Eric Avila

Eric Humberto Avila (born November 24, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for USL Championship club San Diego Loyal SC.

Eric Avila
Avila with a fan
Personal information
Full name Eric Humberto Avila
Date of birth (1987-11-24) November 24, 1987
Place of birth San Diego, California, United States
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Position(s) Midfielder, Full back
Youth career
2005 Chivas USA
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 66 (15)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 San Fernando Valley Quakes 3 (0)
2007 Ventura County Fusion 10 (1)
2008–2011 FC Dallas 63 (3)
2011–2012 Toronto FC 33 (2)
2013–2014 Chivas USA 57 (3)
2015 Santos Laguna 0 (0)
2015 → Orlando City (loan) 21 (1)
2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies 30 (4)
2017 Phoenix Rising 11 (1)
2018 ASC San Diego 7 (1)
2018 Las Vegas Lights 22 (0)
2019 Birmingham Legion 30 (0)
2020 San Diego Loyal 8 (0)
National team
2003–2005 United States U17 20 (0)
2006–2007 United States U20 10 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 29, 2020

Early life and education

Avila was born on November 24, 1987, in San Diego, California, to Julio and Maria Avila.[1][2] Avila was raised in the Carlsbad and Encinitas area and started playing soccer with an American Youth Soccer Organization team.[3] He later played club soccer for the San Diego Crusaders and La Jolla Nomads.[3] With the Nomads, he helped the team to the 2002 US Club Soccer national championship.[3][4]

He attended La Costa Canyon High School for two years and played for their boys soccer program.[2][3] He was named the CIF San Diego Section's Avocado League MVP as a sophomore for the Mavericks.[2] He finished his last two years of high school with the United States U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida.[2][3] Upon his return to California, Avila was briefly a member of Chivas USA's U-19 club.[5]

Avila and the 2006 UCSB Gauchos soccer team honored at the White House.

Prior to enrolling in college, Avila was ranked as the 2nd best midfielder and 6th best prospect overall in the class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.[6] Avila was recruited with a scholarship to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara by head coach Tim Vom Steeg.[3] Avila was the marquee signing in a class that contained future professionals Chris Pontius, Alfonso Motagalvan, and Ryan Kenny.[7]

As a freshman on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team in 2005, he started 21 games while scoring three goals and assisting on five more.[8] Avila was named to the College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team as well as being the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year.[3][9][10] As a sophomore, Avila started 25 games, scoring eight goals to go along with five assists.[11] He scored the national championship-winning goal in the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship final over the UCLA Bruins.[3][12][13][14] He was named to the All-College Cup team.[15] As a junior, Avila appeared in 20 games, starting 18 of them. He scored four more goals and added eight assists.[16] He left UCSB to pursue a professional career at the conclusion of the season and finished his Gaucho career with 66 games played, 15 goals, and 18 assists.[17]

During his college years, Avila also played in the USL Premier Development League for the San Fernando Valley Quakes[18] and Ventura County Fusion.[19]

Club career

FC Dallas

Avila decided to forgo his senior season as professional clubs started to show interest. Avila decided to sign a Generation Adidas contract and he was subsequently drafted in the 2nd Round (19th Overall) by FC Dallas in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.[17]

Avila made his MLS debut for FC Dallas as an 85th-minute substitute against the Houston Dynamo in a 1–1 tie on June 26, 2008.[20] He earned his first MLS career assist on a header by Abe Thompson during stoppage time helping FC Dallas to a 1–1 tie against the Kansas City Wizards on July 4, 2008.[21] and scored his first senior goal on June 20, 2009, in a game against Columbus Crew.[22]

During the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs, he scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to give Dallas a win over Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals, helping the Red Stripes win the series, 3–2, on aggregate as Dallas made its first-ever MLS Cup appearance.

In December 2008, Avila traveled to England with fellow FC Dallas teammates Bruno Guarda, Josh Lambo, and Anthony Wallace along with other Generation Adidas players for friendlies against the reserve squads of Chelsea, Reading, and Aston Villa. He graduated from the MLS Generation Adidas program at the end of the 2010 season.[23] In July 2011 it was announced that Avila had been transferred on a loan to F.C. Atlas for 6 months, but the loan deal fell through.[24]

Toronto FC

On August 2, 2011, FC Dallas traded Avila to Toronto FC for Maicon Santos and an international roster spot (through the remainder of the 2011 season).[25][26] Four days later Avila made his debut for the team against D.C. United in a 3–3 away draw.[27] Avila scored his first goal for Toronto on August 27 in a 1–1 home draw against San Jose Earthquakes.[28] Avila scored his first goal of the 2012 season against Real Salt Lake April 28 in a 3–2 away defeat.[29]

Chivas USA

When Avila's contract expired at the end of the 2012 season he elected to participate in the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft. On December 14, 2012, Avila was selected by Colorado Rapids in stage two of the draft.[30] About a month later, Avila was traded to Chivas USA for Nick LaBrocca.[31] Avila went on trial with C.D. Guadalajara of the Liga MX on two occasions but the club never signed him. There was also speculation that Santos Laguna were going to sign him but the negotiations seemed to stop.[32]

Orlando City

Avila joined Orlando on a loan from Santos Laguna. He scored his first goal May 17, 2015 against LA Galaxy in which Orlando City SC won 4–0. Avila made 21 appearances for Orlando in 2015, totaling 1,325 minutes of play.

