Quavas Kirk (born April 13, 1988 in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

) 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 currently plays for Schwaben AC in the Metropolitan Soccer League, a USASA 6th-level league.

Career

Youth

Kirk did not play

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 ...

; he joined the U.S. U-17 Residency Program at the IMG Soccer Academy 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 ...

, before signing a

Generation adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract in 2005.

Professional

Kirk was drafted in the 3rd round (34th overall) of the

2005 MLS SuperDraft The 2005 MLS SuperDraft, held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 2005, was the sixth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Expansion club Real Salt Lake had the first pick as the result of a coin toss (fellow newcomers C.D. ...

by Los Angeles Galaxy. He made his MLS debut in 2006, and scored his first professional goal on August 1, 2006 in the

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 ...

in a 2-0 fourth-round win over Dallas Roma. Until the arrival of

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

, Kirk wore the number 23 shirt for the Galaxy. However, despite publicly announcing his desire to retain the jersey, he was handed the number 15 to accommodate Beckham, who prefers to wear number 7 or 23. (Beckham had chosen the number 23 because 7 was already taken when he was transferred to Real Madrid by Raul, and also because he admires

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

). On February 15, 2008, Kirk was traded to

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 Suppo ...

in exchange for the rights to

Greg Vanney Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and ...

He scored his first career league goal on August 23, 2008 in a 3-0 DC win over the Colorado Rapids. In January 2009, Kirk was waived by D.C. United. After a brief trial 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 ...

, Kirk signed with Minnesota Thunder on 17 February 2009. He made 15 league appearances for the Thunder in 2009, before being released from his contract as a result of Thunder's financial problems following the conclusion of the 2009

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

season. He was signed by the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

on December 7, 2009. Kirk trialled with the

, looking to secure a place on their roster prior to their first season 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 ...

in 2011, but suffered a hamstring injury in a pre-season game against Ventura County Fusion, and was not offered a contract by the team. Kirk subsequently signed with

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 ...

of the USL Pro league on March 25, 2011. He re-signed with Rochester in January 2012. After a couple seasons with Schwaben FC out of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Kirk played for amateur side Stare Byki FC out of Oak Brook, Illinois.

International

Kirk had been a standout in the United States' under-17 national team, scoring 22 goals in 53 games. He played in the 2005 U-17 World Championship, and was expected to play a key role for the U-20 national team in the

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the score ...

but picked up a pre-tournament injury and was excluded from the roster.

Coaching

Kirk is the Director of Private Training at Soccer Speed.https://www.linkedin.com/in/quavas-kirk-99904564

References

External links

Portland Timbers bioMinnesota Thunder bio

MLS player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Quavas 1988 births Living people American soccer players LA Galaxy players D.C. United players Minnesota Thunder players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Rochester New York FC players Sportspeople from Aurora, Illinois Major League Soccer players USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL Championship players United States men's youth international soccer players LA Galaxy draft picks Soccer players from Illinois Men's association football fullbacks