Michael Nelson (born February 10, 1995) 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

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

FC Tulsa FC Tulsa is an American professional soccer team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma which competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. History The club was founded as Tulsa Roughnecks FC by Jeff and Dale Hubbard, bro ...

in the

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 ...

Career

College & Youth

Nelson attended and played soccer at

Seven Lakes High School Seven Lakes High School (SLHS) is a public senior high school located in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, inside the Cinco Ranch area south of the city of Katy. Many communities such as Seven Meadows, Grand Lakes, and Cinco Ranch are zoned ...

Katy, Texas Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city of ...

. He helped them win a district championship and was named first team all-state. He also helped his youth club, Albion Hurricanes FC, win 2 state championships. Nelson played

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 ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

between 2014 and 2017, including spending a year as a redshirt in 2013. While with the ''Mustangs'', Nelson made 76 appearances and contributed 27 shutouts. He was named

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2017 and was first team all-conference in 2014, 2015, and 2017 During his time in college, Nelson also spent time with

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

side OKC Energy U23 during their 2016 season.

Professional

Nelson was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, in the

2018 MLS SuperDraft The 2018 MLS SuperDraft was the nineteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. As customary, the SuperDraft was held in conjunction with the annual United Soccer Coaches convention. The 2018 UCS was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania be ...

by the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

on January 19, 2018. Nelson signed with Houston on February 20, 2018. He spent the 2018 season on loan with the Dynamo

USL 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, p ...

affiliate

Rio Grande Valley FC Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The team served as a ...

. On June 23, 2018 he made his Toros debut and kept a clean sheet against Phoenix Rising. On the season, Nelson made 7 appearances and kept 3 clean sheets. Nelson spent most of 2019 with the Toros again, making 8 appearances and keeping 1 clean sheet. However, he did make his Dynamo debut on June 18 in a 3–2 defeat to

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

in the

US 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 ...

. In 2020, Nelson stayed with the first team for the whole season, but he failed to appear in any games. He did make the match day squad on 3 occasions. On August 28, 2021, with starting goalkeeper Marko Marić out with a leg injury, Nelson made his MLS debut in a 2–1 loss to Minnesota United. The game was the first of 10 consecutive starts for Nelson. He was named to the MLS Team of the Week for his performance on September 15 in a 1–1 draw with the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

. After Marić returned from injury, Nelson started one of the final 3 games of the season. Nelson ended the season with 11 appearances and 2 clean sheets. It was a disappointing season for the Dynamo, as Houston missed out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after they finished bottom of the Western Conference for the second straight year. Nelson made 5 first team appearances during the 2022 season, 2 in the league and 3 in the Open Cup. He also made 5 appearances for

Houston Dynamo 2 Houston Dynamo 2 is an American professional soccer team that is located in Houston, Texas. It is the reserve team of Houston Dynamo FC and participates in MLS Next Pro. History On December 6, 2021, Houston Dynamo FC were named as one of 21 c ...

. On February 16, 2023, Nelson was waived by the Dynamo. He subsequently signed with

side

on March 3, 2023.

Honors

Houston Dynamo *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Career Statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Michael 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Katy, Texas Soccer players from Texas American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers FC Tulsa players Houston Dynamo FC draft picks Houston Dynamo FC players Houston Dynamo 2 players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players OKC Energy FC players Rio Grande Valley FC Toros players SMU Mustangs men's soccer players USL Championship players USL League Two players