C.J. Klaas (born August 23, 1983 in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

) 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 played for U.S. at the

2003 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. U20 Brazil claimed their fourth title. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested. The tournament was originally planned to be ...

and spent two seasons with the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club w ...

in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

Youth

Klaas was born and raised in Illinois, playing for the Chicago Magic which won the 1999 U-17 National Championship. He then attended 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 Seattle a ...

where he played on the men's soccer team from 2001 to 2004. He was a first team All American in 2003 and 2004. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2005.

National team

Klaas was selected to the

United States U-20 men's national soccer team The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. The United States' b ...

which competed at the

. The U.S. lost to Argentina in the quarterfinals. He played in four matches, including the loss to Argentina.

Professional

Klaas played one season with the

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. Th ...

of the fourth division

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

in 2001. 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 ...

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 ...

selected Klaas in the third round (thirty-second overall) in the

2005 MLS SuperDraft The 2005 MLS SuperDraft, held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 2005, was the sixth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Expansion club Real Salt Lake had the first pick as the result of a coin toss (fellow newcomers C.D. ...

. The Chicago Storm of Major Indoor Soccer League also selected Klaas with the second pick of the 2005 MISL College Draft. Klaas chose not to sign with either the Earthquakes or Storm in order to finish his degree. After completing it, he joined the

of the

. Klaas quickly cemented himself as a critical cog in the Sounders defensive scheme over the next two seasons. However, he left the Sounders after the 2006 season.

Post-Soccer Career

Klaas joined Klaas Financial in 2007, which was founded by his father, Craig Klaas. He is currently the president and CFO.

References

External links

GoHuskies.com: Player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klaas, C. J. Living people American soccer players Washington Huskies men's soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players Chicago Fire U-23 players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players 1983 births United States men's under-20 international soccer players San Jose Earthquakes draft picks All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders