 13, 2015

Personal

Michael's brother,

Gabriel Farfán Gabriel Farfán Stopani (born June 23, 1988, in San Diego, California) is an American former soccer player who played for Clubs such as Club America, Philadelphia Union, Chivas USA, Chiapas F.C. and New York Cosmos. Career Youth and College P ...

, was also a professional soccer player for before retiring in 2018.

Honors

Club

;Cruz Azul *

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

(1): 2013–14

Individual

* Major League Soccer All-Star Team:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

References

External links

*
UNC bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farfan, Michael 1988 births Living people American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Cal State Fullerton Titans men's soccer players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Orange County Blue Star players Ventura County Fusion players LA Laguna FC players Ogden Outlaws players Philadelphia Union players Cruz Azul footballers D.C. United players Seattle Sounders FC players Tacoma Defiance players Soccer players from San Diego Expatriate footballers in Mexico USL League Two players Major League Soccer All-Stars Major League Soccer players Liga MX players USL Championship players Twin sportspeople Philadelphia Union draft picks Sportspeople from Chula Vista, California United States men's youth international soccer players All-American men's college soccer players Association football midfielders