Servando Carrasco (born August 13, 1988) 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

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Career

Carrasco spent his childhood living in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, Mexico, and attended

St. Augustine High School The name St. Augustine High School could refer to: In the United States: * St. Augustine Academy (Lakewood, Ohio) * St. Augustine High School (Laredo, Texas) * St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), Louisiana * St. Augustine High School (San Di ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Until the age of 19, he played for his high school and San Diego Surf Soccer Club, one of the most competitive soccer clubs in California. During that time, he was recognized as Western League Player of the Year, CIF Player of the Year, and the San Diego Union-Tribune All-County Player of the Year. He also participated in the Olympic Development Program and the Premier Development Program.

College

In 2007, Carrasco accepted a scholarship at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. During his first year, Carrasco recorded seven points on two goals and three assists. He scored his second goal of the season against Washington in the opening minutes of the game; he added an insurance goal for Cal against San Diego increasing the Bears' lead to 2–0; and he earned several assists against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

and

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

. In 2008, Carrasco was named All-Pac-10 second team and Pac-10 All-Academic second-team. He started in all but one game and scored three goals for the year, tying him for second best on the team. He was one of two Cal players to have seven assists during the season, including one assist on the game-winning goal against

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

. In 2009, despite suffering an ankle injury that sidelined him for a number of games, Carrasco still earned a second straight All-Pac-10 second-team selection and a Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention. He had one goal. In 2010, Carrasco was senior co-captain of the Berkeley squad with good friend

A. J. Soares Anthony James "A.J." Soares (born November 28, 1988) is an American retired association football, soccer player who played as a center back for Orange County Blue Star, New England Revolution, Viking FK, Viking and Aarhus Gymnastikforening, AGF. ...

, a defender with

Viking FK Viking Fotballklubb, commonly known as Viking or Viking Stavanger internationally, is a Norwegian football club from the city of Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899. It is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian football, having won 8 ...

. He was named NSCAA Third Team Far West Region, First Team All-Pac-10, Third Team Pac-10 All American, and Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention. Carrasco scored seven goals and had three assists. Throughout his 4 years at UC Berkeley, he scored 13 goals.

Professional

On January 13, 2011, Carrasco was drafted in the second round (27th overall) of the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...

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 ...

. He signed with Seattle on March 2, 2011, and made his debut on March 19, in a game against the

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 ...

. Carrasco scored his first career goal for Seattle on June 8, 2013, on a penalty kick in a 3–2 win against

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

. Carrasco was traded to 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 ...

from Seattle in exchange for Adam Moffat on September 13, 2013. Carrasco was then traded from the Houston to

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

for the 30th pick in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Januar ...

. On July 20, 2015, Carrasco was traded to

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

in exchange for midfielder

Amobi Okugo Amobi Chidubem Okugo (born March 13, 1991) is an American soccer player who currently plays as a midfielder and defender for Austin Bold FC in the USL Championship. Career College Okugo grew up in Sacramento, California, attended Rio America ...

. On April 9, 2017, Carrasco scored his first goal for Orlando and second overall career goal when he headed home from a corner in a 1–0 win v New York Red Bulls. At the end of the 2017 season Carrasco entered the

2017 MLS Re-Entry Draft The 2017 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 15, 2017 (Stage 1) and December 21, 2017 (Stage 2). All 23 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The priority order for the MLS Re-Entry Draft was reverse order of finish in 201 ...

after Orlando City declined his contract option. On December 21, 2017, he was selected by

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 ...

in Stage Two of the draft. He signed with the club on January 11, 2018. After his contract was declined at the end of the 2019 season, Carrasco signed with

Fort Lauderdale CF Inter Miami Club de Fútbol II, commonly known as Inter Miami CF II, is an American professional soccer club based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that plays in the MLS Next Pro, the third-tier of American soccer. The club was established on Feb ...

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

Personal life

While born in the United States, Carrasco spent most of his early childhood growing up in the nearby Mexican city of

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

. When he was seven, his family moved back to the United States. His mother, Gloria, is a two-time survivor of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. On December 31, 2014, Carrasco married

Alex Morgan Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of ...

, a professional soccer player for the United States Women's National Team. The couple's first child, Charlie Elena Carrasco, was born on May 7, 2020.

Career statistics

References

External links

*
Cal Golden Bears bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrasco, Servando 1988 births Living people American soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Men's association football midfielders California Golden Bears men's soccer players Houston Dynamo FC players LA Galaxy players Inter Miami CF II players Major League Soccer players Orlando City SC players Seattle Sounders FC draft picks Seattle Sounders FC players Soccer players from San Diego Sporting Kansas City players