Tampa Bay Rowdies

On February 26, 2016, Avila joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies on a one-year contract with a club option for 2017.[33]

Phoenix Rising

Avila signed with Phoenix Rising FC on April 28, 2017.[34]

ASC San Diego

For the 2018 season he was on the roster at NPSL team ASC San Diego.[35]

International career

Avila entered the US U17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida in the fall of 2003.[36] He made his first appearance with US U-17's at the age of 15 against England. He went on to earn 9 international caps with the U-17's, appearing in 15 total matches. The total was the highest of the 1987 boys class. His last appearance came in Spring of 2005.[36]

He helped lead the U.S. to the finals of the Ballymena International Tournament held in Northern Ireland, which he regards as one of his most memorable moments in sports. He also participated in the Mondial Minimes Montaigu Vendee Tournament held in France. In addition to tournaments, he played in a number of matches against Major League Soccer teams, including Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, and Columbus Crew, while scoring the game-tying goal in a friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Career statistics
As of October 5, 2019[37][38]
Club Season League Playoffs[lower-alpha 1] Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
San Fernando Valley Quakes 2006[18] PDL 30–––30
Ventura County Fusion 2007[19] PDL 101–––101
FC Dallas 2008 MLS 140–20–160
2009 181–10–191
2010 1812110–212
2011 131001000141
Total 633215000704
Toronto FC 2011 MLS 91–000091
2012 241–4020301
Total 332004020392
Chivas USA 2013 MLS 283–10–293
2014 290–10–300
Total 573002000593
Santos Laguna 2014–15 Liga MX 0000000000
2015–16 Liga MX 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Orlando City (loan) 2015 MLS 211–30–241
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2016 USL 304–20–324
Phoenix Rising 2017 USL 1110021–132
ASC San Diego 2018 NPSL 7100––71
Las Vegas Lights 2018 USL 220–10–230
Birmingham Legion 2019 USL Championship 2700020–290
Career total 28416212112030918
  1. All appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs
  2. Includes the U.S. Open Cup and Canadian Championship

Honors

UC Santa Barbara

FC Dallas

Toronto FC

References
  1. "Eric Avila MLS player profile". Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  2. "Eric Avila UC Santa Barbara Gauchos player profile". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  3. Gafa, Jordan (May 3, 2016). "San Diego Homegrown Series: Eric Avila". SoccerNation.com. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  4. Woitalla, Mike (June 27, 2007). "U.S. SOCCER ACADEMY: The venerable Nomads". Soccer America. Oakland, California. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  5. "Chivas USA Youth Soccer Update: Where Are They Now? Former Chivas USA U-19 Player Eric Avila Notches Assists For FC Dallas". Major League Soccer. September 19, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2016. Alt URL
  6. "2005 Top Prospect Watch". StudentSportsSoccer.com. February 23, 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2016 – via ESPN FC.
  7. "Gauchos Ink One of the Top Recruiting Classes in the Nation". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. March 22, 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  8. "2005 UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer Overall Team Statistics". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. November 23, 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  9. "College Soccer News - 2005 First Team All-Freshman". CollegeSoccerNews.com. 2005. Archived from the original on February 5, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  10. "Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara Monopolize Men's Soccer All-Conference Team" (PDF). Big West Conference. 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  11. "2006 UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer Overall Team Statistics". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. December 3, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  12. "UC Santa Barbara vs UCLA (Dec 03, 2006)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 3, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  13. "Unseeded UCSB captures first men's championship". Soccer America. Oakland, California. December 3, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  14. Jones, Grahame L. (December 4, 2006). "UC Santa Barbara wins soccer title". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  15. "NCAA Soccer Men's Championship Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 3. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  16. "2007 UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer Overall Team Statistics". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. December 2, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  17. "Eric Avila Drafted By FC Dallas, Brennan Tennelle Selected By Real Salt Lake in MLS SuperDraft". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. January 18, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  18. "2006 San Fernando Valley Quakes statistics". PDL.USLSoccer.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  19. "2007 Ventura County Fusion statistics". USLSoccer.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  20. Cooper "El Capitan" with header From http://fc.dallas.mlsnet.com Archived February 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Posted June 26, 2008.
  21. Stoppage-time goal gives FCD draw From http://fc.dallas.mlsnet.com Archived February 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Posted July 4, 2008.
  22. "Columbus Crew v. FC Dallas – June 20, 2009". Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  23. Borg, Simon (November 17, 2010). "Generation adidas players to graduate at season's end". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  24. Epperley, Drew (July 7, 2011). "Eric Avila Loan Deal With Atlas Falls Through". SB Nation. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  25. "Toronto Trades For Eric Avila". Toronto FC. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  26. "FC Dallas trade Eric Avila to Toronto for forward Maicon Santos". FC Dallas. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  27. "Toronto In Tumultuous Draw". Toronto FC. August 6, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  28. Millson, Larry (August 27, 2011). "Plata Call, Late Equalizer Robs Toronto". Toronto FC. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  29. "Reds Suffer Salt Lake Heartbreak". Toronto FC. April 28, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  30. Borg, Simon (December 14, 2012). "Califf, Casey among 14 picked in Stage 2 Re-Entry Draft". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  31. Rosano, Nicholas (January 22, 2013). "Chivas continue rebuild, send LaBrocca to COL for Avila". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  32. Marshall, Tom (December 4, 2014). "American Exports: Former Chivas USA, FC Dallas winger Eric Avila on trial with Chivas Guadalajara". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  33. "Tampa Bay Rowdies Sign Midfielder Eric Avila". Tampa Bay Rowdies. February 26, 2016. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  34. "Phoenix Rising Football Club Adds Three More Players To Roster". Phoenix Rising FC. April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  35. http://albionsc.bonzidev.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=5932488
  36. "U.S. Soccer Residency Overview/All-Time Roster". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. Eric Avila at Major League Soccer
  38. Eric Avila at Soccerway
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