Alan Gordon (born October 16, 1981) is an American former professional

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. In the majority of his career, Gordon was mostly relied upon to make goals in games being substituted on the field.

Youth and college career

Gordon moved to

Gilbert, Arizona Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located southeast of Phoenix within the city's metropolitan area. Incorporated on July 6, 1920, Gilbert was once known as the "Hay Shipping Capital of the World". It is the fifth-lar ...

in his mid-teens, and played two years of

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 Ki ...

for Yavapai College, where he scored 39 goals in his two seasons, before a transfer to

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering ...

, where he won All-Pac-10 honors twice and scored 11 goals as a junior and 15 as a senior. Gordon scored 40 goals and 7 assists for the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for ...

, setting several program records.

Club career

2004–2010

Upon graduating, Gordon was drafted 53rd overall in the

2004 MLS SuperDraft The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in Am ...

's sixth round 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 ...

, but was not signed by the team. He signed with the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...

of the

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

and had a successful season, ending the regular season with 17 goals in 27 matches to tie

Dante Washington Dante Deneen Washington (born November 21, 1970, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American former soccer player who played as a striker. Washington played college soccer at Radford University, and was named a first team All-American in 1991. He i ...

for the league lead. Gordon was named the A-League Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the MVP Award, having helped Portland to a first-place finish in the regular season. He was loaned back to the Galaxy, where he occupied a developmental roster slot, and made his MLS debut on September 25, 2004, as a substitute for Carlos Ruiz. Gordon earned a spot in the starting lineup for 2005, but only played in five matches due to reoccurring injuries, including a strained hip and groin early in the season. He returned to the starting lineup during the 2006 season and scored his first MLS goal on August 26 against D.C. United. Gordon then scored twice the following week in a home match against the

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 a ...

and ended the season with four goals in league play. He scored three goals in the Galaxy's 2007 SuperLiga campaign, which ended with a second-place finish. During a friendly with Chelsea, Gordon was substituted for

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...

's debut with the Galaxy. For much of the 2007 season, he was a third-string forward and also coached a girls youth team to supplement his MLS salary. On April 26, 2008, Gordon scored two goals off the bench in the Galaxy's 5–2 victory over rivals

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. G ...

. He finished 2008 with a career year. He scored five goals and seven assists, even though he was not a full-time starter.

2010–2018

In August 2010, he was traded to neighboring Chivas USA for allocation money just one match short of his 100 league appearances with the Galaxy, during which time he notched 16 goals. Following the 2010 season, he was selected by

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 March ...

in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft, but was immediately traded back to Chivas USA, along with

Alejandro Moreno Alejandro Enrique Moreno Riera (born July 8, 1979) is a Venezuelan former footballer who played as a forward, and who is currently a television commentator for ESPN FC, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America. Moreno won three MLS Cups during hi ...

, for allocation money and an international roster spot. He was traded 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 ...

ahead of the 2011 season in exchange for

Nick LaBrocca Nick LaBrocca (born December 4, 1984) is a former American soccer player. Career Youth and college LaBrocca played high school soccer at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey before going on to having a three time All-Big East ca ...

. Gordon made his debut for Toronto on March 26 in a 2–0 home victory against

with both goals coming from

Javier Martina Javier Sylvester Martina (born 1 February 1987) is a Curaçaoan-Dutch footballer who plays as a winger for A.V.V. Zeeburgia in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, and for the Curaçao national team. Club career Netherlands Born in Willemstad, Netherla ...

. On April 2 Gordon scored his first goal for Toronto in a 1–1 tie against his former team Chivas. Gordon had a memorable return to The Home Depot Center on June 11 when he scored two goals against The Galaxy in a 2–2 thriller which saw two goals scored in injury time of the second half. Following Toronto's designated player signing of

Danny Koevermans Danny Koevermans (born 1 November 1978) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Early career Born in Schiedam, Koevermans began his career with the amateurs of Excelsior'20, then went to Sparta Rotterdam ...

