Felix Alfonso Motagalvan (born February 11, 1987) is an American

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.

Playing career

Youth and college

Motagalvan was born in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

, grew up in

Gilroy, California Gilroy is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. It had a population of 59,520 as of the 2020 census. Gilroy's origins lie in the village of San Ysidro, which developed in the early 19th ...

, and attended Gilroy High School where he was a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-American. He played club soccer for Santa Clara Sporting Ruckus from 2004 to 2005, and was a two-year member of the Region IV Olympic Development Team and Super Y-League Select National Team. He played four years of

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

, featuring in over 50 games during his four seasons, and playing an instrumental part of the

Gauchos A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patag ...

' run to the 2006 NCAA Division I title. During his college years he also played for

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

, scoring the winning goal in the 2009 PDL Championship Game.

Professional

While in College Motagalvan played with the

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

reserve team during 2008 and 2009. In 2009, he was called in to preseason with the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS. Later that year he went on to FC Dallas of the MLS to finish the 2009 season with the reserve team.

Rochester Rhinos

He signed with

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

on February 16, 2010, and made his professional debut on April 10, 2010, in Rochester's season opening game against

Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, 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 (201 ...

. Motagalvan played in 28 of the Rhinos' 30

USSF Division 2 The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

matches, in addition to both playoff games. He scored his first professional goal on April 23, 2011, a 3–2 win over the

Dayton Dutch Lions The Dayton Dutch Lions are an American soccer team based in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the USL Professiona ...

. He played in 21 regular season matches in the

2011 USL Pro season The 2011 USL Pro season was the 25th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and was the inaugural season of the United Soccer Leagues' (USL) new professional competition. The league is effectively a combination of the USL's former ...

, scoring twice, in addition to playing in both playoff games.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

On February 3, 2012, it was announced that

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

had signed Motagalvan.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Motagalvan joined the Riverhounds in 2013.

Sacramento Republic

Although he had briefly considered retiring, Motagalvan joined Sacramento Republic.

Coaching career

Motagalvan aspires to move full-time into coaching after his playing days. While still an active player, he served as an assistant coach for

Folsom Lake College Folsom Lake College (FLC) is a public community college in Folsom, California. It is part of California Community Colleges system and the Los Rios Community College District. Folsom Lake College serves the community with classes offered at it ...

's men's soccer program.

International

Motagalvan was called up to the

United States national beach soccer team The United States men's national beach soccer team represents the United States in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the USSF, the governing body for soccer in the United States. The national team competes in multip ...

in August 2014.

Honors

Rochester Rhinos

USSF Division 2 Pro League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

Regular Season Champions (1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Ventura County Fusion

Champions (1): 2009

References

External links

Pittsburgh Riverhounds squad sheet
*

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Motagalvan, Alfonso 1987 births Living people Soccer players from Santa Rosa, California American men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players Ventura County Fusion players Rochester New York FC players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Sacramento Republic FC players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL Championship players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players American beach soccer players Gilroy High School alumni