Tan Long (; born April 1, 1988), former name Tan Xin (), is a Chinese professional footballer who currently plays for

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

club

Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Changchun, Jilin and their home stadi ...

Club career

Tan started playing football when he was six. Between 1994 and 2004, he studied academics and played football at the Zhongshan School in his hometown Dalian before moving to Shanghai to further his career. He subsequently played for

Shanghai United Shanghai United F.C (Simplified Chinese: 上海联城足球俱乐部) was a Chinese professional Association football, football club based in Shanghai, who last played in the 16,000 seater Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium in the Chinese Super Leagu ...

's youth team before joining second tier club Pudong Zobon in 2008 in the

China League One The Chinese Football Association China League (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (中甲联赛), is the second level of professional football in China. Above League One is the Chinese Super League. Prior to the formation of ...

division. He made his senior debut and scored his first professional goal on April 29, 2007, in a 2–1 home defeat to

Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing Institute of Technology (abbreviated BIT; Simplified Chinese characters, Simplified Chinese: 北京理工大学; Traditional Chinese characters, Traditional Chinese: 北京理工大學; pinyin: Běijīng Lǐgōng Dàxué), is a National u ...

. Tan relocated to the United States in late 2008, and played for the

Atlanta Blackhawks Atlanta Blackhawks was an American soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia, 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 Southeast Division of the ...

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 ...

in 2009, scoring 7 goals in 12 appearances. He attended open tryouts for MLS’s

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 ...

, but did not get called back after the first round of workouts, and eventually signed with

FC Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

of the new

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...

in January 2010. Tan's rights were traded to

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 ...

as part of the deal taking

Jonny Steele Jonathan Steele (born 7 February 1986) is a Northern Irish professional footballer. He has also received three caps for the Northern Ireland national team. Early life Steele was raised in a Catholic family along with three brothers in the pre ...

and Ricardo Sánchez to Tampa Bay on July 20, 2010. He went on trial with the club in November 2010 in view of signing with the club following their move up to

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 ...

. Tan signed a contract with the club on March 11, 2011. He made his debut for the club on March 26, 2011 in a 1–0 loss to

, and in doing so became the first Chinese-born player to play for a Major League Soccer club. On October 12, 2011, Tan become the first Chinese-born player to score a goal in the league, against

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 ...

. Whitecaps FC traded Tan to D.C. United on June 28, 2012 in exchange for a third-round

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 ...

pick. He scored his first goal against the Chicago Fire in a 4–2 win for D.C. United. Tan was later released after the end of the season. Tan then signed with

USL Professional Division The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club Orlando City on February 6, 2013. On April 6, 2013, Tan scored a goal and assisted on another during his debut for Orlando in a 3–1 victory over

Phoenix FC Phoenix FC was an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix. The team was a member of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team's colors were red and white. History On June 18, 2012, BDR Spo ...

. In the fourth round of the

2013 U.S. Open Cup The 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 100th edition of the oldest ongoing competition in American soccer. Qualification began in November 2012 in the fifth tier, although the United States Soccer Federation did not announce the format until Ma ...

, he scored in the second minute in a 1–0 victory against defending champions

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 ...

to bring his club to the next round. His contract was not renewed at the end of the 2013 season and he was released. On February 21, 2014, Tan returned to China and joined

newcomer

Harbin Yiteng Shaoxing Keqiao Yuejia Football Club () is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the China League Two division under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Shaoxing, Zhejiang and their home s ...

. He received a ban of four matches at the beginning of 2014 season when he was registered at the

Chinese Football Association The Chinese Football Association (CFA) is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams and administers the country's ...

for age falsification which he changed his age from April 1, 1988 to February 2, 1989. Tan played seven matches for Harbin before he was released by the club on July 5, 2014. Tan returned to the United States and signed with

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club

Arizona United SC Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. History On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of an adver ...

on July 11, 2014. In only 12 league appearances for Arizona, Tan scored five goals, tying with

Jonathan Top Jonathan Top (born January 26, 1993) is an American former soccer player. Early life Top is the son of a Mexican mother and a Guatemalan father. He has three siblings: two sisters and one brother. Top attended North Side High School in Fort Wor ...

as the team's leading scorer and led the team with 32 shots. After signing Tan, Arizona nearly doubled its goals-per-game average, going from 0.88 to 1.58. Tan was named to the All-League Second Team for his efforts. On October 21, 2014, it was announced that Tan had signed a multi-year contract for the club before the

2015 USL season The 2015 USL season was the fifth season of the United Soccer League (USL) and the first under its new name (previously the league was called USL Pro). This season represented a substantial expansion from 14 teams in 2014 to 24 teams in 2015, and ...

. He again led United with 14 goals in 27 games and was tied for fourth in league play along with Luke Vercollone of

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. He also was selected for the All-League First Team. Tan was loaned to the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

after the end of the USL season on September 22, 2015. Tan played for Arizona United in 2016. On January 22, 2017, Tan transferred to Chinese Super League side

. He made his debut for Changchun on March 4, 2017, in a 5–1 away defeat against

Shanghai SIPG Shanghai Port FC (), previously named Shanghai SIPG, is a professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Pudong, Shanghai, and their home sta ...

, coming on as a substitute for

Zhou Dadi Zhou Dadi (; born 18 February 1996 in Lankao) is a Chinese professional footballer who currently plays for China League One club Sichuan Jiuniu. Club career Zhou Dadi joined Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai's youth academy in 2006. He ...

in the half time. His first goal in the Chinese Super League came in a 1–0 win against

Henan Jianye Henan Songshan Longmen Football Club (), previously known as Henan Jianye Football Club (), is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team ...

on April 23, 2017, when he scored the winning goal as Changchun Yatai secured their first win of the season.

International career

Tan made his debut for Chinese national team on March 26, 2018 in a 4–1 loss against

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in the third place match of

2018 China Cup The 2018 Gree China Cup International Football Championship (Chinese: 2018年格力中国杯国际足球锦标赛) was the second edition of the China Cup, an international football tournament held in China annually. It was played from 22 to 26 Mar ...

. On 12 June 2021, Tan scored his first international goal in a 5-0 win over

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

in the

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers". was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Parallel tour ...

Career statistics

Club

''Statistics accurate as of match played 4 January 2022.''谭龙
at sodasoccer.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018

International

Honors

Club

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 ...

*USL Pro Championship:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

*USL All-League Second Team:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

*USL All-League First Team:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Long 1988 births Living people Chinese expatriate footballers China international footballers Chinese footballers Footballers from Dalian Pudong Zobon players Atlanta Blackhawks players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players D.C. United players Richmond Kickers players Orlando City SC (2010–2014) players Zhejiang Yiteng F.C. players Changchun Yatai F.C. players Chinese Super League players China League One players Phoenix Rising FC players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players North American Soccer League players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Association football forwards