Matt Taylor (soccer)
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Matthew Taylor | ||
Date of birth | October 17, 1981 | ||
Place of birth | Columbus, Ohio, United States | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Real Salt Lake (assistant) | ||
Youth career | |||
Irvine Strikers | |||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2000–2003 | UCLA Bruins | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2003 | Orange County Blue Star | 18 | (11) |
2004 | Kansas City Wizards | 17 | (3) |
2005–2007 | Chivas USA | 37 | (2) |
2007 | Portland Timbers | 8 | (1) |
2008 | Hollywood United | ? | (?) |
2008–2009 | TuS Koblenz | 22 | (7) |
2009–2010 | FSV Frankfurt | 9 | (0) |
2010–2011 | Rot Weiss Ahlen | 30 | (17) |
2011–2012 | SC Paderborn 07 | 23 | (4) |
2012–2014 | Preußen Münster | 69 | (22) |
2014–2016 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 56 | (21) |
2016–2017 | Kickers Offenbach | 22 | (2) |
Teams managed | |||
2018–2020 | UCLA Bruins (assistant) | ||
2021– | Real Salt Lake (assistant) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:51, 2 May 2017 (UTC) |
Matthew Taylor (born October 17, 1981) is an American soccer coach and former player who currently serves as an assistant coach for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.
College career
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Taylor grew up in Irvine, California and played college soccer at UCLA from 2000 to 2003. Taylor was mostly a substitute his first year, but earned a larger role as a sophomore, finishing the season with seven goals and two assists. As a junior, he bettered that, registering 12 goals and eight assists, while being an important part of a UCLA team that won the NCAA Championship. Taylor's senior season was his best, as he scored 14 goals and had 8 assists, was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and was a Hermann Trophy finalist. Taylor was the nation's leading scorer in the NCAA tournament during UCLA's championship run in 2002 and was named to the all tournament team at the college cup. Taylor is also the all-time leading scorer for UCLA in post season tournament play. During his college years he played several games alongside former German National Team player Jürgen Klinsmann with Orange County Blue Star in the USL Premier Development League.
Professional career
An excellent MLS Combine saw the Kansas City Wizards trade up to draft him 4th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Although stuck behind Davy Arnaud and Josh Wolff and receiving little playing time in 2003, Taylor showed his scoring acumen registering three goals and an assist in only 524 minutes from a substitute's role.
After his first season, Taylor was left unprotected for the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft, and was selected 8th overall by Chivas USA. He became one of the few non-Hispanics on the squad. Taylor was Chivas USA's first ever player to be named MLS player of the week. Taylor's first four years in MLS were hampered by injuries including a broken tibia, and double hernia surgery. Taylor became a first eleven player for Chivas USA coach Hans Westerhof and responded by leading all offensive categories in a starter's role. Taylor just started to regain the speed and quickness to match his work rate when he decided to leave Chivas USA over a contract dispute with then coach Preki. On July 25, 2007, Taylor signed for Portland Timbers.[1]
He had a short stint at the amateur side Hollywood United in the Los Angeles-based USASA-affiliated Coast Soccer League, where he scored two goals on penalty kicks against his former club the Portland Timbers in the first round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, helping Hollywood to a shocking 3-2 win over the USL side.
On August 14, 2008, Taylor moved to TuS Koblenz, then playing in Germany's second tier 2. Fußball-Bundesliga just three days before their season started and scored in his first game for the team.[2] On October 5, 2008, he scored a hat trick for Koblenz in a 5-0 win over Kaiserslautern. On May 27, 2009 Taylor signed a two-year contract with FSV Frankfurt, but left for 3. Liga club Rot Weiss Ahlen after playing only on year for FSV. Taylor moved to Preußen Münster for the 2012/13 3. Liga season after playing the 2011/12 season with SC Paderborn 07 in the 2. Bundesliga. Two years later he signed for 1. FC Saarbrücken.
Coaching career
After retiring in 2017, Taylor returned to his alma mater to become an assistant coach at UCLA. In 2021, he became an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.[3]
References
- ^ "Timbers sign forward Matt Taylor from Chivas USA". www.timbers.com. Portland Timbers. July 25, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Spielbericht 2. Liga: TuS Koblenz - RW Oberhausen". Goal.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "RSL Adds Matt Taylor as Assistant Coach". rsl.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
External links
- Matthew Taylor at Kicker
- Articles with short description
- Use mdy dates from October 2013
- BLP articles lacking sources from February 2012
- All BLP articles lacking sources
- 1981 births
- Living people
- American expatriate soccer players
- American expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- American soccer players
- Hollywood United players
- Orange County Blue Star players
- Chivas USA players
- Sporting Kansas City players
- Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio
- UCLA Bruins men's soccer players
- Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players
- Major League Soccer players
- USL First Division players
- TuS Koblenz players
- FSV Frankfurt players
- Rot Weiss Ahlen players
- SC Paderborn 07 players
- SC Preußen Münster players
- 1. FC Saarbrücken players
- 2. Bundesliga players
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- 3. Liga players
- Regionalliga players
- Soccer players from Columbus, Ohio
- USL League Two players
- Sporting Kansas City draft picks
- Association football forwards
- Real Salt Lake non-playing staff
- UCLA Bruins men's soccer coaches
- Sportspeople from Irvine, California
- Soccer players from California