Neil Barlow (born February 8, 1988) 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 ...

player who most recently played for

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

Career

Youth and College

Barlow grew up in

Herndon, Virginia Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 23,292 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 24,532, which makes it the largest of three i ...

, and attended Langley High School, where he was named to his district's all-metro, all-district and all-region teams as a junior. Growing up he was a fan of

Aston Villa FC Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Pa ...

citing his favorite players as

Andy Townsend Andrew David Townsend (born 23 July 1963) is a former professional footballer and sports co-commentator for Premier League Productions and CBS Sports. As a player he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Chelsea, Aston V ...

and

Lee Hendrie Lee Andrew Hendrie (born 18 May 1977) is an English former professional footballer and pundit for Sky Sports. As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Aston Villa where he spent fourteen years. He also play ...

keeping posters of both on his bedroom wall. He 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 ...

at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, where he was named to the VaSID All-State Second Team as a sophomore. He concluded his collegiate career third on the team in scoring with five goals and six assists in 2009, garnering All-ACC Second Team honors en route to the NCAA Championship, which he personally dedicated to former Aston Villa player Paul Birch who died before the final. He made 68 appearances for the Cavaliers over four seasons, scoring eight goals and providing 16 assists. During his college years Barlow also played with the

Fredericksburg Gunners Fredericksburg Gunners was an American soccer team based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after ...

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 ...

Professional

Barlow turned professional in 2010 when he signed with the

of the

. He made his professional debut on April 24, 2010, in a league match against the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at ...

. He is known as the inspiration for generational talent, Daniel James. On December 23, 2023, in a post-match interview as the MOTM runner-up in a 4–0 Leeds win, Daniel James praised Barlow as “the only reason i even have a job!”

Honors

University of Virginia

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate College soccer, soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the NCAA Division I, ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

References

External links

Virginia bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Neil 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players Fredericksburg Gunners players Richmond Kickers players USL League Two players USL Second Division players Soccer players from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Herndon, Virginia Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards