Robert James "R. J." Allen (born April 17, 1990) is an American former professional soccer player. Predominantly a right-sided defender, Allen is the older brother of soccer player Brandon Allen.

Career

High school

Allen attended St. Joseph High School in

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...

, between 2004 and 2008, where he played soccer all four years.

College and amateur

Allen played four years of

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 K ...

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...

between 2008 and 2011. While at college, Allen appeared for

USL PDL 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 ...

side

Central Jersey Spartans Central Jersey Spartans was an American soccer team based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2009, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlan ...

in 2010 and 2011.

Professional

On January 17, 2012, Allen was selected 5th overall in the

2012 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft was a secondary Draft (sports), draft that was held by Major League Soccer via conference call on January 17, 2012. The draft was four rounds and all 19 MLS clubs participated. Changes from 2011 *As an expansion c ...

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

. Allen didn't sign with Chivas USA, instead later signing with Danish side

Skive IK Skive Idræts Klub, commonly known as Skive IK, SIK (especially locally) or simply Skive, is a Danish professional Football team, football club based in Skive, Denmark, Skive, Central Denmark Region. Founded in 1901, the club is affiliated with ...

in February 2013. Allen returned to the United States and had trials with D.C United, Orlando City,

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

, and the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

ahead of the 2015 MLS season. During this time, Allen was contacted by

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

to train with

David Villa David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. ...

before the beginning of the season, which he did with future Red Bull

Mike Grella Michele Grella (born January 23, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and winger, who is currently a soccer analyst for CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Club career Youth and amateur Grella was born i ...

. Allen was not offered a professional contract prior to the 2015 season, taking a job as a youth soccer coach on Staten Island instead.

New York City FC

After a slow start to their inaugural season,

offered Allen a contract on May 2, 2015. Allen made his NYCFC debut the following day as a substitute in a 3–1 loss to the

Seattle Sounders 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 ...

. Allen got his first start the following week in the first

Hudson River Derby The Hudson River Derby, also known as the New York derby, is the name given to the soccer local derby between the two teams based in the New York metropolitan area, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. First played in 2015, the rivalry betwe ...

against the

, during which he assisted

Patrick Mullins Patrick Michael Mullins (born February 5, 1992) is an American retired soccer player. A left-footed forward, he was a two-time winner of the Hermann Trophy as the top men's college soccer player and was the leading scorer in NCAA Division I s ...

on the team's only goal in a 2–1 loss. Allen made 13 starts in 14 appearances during the 2015 season, drifting in and out of favor under manager Jason Kries, who was fired on November 2, 2015 after a disappointing season. Under new manager

Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...

, Allen solidified himself as the first choice right or left back. On April 27, 2016, Allen scored his first

MLS 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 ...

goal in a 1–1 tie against the Montreal Impact. During a match on May 15, 2016, against the Portland Timbers, Allen set up the first goal by playing a 50-yard through ball to striker

. This pass by Allen has been called the one of the 'greatest assists in NYCFC history' by some reporters. Allen recorded his second assist of the season on 29 May against Orlando City, in a performance that would earn him MLS team of the week honors. RJ finished the season with 6 assists. This was the joint highest total in the league for a defender.

Orlando City

In December 2017, Allen was traded by NYCFC to Orlando City SC in exchange for a third-round pick 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 bet ...

, reuniting him with manager Jason Kreis. After one season in Orlando which also saw the departure of Kreis, Allen was waived by the team on February 6, 2019.

FC Motown

In April 2019, Allen joined

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

side

FC Motown FC Motown is an American soccer club based in Morristown, New Jersey. Founded in 2012, the team currently plays in both the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two. In 2020, the team joined the newly formed Northeast Elite Soccer ...

ahead of the 2019 season. He made six appearances for the team, including starting in a First Round loss to

New York Red Bulls U-23 The New York Red Bulls U-23 is an American soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. It is part of the official Dev ...

in the

2019 U.S. Open Cup The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States, and was contested by 84 teams from leagues in the U.S. syst ...

. He left the team at the end of the regular season.

Philadelphia Union

In July 2019, Allen rejoined the American top flight and signed with Philadelphia Union competing in

. Allen was released by Philadelphia at the end of the season due to injury was unable to regain his form and soon retired from the MLS.

Career statistics

Honors

; New York City:

Team of the Week: * 2015: Week 30 * 2016: Week 13 FIFA Team of the Week: * FIFA 2016: Week 42 NYCFC Player of the Month: * 2016: May

Endorsements

In 2017, Allen became an ambassador for Concave football boot, and always plays with the Concave Aura+ cleats.

References

External links

* *
Concave Soccer Cleats
*https://instagram.com/rj_allen27 {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, R. J. 1990 births Living people People from Old Bridge Township, New Jersey St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey) alumni Sportspeople from Middlesex County, New Jersey Monmouth Hawks men's soccer players Central Jersey Spartans players Skive IK players New York City FC players Orlando City SC players Philadelphia Union players Men's association football defenders Soccer players from New Jersey Chivas USA draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players National Premier Soccer League players American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark American men's soccer players