Tahj Jakins
Tahj Jakins (born November 11, 1975 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is a retired American soccer defender who played five seasons in Major League Soccer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 11, 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1996 | UCLA Bruins | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2000 | Colorado Rapids | 61 | (0) |
| 1999 | → Raleigh Capital Express (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Kansas City Wizards | 12 | (0) |
| 2000 | → MLS Pro-40 (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2000 | → Raleigh Capital Express (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Pittsburgh Riverhounds (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Youth
Born in Utah, Jakins grew up in southern California, playing for the North Huntington Beach Futbol Club.[1] In 1993, he entered UCLA where he played on the school’s soccer team. In 1996, he earned first team All American recognition.[2] That year, he also played in two games with the U.S. national B-Team, but was never called up to the senior national team.[3]
Professional
On February 1, 1997, the Colorado Rapids selected Jakins with the first pick in the 1997 MLS College Draft. He was a regular with the Rapids for three seasons. In 2000, he played one game before being waived on April 7, 2000.[4] The Kansas City Wizards then signed him. He played two games for them that season, but spent several loan periods away from the team. In 2000, he played for the MLS Pro-40[5] and Raleigh Capital Express of the USL A-League.[6] In 2001, he went on loan to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Wizards waived Jakins on November 17, 2001.[7] He may have also played for the Minnesota Thunder.[8]