Lars Konstantin Eckenrode (born March 24, 1995) is an American retired professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player.

Career

College & Youth

Eckenrode grew up in

West Springfield, Virginia West Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 23,369 at the 2020 census. Geography West Springfield is located in central Fairfax County at (38.788436, −77.232802). Its ...

and played soccer for the West Springfield Spartans. After a decorated club and high school career, he attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

for four years, where he played for the Wolverines. Scoring once in 68 appearances, while also recording 2 assists, he was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team in 2013 and College Sports Madness Preseason All-Big Ten Team in 2014. During his time in college, Eckenrode also spent time with

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

sides D.C. United U-23 and

AFC Ann Arbor AFC Ann Arbor is an American soccer club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a men's team that has played in USL League Two since 2020 and a women's team that has played in USL W League since 2020. The men's team played in the National Premier So ...

Professional

Eckenrode was drafted in the fourth round, 83rd overall, in the

2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 ...

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

on January 17, 2017. He signed with

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

side

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that competes in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as we ...

on March 16, 2017. Eckenrode made his professional debut on March 25, 2017, in a 1–0 victory over Phoenix Rising. He missed the majority of the 2017 season as he was rehabbing from an injury. On March 23, 2018,

re-signed Eckenrode. On December 11, 2018, Eckenrode signed with

Tormenta FC South Georgia Tormenta FC, or simply Tormenta FC, is an American association football, soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the ...

of the newly founded

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

. He scored his first professional goal on April 14, 2019, in a 1–1 draw with

Orlando City B Orlando City B (or OCB for short) is an American soccer club that began play in 2016 and currently plays in MLS Next Pro. Owned by Orlando City SC and based at the Orlando City training facility in Kissimmee, the club plays its home games at ...

. Eckenrode retired following the

2022 USL League One season The 2022 USL League One season was the fourth season of USL League One. The regular season began on April 2 and ended on October 15. The playoffs began on October 22 and ended on November 6. Eleven teams participated in the 2022 season, one fe ...

and joined the Tormenta front office as Coordinator of Special Projects. Eckenrode left the Tormenta front office in October 2023.

References

External links

* * 1995 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players Men's association football defenders AFC Ann Arbor players D.C. United U-23 players Michigan Wolverines men's soccer players National Premier Soccer League players People from West Springfield, Virginia Soccer players from Fairfax County, Virginia Tormenta FC players Toronto FC II players Toronto FC draft picks USL Championship players USL League One players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Canada League1 Ontario players West Springfield High School (Virginia) alumni 21st-century American sportsmen {{US-footy-defender-1990s-stub