Darnell King (born September 23, 1990) is an

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

n 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 and current assistant coach of

Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. They won the league championship in 2023, defeating the ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

Career

King played in forward for Tampa's

Gaither High School Gaither High School is a public high school located in the Northdale, Florida, Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida. It opened in 1984 and is located on 16200 North Dale Mabry Highway. Bloomingdale High School, located in Valrico, Florid ...

, setting a school record with 71 points in a season. In 2008, his senior year, King was named to the All-Hillsborough County team. From 2008 to 2011, King played as a forward for the

Florida Atlantic Owls The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of the American Athletic Conference. On October 21, 2021, Flori ...

. King was the Owls' leading scorer during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. King participated in the 2012 NASL Combine where he was noticed by Fort Lauderdale Strikers' coaching staff. He was invited to preseason with the Strikers, where he impressed enough to earn his first professional contract. On March 27, 2012, the Strikers announced that King had signed professional terms with the club. King made his professional debut with the Strikers as a second-half sub against FC Edmonton on April 7, 2012, in the first game of the 2012 NASL season. He played 15 minutes after replacing Leopoldo Morales in the 75th minute. On July 2, King started and played 90 minutes in an unfamiliar right back position, and took the throw-in that lead to the opening goal. He started at right back in the Strikers' next match against the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks. On December 6, 2016, the RailH ...

, and scored his first goal as a professional in the 31st minute of the 3–3 draw. King ended up primarily playing right back for the Strikers and was named to the 2014 NASL Best XI as a defender. On December 22, 2014, King returned to Tampa Bay by signing with the NASL's

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

On February 6, 2018, King made the move to

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

side

San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio FC ...

. King earned a spot on the All-League team at the end of 2018. King signed with

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...

on December 4, 2018, rejoining former Rowdies teammate Matt Pickens. He then signed with

on December 18, 2019. Following a

2023 USL Championship season The 2023 USL Championship season was the 13th season of the USL Championship and the seventh season under Division II sanctioning. The 2023 season had 24 teams participating in two conferences during the regular season. San Antonio FC were the de ...

that saw Phoenix win the league, King announced his retirement on January 4, 2024. He transitioned to a coaching role with Phoenix Rising. Ahead of Phoenix Rising’s week 4 clash of the 2025 USL Championship season against

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via California S ...

, nine players were out with injuries. King was called up to the squad, as he would then come off the bench in the 69th minute after Phoenix were down to nine men. The match ended in a 3-1 loss for Phoenix.

Career statistics

''Statistics accurate as of December 4, 2018''

References

External links

Tampa Bay Rowdies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Darnell 1990 births Living people American men's soccer players Florida Atlantic Owls men's soccer players Floridians FC players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Tampa Bay Rowdies players San Antonio FC players Nashville SC (2018–19) players Phoenix Rising FC players Soccer players from Tampa, Florida USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL Championship players Men's association football wingers Men's association football fullbacks Phoenix Rising FC coaches USL Championship coaches 21st-century American sportsmen