Robert Charles Burling (born October 15, 1984) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender.
Career
College
Burling played college soccer at
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit and Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near P ...
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...
before being drafted in the 4th round (45th overall) by
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...
in the
2007 MLS Superdraft
The 2007 MLS SuperDraft was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 12, 2007. It was the eighth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection belonged to expansion team Toronto FC.
The SuperDraft was followed by the 2007 MLS Sup ...
.
Professional
Burling was not offered a contract by Galaxy, and instead signed for
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gua ...
three months later. He made over twenty appearances for Chivas, but did not score a goal. Burling was traded to
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchis ...
on September 11, 2009 in exchange for a third-round pick in the
2010 MLS SuperDraft
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
.
Burling was left exposed by San Jose in the
2011 MLS Expansion Draft
The 2011 MLS Expansion Draft was held on November 23, 2011 as a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion team Montreal Impact.
FormatMontreal Impact. He never signed with Montreal and his rights were traded to
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gua ...
for one season's use of an international roster slot on July 6, 2012. Burling officially signed with Chivas USA on August 17, 2012.
Following the 2014 season, the Chivas USA franchise was contracted by MLS and Burling was made available to other MLS clubs in the
2014 MLS Dispersal Draft
The 2014 MLS Expansion Draft was a draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams New York City FC and Orlando City SC that took place between November 19 and December 10, 2014. The first two rounds of the draft (which were known as the 2014 MLS ...
. He was not selected. In December 2014, he was selected by
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, ...
in the MLS Waiver Draft. He was not retained for the 2018 season.