Robert Tyrel "Ty" Harden (born March 6, 1984) is an American soccer player who last played for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.

Career

Collegiate

Harden was a regular for four years at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

, playing every match of his first two seasons before a minor injury in his junior year. He was named team captain as a junior and senior. Before that, he was Oregon's class 3A Player of the Year twice as a junior and senior. He is the only soccer player to have his jersey retired at his high school. He won four youth state championships with FC Portland Blue being coached by Jim Rilat and Jim Brazo, the club was run by the late Clive Charles.

Professional

Harden was selected by

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 pla ...

in the second round of the

2007 MLS SuperDraft The 2007 MLS SuperDraft was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 12, 2007. It was the eighth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection belonged to expansion team Toronto FC. The SuperDraft was followed by the 2007 MLS Suppl ...

, 23rd overall. He made his MLS debut on April 8, 2007, starting in central defense against the Houston Dynamo in a 0-0 tie. In February 2008, Harden announced his retirement after only one season as a professional soccer player, deciding instead to work for a charitable organization and to finish college at the University of Washington Despite retiring in 2008, his rights were transferred to

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, lat ...

on January 13, 2009. In return the Galaxy received a third-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 w ...

. Following the draft, it was announced that Harden would be returning to MLS to play for the Rapids. Harden was traded on February 10, 2010 to

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

for a third-round draft pick in 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 ...

. Shortly after the trade he was joined in Toronto by teammate Nick LaBrocca. Harden suffered a deep gash to his shin that required 22 stitches after a collision while scoring from a corner on April 28, 2010 against rivals Montreal Impact in the first game of the

2010 Canadian Championship The 2010 Canadian Championship (officially the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver ...

. Harden was released by Toronto on November 15, 2012. He chose to participate in 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 was selected in stage two by San Jose Earthquakes. He signed with the Earthquakes on January 25, 2013. On June 26th, 2015, Harden was traded to Chicago Fire in exchange for Quincy Amarikwa. On November 30, 2015 Chicago Fire declined his contract option.

Honors

Toronto FC

* Canadian Championship (3): 2010, 2011,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harden, Ty 1984 births Living people American soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American expatriate soccer players LA Galaxy players Colorado Rapids players Rochester New York FC players Toronto FC players San Jose Earthquakes players Chicago Fire FC players Major League Soccer players LA Galaxy draft picks Soccer players from Oregon University of Washington alumni USL First Division players Washington Huskies men's soccer players Expatriate soccer players in Canada People from Junction City, Oregon Association football defenders