Kevin Rodriguez (born September 25, 1996) is an American

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 who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Early life

He played youth soccer with Manchester United Houston. After originally getting cut by the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

academy twice, he eventually was accepted to join the academy in 2014.

College career

In 2015, he began attending

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

, where he played for the men's soccer team. He scored his first collegiate goal on September 29, 2015, against the

Eastern Illinois Panthers The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of th ...

. As a freshman, he was named the 2015 MAC Freshman of the Year, and was named to the NIU Adidas Invitational All-Tournament Team. In his senior season in 2018, he was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team and the All-MAC First Team.

Club career

In 2017, Rodriguez joined

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

side Brazos Valley Cavalry during the college offseason. He made two appearances in 2017 and three appearances in 2018. In January 2019, Rodriguez was selected 75th overall in the

2019 MLS SuperDraft The 2019 MLS SuperDraft was the twentieth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is typically held in conjunction with the annual January United Soccer Coaches convention, which in 2019 was held in Chicago, Illinois. The fi ...

Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...

, becoming the first Northern Illinois University player to ever be drafted. In March 2019, Rodriguez signed for

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 ...

side

Rio Grande Valley FC Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, was an American professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The team served as a hy ...

. He scored his first professional goal on August 10, 2019, against the

Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the Western Conference in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The fra ...

. Rodriguez signed with

FC Tucson FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women's team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then joine ...

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

on February 10, 2021. After struggling with injuries early in the 2021 season, he scored his first goal for the club on October 16, 2021, when he scored two goals against

South Georgia Tormenta FC South Georgia Tormenta FC, or simply Tormenta FC, is an American soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyram ...

in a 3–1 victory. As a result of that performance, he was named to the USL Team of the Week.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Kevin 1996 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Twin City Toucans FC players Minnesota United FC draft picks Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer players People from Pasadena, Texas Rio Grande Valley FC Toros players FC Tucson players Soccer players from Harris County, Texas USL Championship players USL League Two players USL League One players 21st-century American sportsmen