Tor Saunders (born April 30, 1998) 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 plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for North Carolina FC in USL League One.

Career

Youth

Saunders attended

Glacier Peak High School Glacier Peak High School is a high school in Snohomish, Washington, United States, operated by the Snohomish School District. Glacier Peak was opened in 2008 to relieve overcrowding at Snohomish High School; the facility designed by NAC Archite ...

Snohomish, Washington Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Snohomish River, southeast of Everett and northwest of Monroe. Snohomish lies at the intersection of U.S. Rou ...

, also playing with the

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 ...

academy from 2013 to 2016. Prior to playing with the Sounders academy, Saunders was with Crossfire Premier.

College & amateur

In 2016, Saunders attended

Akron University The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

to play

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 ...

. In three seasons with the Zips, Saunders made 18 appearances. He also earned Academic All-MAC accolades in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, Saunders transferred to

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

, where he went on to make 15 appearances across the 2020–21 season. Saunders season with Coastal Carolina saw him earn All-Sun Belt honors along with the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year award, Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-American, Sun Belt Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player, and was named to the 2021 MAC

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...

watchlist. While at college, Saunders also played in the

USL League Two 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 ...

with

Seattle Sounders FC U-23 Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced int ...

in 2017, and South Georgia Tormenta 2 in 2019.

Professional

Nashville SC

On January 21, 2021, Saunders was selected 74th overall in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conference call and ...

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

. He officially signed with the

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 ...

team on June 17, 2021. Saunders was released by Nashville following the 2021 MLS season.

Indy Eleven

On March 4, 2022, Saunders signed with USL Championship club Indy Eleven. The same day he was loaned to USL League One's

Chattanooga Red Wolves Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in East Ridge, Tennessee. They are a founding member of USL League One, the third division of American soccer. The club was announced as a member of League One on A ...

for the 2022 season. He made his professional debut on April 2, 2022, starting in a 1–1 draw with Forward Madison. He was released by Indy Eleven on November 30, 2022, following the conclusion of the 2022 season.

North Carolina FC

Saunders signed with USL League One side North Carolina FC on January 19, 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Tor 1998 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers Akron Zips men's soccer players Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men's soccer players Chattanooga Red Wolves SC players Indy Eleven players Nashville SC draft picks Nashville SC players North Carolina FC players People from Snohomish, Washington Sportspeople from Snohomish County, Washington Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players Soccer players from Washington (state) Tormenta FC 2 players USL League One players USL League Two players