Taylor Eric Kemp (born July 23, 1990) is a former 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.
Career
College and Amateur
Kemp 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 Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
between 2009 and 2012.
Professional
Kemp was drafted 17th overall by
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 ...
in the
2013 MLS SuperDraft. Upon a trial with United, Kemp was offered a contract. Due to team depth and the unlikeliness of many first team minutes, Kemp was loaned to United's USL Pro-affiliated,
Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...
of the third tier. On April 6, 2013 in a match between Richmond and the
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...
, Kemp started and played 90 minutes. Ahead of the April 27 fixture against Columbus, D.C. United recalled Kemp from loan.
The beginning of the
2014 MLS season saw Kemp primarily making appearances from the United bench and in Richmond, until August, when he was inserted into the United starting lineup at left back due to an injury to
Chris Korb
Chris Korb (born October 8, 1987) is a former American soccer player who last played in 2017, for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.
Early life
Korb was born on October 8, 1987 in Ohio to Rozann and Kenneth Korb. His dad coached his first s ...
. From August on, Kemp locked down a starting position in the United lineup, creating two assists against the
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 ...
on August 7 and scoring a goal against 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 ...
on October 12.
In the 2015 season, Kemp started 25 of United's 34 regular season matches. He contributed 6 assists as well as 1 goal, a long-range volley that won the
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 of the Week award for Week 22.
During the
2018 season, Kemp struggled with injuries and didn't appear in any games.
On November 7, 2018, Kemp announced his retirement from playing professional soccer.
At the time of his retirement, he was one of the only 24 players in D.C. United history to reach a 100 game milestone.
In his career for D.C. United, he played 101 games, scored 3 goals, and contributed 14 assists.
International
On January 6, 2017 for the first time Kemp was called for the
United States national team by coach
Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution.
He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Arena has had ...
.
Honors
D.C. United
*
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 ...
:
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 ...
References
External links
*
Maryland player profile
1990 births
Living people
American soccer players
Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players
Real Colorado Foxes players
D.C. United players
Richmond Kickers players
Soccer players from Colorado
Sportspeople from the Denver metropolitan area
D.C. United draft picks
USL League Two players
USL Championship players
Major League Soccer players
United States men's youth international soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
People from Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Men's association football defenders
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