Ross Schunk (born April 28, 1986 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

) 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 last played for

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

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 ...

Career

College and Amateur

Schunk attended Woodrow Wilson High School, where he acquired his skills under the training of Don Juan Mercado. At a young age, Ross was known for his outstanding crossbar and soccer-tennis skills. Although widely speculated, it's known by many living in southwest Portland, Schunk developed his skills from the founding members of Gabe Academy (Don Juan Mercado and Shiloh were two of the founding fathers, among others). Ross would spend summers in

Gabriel Park Gabriel Park is a public park in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features a baseball field, softball field, soccer field, basketball courts, tennis courts, skatepark, volleyball courts, disabled access play area, disabled access restrooms ...

getting hustled by Shiloh. Many credit this with his playful spirit and love for the game, because the games were always just that: fun. No collecting ever took place. 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 Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

from 2005 to 2008. He led his team in goals, assists and points in his junior year in 2007, and was named to the All-Far West Third-Team, the All-West First-Team, the All-SCIAC First Team, and was a Second-Team All-American. He finished his college career as a two-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and with 126 points, making him Redlands' all-time career points leader. Schunk also played for 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 ...

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 ...

where he was a prolific goalscorer, netting 15 times in 27 games during his two years with the team.

Professional

Schunk was the only NCAA Division III player invited to the 2009 MLS combine; he was drafted in the fourth round (47th overall) of the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft wa ...

, and signed a professional contract on March 13, 2009. He made his professional debut on April 7, 2009, 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 ...

against

Los Angeles 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 play ...

. He made his MLS debut on June 6, 2009, as a late substitute in a game against

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...

. Schunk was also briefly sent on loan to

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 ( ...

club

Real Maryland Monarchs Real Maryland F.C., commonly known as the Real Maryland Monarchs, was an American soccer team based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the Americ ...

in May 2009. Schunk was waived by Colorado on 24 November 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schunk, Ross 1986 births Living people Soccer players from Portland, Oregon American soccer players Colorado Rapids players USL League Two players LA Laguna FC players Major League Soccer players Real Maryland F.C. players USL Second Division players Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School alumni Colorado Rapids draft picks University of Redlands alumni Association football forwards