Rodney Wallace Burns (born 17 June 1988) is a Costa Rican former professional

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who played as a winger.

Club career

Youth and college

Wallace's family moved to the United States when he was nine. He grew up in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...

, played for Potomac Soccer Association and attended The Bullis School, and played

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at the

University of Maryland, College Park 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 ...

Professional

D.C. United

Wallace was drafted in the first round (6th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United on 15 January 2009. He made his professional debut on 22 March 2009, in D.C.'s first game of the 2009 MLS season against

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, and scored his first career professional goal on 26 April 2009, in a 3–2 win over

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 ...

. As both a defender and midfielder, Wallace played 39 regular-season games and made 36 starts over his two years with D.C. United, compiling three goals and five assists.

Portland Timbers

On 24 November 2010, D.C. United traded Wallace and a fourth-round 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 ...

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 ...

in exchange for

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and allocation money. Wallace re-signed with Portland on 6 December 2012. In summer 2014, Wallace was sent on loan to

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club Arizona United to regain match fitness after returning from injury. Wallace returned to the

at the beginning of the 2015 season. He served as a regular starter all of the regular season. In the 2015 Audi MLS Cup playoffs, Wallace played a vital role in the team's success, scoring a goal against

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in the knockout rounds. They went on to win that game in a penalty shootout 7–6 in what was the longest penalty shootout in MLS Cup playoffs history. The Timbers would go on to win the Western Conference Championship against

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and enter their first ever MLS Cup Final. Wallace came up big in the final, scoring what would go on to be the game winner in the 7th minute. The final score was 2–1.

Arouca

Wallace signed with Portuguese

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side F.C. Arouca in January 2016.

Sport Recife

Two months after signing with Arouca, on 30 March 2016, Sport Recife signed Wallace on a two-year contract, expiring at the end of the 2017 season. According to some Brazilian sources, the transfer fee between Sport Recife and Arouca was 200,000 euros. Wallace went on to make 24 appearances for Sport Recife, scoring four goals in the 2016 season. Following rumors in the beginning of January 2017 that Wallace had no intentions of returning to Brazil, Wallace failed to report to the first day of preseason on 9 January 2017. Sport Recife subsequently set a deadline of 13 January 2017, for Wallace to return or present a plausible reason for non-attendance. On 16 January 2017, Wallace responded asking to be released. While Wallace and Sport Recife remained at an impasse for nearly a month, rumors began to swirl of a possible return to his former club, Portland Timbers. Wallace and Sport Recife finally reached resolution when he returned to Brazil and re-paid the club's 200,000 euro transfer fee on 1 February 2017. Sport Recife released Wallace from his contract the next day on 2 February 2017. Following his release, rumors have continued to persist of a possible return to the Timbers.

New York City FC

Wallace signed with

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

on 15 February 2017. He scored his first goal for the club on 12 March, in a 4–0 win over D.C. United.

Sporting Kansas City

On 14 December 2018, Wallace signed one-year contract with

. He was out of contract after the 2019 season.

Retirement

After nearly two-years without a club, Wallace officially retired on 13 August 2021. He signed a ceremonial one-day contract with Portland Timbers allowing him to officially retire as a Timbers player.

International career

During his first season in Portland, Wallace established himself as a starter at left midfield for the expansion club. His efforts earned him a call to represent

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

in September. He made his international debut on 2 September 2011 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over the

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. As of December 2014, Wallace has earned a total of 17 caps, scoring 3 goals. He represented his country in 3

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matches. In May 2018 he was named in Costa Rica's 23 man squad for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

in Russia. This was the third time a member of his family played at a FIFA World Cup, as his relative Harold Wallace played in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

Career statistics

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list. Costa Rica's goal tally first (includes one unofficial goal).''

Personal life

Wallace holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. He is a relative of former footballer Harold Wallace; while some sources report that Rodney is Harold's nephew, other sources indicate that they are cousins.

Honours

University of Maryland * NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship:

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Portland Timbers *

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: 2015 * Western Conference (playoffs): 2015 * Western Conference (regular season): 2013 Individual *

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: 2014

References

External links

Portland Timbers bio
*

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Rodney 1988 births Living people Association football wingers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Copa Centroamericana-winning players Costa Rica international footballers Costa Rican expatriate footballers Costa Rican expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Costa Rican expatriate sportspeople in the United States Costa Rican footballers D.C. United draft picks D.C. United players Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate soccer players in the United States F.C. Arouca players Liga Portugal 2 players Major League Soccer All-Stars Major League Soccer players Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players New York City FC players Phoenix Rising FC players Portland Timbers players Soccer players from Maryland Sport Club do Recife players Sporting Kansas City players Sportspeople from Rockville, Maryland Footballers from San José, Costa Rica USL Championship players 2013 Copa Centroamericana players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2014 Copa Centroamericana players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2018 FIFA World Cup players