Aedan Stanley (born December 13, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. Born in

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, Stanley began his career with St. Louis Scott Gallagher before starting his professional career with

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

side Saint Louis FC in 2016. In 2018, Stanley began attending Duke University and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...

for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associati ...

. After two seasons with Duke, Stanley joined Portland Timbers 2, playing one season with them before joining

Sporting Kansas City II Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swope ...

. Shortly after signing, Stanley was drafted in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conference call and ...

by expansion club

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play ...

Early career

Saint Louis FC

Born in

, Stanley was part of the academy at St. Louis Scott Gallagher. On May 21, 2016, Stanley signed a USL amateur contract with

side Saint Louis FC, which allowed him to play professionally while maintaining

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

eligibility. On June 16, he was called into the club's reserve side, Saint Louis FC U23, playing 25 minutes in the 3–2 defeat against

Mississippi Brilla Mississippi Brilla is an amateur American soccer club based in Clinton, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two. The team's colors are sky blue, navy and white. Brilla is associated with Brilla Soccer Mini ...

. Stanley made his

debut for Saint Louis FC on September 24, 2016 in a 2–2 draw against

OKC Energy Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessman ...

. He came on as a 64th minute substitute for Schillo Tshuma.

Duke Blue Devils (college)

In August 2018, Stanley began attending Duke University in Durham,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

and joined their

side, the

. He made his collegiate debut on August 24 against the FIU Panthers, starting in the 3–1 victory. During his first season with Duke, Stanley lead the team in starts, starting in 20 matches, while earning All-ACC Freshman honors. In his second season for the Blue Devils, Stanley started and played in 17 matches, recording three assists.

Club career

Portland Timbers 2

On March 5, 2020, Stanley joined

club Portland Timbers 2, the reserve affiliate for

Major League Soccer 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 Cana ...

side

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...

. He made his Timbers 2 debut on March 7 against

Phoenix Rising Phoenix rising originally describes the heraldic position of the image of a phoenix: its head upturned (to its right) with wings raised for flight. The term can also refer to: Film and television * ''Phoenix Rising'' (Hong Kong TV series), a 2 ...

, starting in the 6–1 away defeat. He started in all 16 matches for the Portland Timbers 2, substituted zero times, and he recorded two assists.

Austin FC

On January 15, 2021, Stanley signed with

. However, a few days later, on January 21, Stanley was drafted with the 21st pick in the MLS SuperDraft by

. On April 16, 2021, Sporting Kansas City agreed to mutually terminate Stanley's contract with their reserve affiliate. That same day, Stanley signed a professional contract with Austin FC. Stanley made his debut for Austin FC on May 15 in a 2–0 away defeat against the

LA 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 ...

, coming on as a 70th minute substitute for

Žan Kolmanič Žan Kolmanič (born 3 March 2000) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club Austin FC. Career In March 2021, Kolmanič joined Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's ...

. Following the 2021 season, Stanley's contract option was declined by Austin.

Miami FC

On January 4, 2022, Stanley returned to the USL and signed with

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 s ...

. Stanley made his debut for Miami on April 9 in a 1-0 win at the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

in the USL Championship. Stanley played a total of 33 games for Miami in his first season, including the team's two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches and Miami's 3-1 conference quarterfinal loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the

2022 USL Championship playoffs The 2022 USL Championship Playoffs (branded as the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense for sponsorship reasons) is the post-season championship of the 2022 USL Championship. It is the twelfth edition of the USL Championship Playof ...

. Stanley returned for Miami in the

2023 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, playing a total of 36 matches. Stanley played all 120 minutes of the club's Open Cup loss in penalties to

Inter Miami CF Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. Established in 2018, the club began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 202 ...

on April 26, 2023. Stanley's final game for Miami FC came on October 14, 2023 in a 1-0 defeat to

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

Indy Eleven

On December 4, 2023,

announced the signing of Stanley from Miami FC ahead of the upcoming 2024 USL Championship season.

International career

Stanley's first experience of international football came in June 2015, when he was called into the United States under-16 team for the Open Nordic Cup. He was then called into the United States under-18's in August 2016 for the Vaclav Jezek Tournament. He made his debut against

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

on August 16, starting in the 3–1 victory.

Career statistics

References

External links

Profile
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Aedan 1999 births Living people People from Columbia, Illinois Sportspeople from Greater St. Louis American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Duke Blue Devils men's soccer players Saint Louis FC players Portland Timbers 2 players Sporting Kansas City II players Austin FC players Miami FC players Austin FC draft picks USL League Two players USL Championship players Major League Soccer players Soccer players from Illinois United States men's youth international soccer players Indy Eleven players