, Gordon became a dispensable asset and was traded along with Jacob Peterson and

Nana Attakora Clement "Nana" Attakora-Gyan (born March 27, 1989), known as Nana Attakora and later Clement Attakora, is a Canadian former soccer player and coach, formerly a player and later assistant manager and director of player personnel of Oakland Roots. ...

to the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

for Ryan Johnson, allocation money, and an international roster spot in July 2011. Gordon signed a new contract with San Jose in January 2012 and reunited with former Galaxy head coach

Frank Yallop Frank Walter Yallop (born 4 April 1964) is a British-Canadian professional soccer coach. Yallop is currently the head coach and sporting director of USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC. He played 13 years in England for Ipswich, including th ...

. Alan Gordon had a career best of 13 goals in 23 appearances with the Earthquakes that year, primarily as a late substitute alongside

Chris Wondolowski Christopher Elliott "Chris" Wondolowski (born January 28, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Nicknamed Wondo, he scored 171 career goals, the most in Major League Soccer history, and he was MLS's ...

and

Steven Lenhart Steven Lenhart (born August 28, 1986) is a former American soccer player. Career College and amateur Lenhart grew up in Yorba Linda, California, and attended Esperanza High School. He attended Point Loma Nazarene University for one year befor ...

. In April 2013, during a match with the Portland Timbers, Gordon was caught on camera using the word "faggot" in reference to Portland midfielder Will Johnson. Gordon was suspended for three matches following the incident, in addition to the one-match ban he received for drawing a red card in the 78th minute of the same match. Gordon returned once again to Los Angeles when San Jose traded him to the Galaxy in August 2014 in exchange for allocation money. Gordon ended the season scoring five goals, four of them from off the bench. Prior to the 2017 MLS season, Gordon announced that he would join 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, lat ...

on a free agent deal. On March 16, 2018, Gordon joined MLS side Chicago Fire. On October 28, 2018, Gordon announced that he would retire from playing professional soccer after their final game of the season against D.C. United.

International career

Gordon earned his first call-up to the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

in August 2012 in advance of a friendly match against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. Gordon was again called up in October 2012 to prepare for the final two matches in the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his first international appearance on October 12, 2012, as a substitute against

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two majo ...

, where he provided a critical assist to Eddie Johnson, who scored a 90th minute game-winning goal. He was called into the squad for the 2013 Gold Cup, after the US advanced to the knockout stages. He did not play, however, as the US won the tournament. He was also called into the squad for the

2015 Gold Cup The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 23rd CONCACAF regional championship overall in the organization's fifty-four years of existence. It was held in the United States, with two matches bei ...

, after the US advanced to the knockout rounds, replacing Jozy Altidore, who was still trying to recover from an injury. He came on as a late substitute for Aron Johannsson in the US's 2–1 loss the Jamaica in the semifinals but failed to make an impact.

Career statistics

* CCL play for 2013 San Jose has matches played in 2014 but was still the 2013 edition of the tourney

Honors

Team

;Portland Timbers *

The Commissioner's Cup (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 ...

;Los Angeles Galaxy *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

(2):

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

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 wa ...

US 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. Op ...

(1):

;Toronto FC *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...

(1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

;San Jose Earthquakes *

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):

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 ...

Individual

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 Cana ...

Player of the Week (1):

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 fa ...

Rookie of the Year:

Top Scorer (1):

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Alan 1981 births Living people 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Association football forwards Chicago Fire FC players Chivas USA players Colorado Rapids players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Expatriate soccer players in Canada LA Galaxy draft picks LA Galaxy players Major League Soccer players Oregon State Beavers men's soccer players People from Gilbert, Arizona Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players San Jose Earthquakes players Soccer players from Arizona Soccer players from Long Beach, California Toronto FC players United States men's international soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players USL First Division players Yavapai Roughriders men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Canada