David Estrada (born February 4, 1988) is a Mexican-American former

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 previously played for

New Mexico United New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2018, the team currently plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. History Former teams The state of New Mexic ...

in the

USL Championship 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 ...

. He played as either a forward, or more often for New Mexico United, as a right winger.

Early life and amateur

Estrada was born in

Morelia, Michoacán Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...

, Mexico and moved to California with his family at four months old. He was raised in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...

and attended

Alisal High School Alisal High School is an American public high school opened in 1965 and located in Salinas, California. Alisal's school colors are green, black and white. Their mascot is Tommy the Trojan. Demographics Currently, there are about 3300 students ...

. A successful player at the high school level, Estrada led the nation his senior season with 66 goals, including 11 in one game—the second-most single-game goals in state history. He played four 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 Kingd ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. As a walk-on his freshman year, he was the team's top scorer, was named Soccer America's National Freshman of the Year, was a second-team All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

selection and was voted UCLA's Offensive MVP. After missing the first seven matches of his sophomore year because of a fractured foot, he was again named to the All-Pac-10 second-team in 2007. He received All-Pac-10 honors for the third time in his career, being named to the honorable mention team in 2008, and earned third-team NSCAA All-Far West honors and first-team All-Pac-10 acclaim in his senior year. In his senior season, Estrada recorded three goals and seven assists playing a wide right

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

position. During his college years Estrada also played four seasons with Salinas Valley Samba in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

Career

Professional

Estrada was drafted in the first round (11th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by

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 ...

. He made his professional debut on April 3, 2010, coming on as a substitute in a game against the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. On March 17, 2012, Estrada started in the Sounders first match of the season, and recorded his first three professional goals, scoring a

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

. Estrada was traded to

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 ...

on August 7, 2014 in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Estrada was cut by D.C. United in February 2015, going on trial with

Tippeligaen Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

side Stabæk. On March 20, 2015, Estrada signed for the

Sacramento Republic Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, th ...

. On August 10, Estrada was released by Sacramento. After a spell with

Orange County Blues FC Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games a ...

, Estrada moved to USL side

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial ...

on February 3, 2016. On March 14, 2018, Estrada signed with

Seattle Sounders FC 2 Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Soun ...

as a player and as an assistant coach with the Sounders FC Academy. On December 18, 2018, Estrada signed with

. Estrada won Humanitarian of the Year with New Mexico United in November 2019.

International

Estrada was called up for a U.S. Under-18 national team camp in January 2007, but has not yet played internationally for any country.

Career statistics

Honours

Seattle Sounders FC

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 ...

(2):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

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 celebrate ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estrada, David 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Morelia Footballers from Michoacán Sportspeople from Salinas, California American sportspeople of Mexican descent Mexican emigrants to the United States Association football forwards Mexican footballers American soccer players Seattle Sounders FC players Atlanta Silverbacks players Charlotte Eagles players D.C. United players Sacramento Republic FC players Orange County SC players Charlotte Independence players UCLA Bruins men's soccer players University of California, Los Angeles alumni Seattle Sounders FC draft picks Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players Tacoma Defiance players USL Championship players New Mexico United players Soccer players from California