Shavar Thomas (born 29 January 1981 in Hannah Town) is a retired Jamaican

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

and current assistant coach of FC Cincinnati 2 of

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS club ...

Career

Amateur and college

Thomas played as a youth for Hazard United in Jamaica and at

The Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational University-preparatory school#North America, preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It i ...

Lakeville, Connecticut Lakeville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, close to Dutchess County, New York. It is within the town of Salisbury, but has its own ZIP Code (06039). As of the 2010 census, the population of Lak ...

. 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 Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

. He played two seasons, 2001 and 2002, and was named an

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than 30 ...

second team All-American his second year.

Professional

After that year, Thomas entered the

2003 MLS SuperDraft The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer. Player selection Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 program ...

, where he was selected 10th overall by

Dallas Burn Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. Thomas struggled in his first year, often appearing raw, but finished the season with 14 starts and 1252 minutes for the Burn. In the offseason, Thomas was traded to

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

in exchange for

Eric Quill Eric Quill (born February 28, 1978 in Missouri City, Texas) is an American soccer coach and former player. Career College An outstanding youth soccer player, Quill was offered a contract by Ajax Amsterdam as a teenager, but declined the oppor ...

and

Carey Talley Carey Talley (born August 26, 1976) is a former American soccer player. Career College Talley played high school soccer for Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. His team won the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association soccer ...

. In his second year, Thomas established himself as a solid defender, playing center back for one of the league's best defensive teams. He finished the season with 1880 minutes in 22 starts. Thomas continued as a starter in 2005 and 2006. On 23 March 2007, Thomas was traded to

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 ...

for a conditional second-round draft pick. On 3 May 2007, he was traded to

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. Guada ...

for a second-round pick in 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 ...

. Thomas was selected by

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft on 25 November 2009. He was traded to his former club

on 30 June 2010 in exchange for two

MLS SuperDraft The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the le ...

picks and allocation money. Thomas remained with Kansas City through the 2011 season. At season's end, the club declined his 2012 contract option and he entered the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Thomas was not selected in the draft and became a free agent. Thomas signed with new MLS franchise Montreal Impact on 20 January 2012. On 2 November 2012 Montreal announced that Thomas would not be returning to the club in 2013. He entered the

2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 7, 2012 (Stage 1) and December 14, 2012 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the t ...

and became a free agent after going undrafted in both rounds of the draft. In 2013, Thomas was invited 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 Supp ...

's training camp as a trialist, but wasn't offered a contract. It was announced on 11 March 2013 that Thomas signed with the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

for the NASL's Spring season. After leaving Fort Lauderdale, Thomas went on trial with Brunei DPMM of the

S.League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which re ...

in November 2013.

International

Thomas appeared for the Jamaican U-20's in the

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between 17 June and 8 July 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar de ...

in Argentina and looked poised to break into a major role with the Jamaica national team, while captaining the 2004 Olympic squad. He currently has 49 caps, and has represented the team at every level. He captained the Jamaica national team to the 2010 Caribbean Championship in Martinique.

Management

Portmore United

In August 2017, Thomas was named coach of

Portmore United F.C. Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican football team in the top flight National Premier League, Jamaica National Premier League. The team trains and plays home matches at the Prison Oval. History Hazard United The club was formed as ''Haz ...

of the

Red Stripe Premier League The Jamaica Premier League (formerly the National Premier League), commonly abbreviated as JPL and officially known as the J. Wray and Nephew Ltd., Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is sanctioned by the Jamaican Footb ...

. Thomas's first season leading Portmore was a great success finishing first in the table, 15 points clear of second place Arnett Gardens. After two successive runners-up finishes in prior seasons, Thomas's Portmore won the final, beating Waterhouse F.C. in penalties, earning the club's sixth title overall, and first since 2012. Thomas's Portmore saw continued success during the 2018–19 season, finishing top of the table and winning the final for the club's seventh title and Thomas's second. The 2017-18 title earned Portmore qualification to the 2019 Caribbean Club Championship. Going undefeated through the tournament, Thomas's Portmore secured the 2019 Caribbean Club Championship, earning the club's second title from the competition, and first since 2005.

Turks and Caicos

Thomas left Portmore at the conclusion of the 2019 season of competition to join coaching staff in

Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association is the governing body of football in the Turks and Caicos Islands. They control the Turks and Caicos Islands national football team, the MFL League men's league, the Turks and Caicos FA Cup and the ...

FC Cincinnati 2

In 2022, Thomas joined FC Cincinnati 2 as an assistant coach.

Achievements

Club

CD Chivas USA

MLS Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1 ...

**Runners-up (1): 2007 *

MLS Western Conference The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference. As of 2023, the Western Conference contains fourteen teams. The conference has produced eleven Supporters' Shield champions and seve ...

**Winners (Regular Season) (1): 2007

Kansas City Wizards/Sporting KC

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

(1):

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

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 ...

Western Conference Championship (1):

Jamaica

Caribbean Cup The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...

Winner (2):

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Managerial

Portmore United

National Premier League The National Premier League, also known for sponsorship purposes as the Red Stripe Premier League, is sanctioned by the Jamaican Football Federation as the top division for men's association football in Jamaica. Contested between 12 clubs, it op ...

Winner (2): 2017–18, 2018–19 *

Caribbean Club Championship The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). T ...

Winner (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Shavar 1981 births Living people Hotchkiss School alumni University of Connecticut alumni Association football defenders Jamaica youth international footballers Jamaica international footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Portmore United F.C. players Jamaican footballers FC Dallas players Sporting Kansas City players LA Galaxy players Chivas USA players Philadelphia Union players CF Montréal players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica UConn Huskies men's soccer players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players FC Dallas draft picks