Blake Wagner (born January 29, 1988) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach and former player who currently is the assistant coach of USL League Two side, Tampa Bay United SC.

Career

Youth

Wagner was identified by U.S. Soccer (U.S. National Team) when he was 13 through their national Olympic Development Program (ODP). He joined the U-14 National Team and was then recruited to their U-15 residency program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he lived and trained. Through U.S. Soccer, he completed high school a year early at the Edison Academy. Wagner travelled globally with the team and was a starter with the U-17 National team when they played in the

2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the eleventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participa ...

. Wagner at first committed to playing college soccer at the University of Maryland, College Park, but instead chose to join the Generation Adidas program so that he could play professional soccer.

Professional

Wagner was drafted in the second round, 18th overall, of the

2006 MLS SuperDraft The 2006 MLS SuperDraft, held in Philadelphia on January 20, 2006, was the seventh incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection originally belonged to Chivas USA, but they traded it to the MetroStars for the fift ...

by FC Dallas. Wagner made his first appearance with FCD's first team on July 19, 2006, as a substitute in a 2-0 friendly match win against UANL Tigres. It would be his only appearance with the first team during his rookie season. In 2007, Blake made his MLS career debut on September 30, 2007, starting in a 0–3 loss against

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

. He would make 12 appearances with the team during the 2007 MLS Season. The 2008 MLS Season was a breakout year for the third-year defender. Blake started in 23 of 24 games played and appeared in four of FC Dallas' six international friendlies. On February 2, 2010 Vancouver Whitecaps announced the signing of Wagner after he did not re-sign with Dallas. He played his first match with the second division side on July 14, 2010, and played as a left wing midfielder and netted a hat trick in a 3–1 win over Miami FC. After a successful 2011 preseason trial, Wagner signed with the

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 Canada ...

version of Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 11, 2011. The Whitecaps released Wagner on July 28, 2011. On August 16, 2011, Wagner was signed by

club Real Salt Lake. At season's end, the club declined his 2012 contract option and he entered the

2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 5, 2011 (Stage 1) and December 12, 2011 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs participated. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the traditional Waive ...

. Wagner was not selected in the draft and became a free agent. Wagner signed with NASL club

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadium ...

in March, 2012.

Managerial career

In 2017 he became an assistant coach with Tampa Bay's U23 team. Currently a staff coach with Tampa Bay United.

References

External links

Carolina RailHawks profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Blake 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players FC Dallas players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Real Salt Lake players San Antonio Scorpions players Tampa Bay Rowdies players North Carolina FC players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Major League Soccer players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players FC Dallas draft picks Soccer players from Florida Men's association football midfielders Men's association football defenders USL League Two coaches