Clyde Simms (born August 21, 1982) 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 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player. He played in Major League Soccer from 2005 to 2013. He also represented the United States at international level.

Career

College

Born in

Jamestown, North Carolina Jamestown is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby cities of Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina, High Point. The population was ...

, Simms attended Southwest Guilford High School in

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...

. Simms played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

from 2000 to 2003, where he appeared in 72 games and notched seven goals and seven assists. He was team captain during his final three years.

Professional

Simms went undrafted by

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

after college and instead signed with

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

. Although he had a relatively impressive first season with the Kickers and started 28 games for the club, Simms's talent was not really recognized until he was called into the United States national team camp as a

replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an sportsperson, athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a Strike action, strike or Lockout (industry), lockout, serving as a strikebre ...

due to a conflict between the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer ...

and the players in 2005. Simms greatly impressed in camp and, when the disagreement was settled, Simms was asked to remain in camp and train with the regular team. Simms's performance in the national camp intrigued several MLS teams, and he was eventually signed as a discovery player by D.C. United on February 25, 2005. In the 2008 MLS season, Simms played in 30 MLS games, with 30 starts and two goals scored and two assists. He missed only 3 minutes the entire season. After seven seasons with D.C. United, the club declined his 2012 contract option and he entered the

2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 5, 2011 (Stage 1) and December 12, 2011 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs participated. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the traditional Wai ...

. Simms was selected by

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

in stage two of the draft on December 12, 2011. He agreed a contract with New England eleven days later. Simms played two seasons for New England. He announced his retirement on February 13, 2014.

International

Simms has one cap for United States national team, which he received on May 28, 2005, when he came on as an injury-time substitute against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Honors

D.C. United

Supporter's Shield (2):

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

* Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1):

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

NC Hall of Fame

*'
Inducted into the NC Soccer Hall of Fame on January 24, 2015
''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Clyde 1982 births Living people African-American soccer players American men's soccer players D.C. United players East Carolina University alumni North Carolina FC U23 players A-League (1995–2004) players Richmond Kickers players New England Revolution players United States men's international soccer players People from Jamestown, North Carolina Sportspeople from Guilford County, North Carolina Soccer players from North Carolina USL League Two players Major League Soccer players Men's association football midfielders 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen