Connor Lade (born November 16, 1989) is an American former professional soccer player. As a utility player, he played several positions during his professional career, most commonly as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. Lade currently serves as the Senior Manager of Alumni & Player Relations for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

Career

College and amateur

Lade grew up in the Convent Station section of

Morris Township, New Jersey Morris Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 22,974, reflecting an increase of 668 (+3.0%) from the 22,306 counted in the 2010 Census, which had ...

and attended

Morristown High School Morristown High School (MHS) is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from three communities in Morris County, United States, operating as part of the Morris School District. The school serves students ...

, where he received numerous accolades during his high school career. In December 2007 he joined the

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

and played with

Academy. In 2008, he decided to attend St. John's University. Lade was a four-year starter for St. Johns and helped the Red Storm to the 2009 & 2011 Big East tournament title. Lade received the Defensive

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award in the latter tournament. During his time in college he remained with the Red Bulls Academy and was a member of the New York Red Bull NPSL squad.

Professional

Lade was signed by

as a Home Grown Player on 5 December 2011. Lade made his professional debut for New York on 14 April 2012 in a 2–2 draw with San Jose Earthquakes. On 29 May 2012 Lade scored his first goal for New York in a 3–0 victory over the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

in the third round of the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

. After struggling to get the playing time he wanted during the 2014

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

season, Lade was loaned to NASL club

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

on 28 July 2014. Lade quickly established himself in the Cosmos lineup and appeared in 8 league matches for the club. Lade was recalled by the Red Bulls during the NASL season and on 22 October 2014 scored his lone goal of the season helping the Red Bulls to a 1–1 draw against Montreal Impact in a 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League match. Lade was loaned to affiliate side

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yor ...

during the 2015 season and made his debut as a starter for the side on 4 April 2015 in a 4–1 victory over

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, who play 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 well a ...

, the first victory in club history. Lade was primarily used as a reserve during the early part of the 2015 season, however an injury to Chris Duvall provided him an opportunity at right back. He received glowing remarks for his play on 9 August 2015 in a 2-0 derby victory over

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

by coach

Jesse Marsch Jesse Alan Marsch (born November 8, 1973) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of club Leeds United. Marsch played 14 seasons as a midfielder in Major League Soccer (MLS) with D.C. United, ...

. Lade scored his first career MLS goal on 13 July 2016 in a 2–0 victory over Orlando City SC. It was announced on 9 August that Lade would miss the remainder of the 2016 season due to an ACL tear he suffered against the LA Galaxy. On October 23, 2019, Lade announced his retirement from playing professional soccer.

International

During his college career Lade participated in training camps as part of the player pool for the United States under-20 national team but did not make any match appearances for the team. In January 2013 Lade was called up to the U.S. senior national team for a friendly against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, but did not make an appearance in the match.

Managerial

In February 2020, the Red Bulls announced that Lade had been hired as the team's Senior Manager of Alumni & Player Relations. The club described the duties of the role as including "outreach to fellow club alumni, community outreach, media and broadcast opportunities, public appearances and a variety of other responsibilities".

Honors

Club

New York Red Bulls *

MLS Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since ...

(3):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Career statistics

References

External links

*
St. John's profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lade, Connor 1989 births Living people American men's soccer players St. John's Red Storm men's soccer players Soccer players from Morris County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Livingston, New Jersey Soccer players from Essex County, New Jersey People from Morris Township, New Jersey New York Red Bulls players New York Cosmos (2010) players New York Red Bulls II players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL Championship players Morristown High School (Morristown, New Jersey) alumni Men's association football utility players Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Homegrown Players (MLS)