Colin Clark (soccer)

Colin Clark (April 11, 1984 – August 26, 2019)[1] was an American soccer player.

Colin Clark
Clark signing autographs at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Personal information
Full name Colin Clark
Date of birth (1984-04-11)April 11, 1984
Place of birth Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.
Date of death August 26, 2019(2019-08-26) (aged 35)
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Left Winger
Youth career
2002–2004 SMU Mustangs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005 Boulder Rapids Reserve 12 (5)
2006–2010 Colorado Rapids 84 (10)
2010–2012 Houston Dynamo 43 (5)
2013 LA Galaxy 5 (0)
Total 144 (20)
National team
2009 United States 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

College and amateur

Clark played college soccer at Southern Methodist University for three years from 2002 to 2004, and in 2005 he played for the Boulder Rapids Reserve team in the USL Premier Development League.[2]

Colorado Rapids

In February 2006 he officially signed a developmental contract with Colorado Rapids, and was with the team until 2010.

During training on August 11, 2009, Clark injured his ACL, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2009 campaign. One year later, during a match against San Jose Earthquakes, Clark tore the same ACL, which again forced him to miss the remainder of the season.

Houston Dynamo

On September 15, 2010, Clark was traded to Houston Dynamo with allocation money in exchange for Brian Mullan and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft (later converted to a pick in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft.[3]

League suspension

During a nationally televised game against Seattle Sounders FC on March 23, 2012, sideline microphones picked up Clark's voice as he uttered an anti-gay slur at a ball boy who delivered him a ball for a throw-in situation. He apologized for the incident on Twitter several hours later.[4] On March 28, 2012, Major League Soccer suspended Clark for three games and fined him an undisclosed sum as punishment for the incident. League Commissioner Don Garber also ordered Clark to attend diversity and sensitivity training, stating, "Major League Soccer will not tolerate this type of behavior from its players or staff at any time, under any circumstances," while also acknowledging that Clark had expressed "sincere remorse" for his actions. In response to the league's disciplinary action, Clark declared, "I am sorry about what happened during the Seattle match. I have personally apologized to the ball boy, and I want to take this chance to say I'm sorry to everyone that I've offended... what I said does not properly represent who I am or what I believe. I made a mistake that I truly regret. I accept the punishment that has been handed down by MLS."[5]

Los Angeles Galaxy

When Clark's contract expired at the end of the 2012 season he chose to enter the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft. On December 14, 2012, he was selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in stage two of the draft.[6] Los Angeles traded up in the draft order to select Clark, giving up a 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft pick and an international roster slot in the deal.[7]

International

On July 11, 2009, Clark made his debut with the United States against Haiti in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Death

On August 26, 2019, Clark died after suffering a heart attack; he was 35 years old.[8]

References
  1. Lytle, Kevin (August 27, 2019). "Fort Collins native, former Colorado Rapids soccer star Colin Clark dies". The Coloradoan. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. Demosphere International, Inc. "2005 Boulder Rapids Reserve". Pdl.uslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  3. "Houston trades Mullan to Colorado for Clark". USA Today. September 15, 2010.
  4. "Colin Clark apologizes for gay slur". espn.go.com. March 24, 2012.
  5. Freedman, Jonah (2012-03-28). "Clark suspended three games, fined for Seattle incident". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  6. "Califf, Casey among 14 picked in Stage 2 Re-Entry Draft". MLSsoccer.com. 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  7. "Improve Position in Stage 2 of Friday's MLS Re-Entry Process". LA Galaxy. 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  8. Lytle, Kevin. "Fort Collins native, former Colorado Rapids soccer star Colin Clark dies". Coloradoan. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
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