Christian Dean (born March 14, 1993) 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 who currently plays as a

center back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

Forward Madison FC Forward Madison FC is an American professional soccer team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was founded in 2018, and played its inaugural season in 2019. The team competes in USL League One, the third division of the United States soccer l ...

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 ...

Career

Youth

Dean began his youth soccer career at the youth teams of Palo Alto Football Club, Santa Clara Sporting FC and

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

club De Anza Force. He was also selected into the National Academy Select 93 teams in 2009 and 2010 for the West and won the 2010 New York Red Bulls National High School Cup. He then went on to attend the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

where he played college soccer for the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

. During the 2013 season Dean was awarded All-Pac-12 and NSCAA Far West Region first-team honors as he led his team to the elite eight in the NCAA.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On January 16, 2014, Dean was selected as the third overall pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...

by the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

on a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

contract. He made his professional debut in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

on March 16, 2014, against

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 ...

when he came on as a 77th minute for Andy O'Brien as Vancouver drew 1–1.

Chicago Fire

On August 9, 2017, Dean was acquired by Chicago Fire in exchange for $50,000 of General Allocation Money as well as $50,000 of Targeted Allocation Money, and a percentage of any future transfer fees. He announced his retirement on November 1, 2018.

Charlotte Independence

On April 24, 2021, Dean returned to professional soccer after two years, signing a contract with

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

club

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memoria ...

ahead of the 2021 season.

Bay Cities FC

Ahead of the 2022 NISA season, Dean joined Bay Cities FC. He scored his first goal for the club on April 23, 2022, against California United Strikers FC.

Forward Madison FC

On June 8, 2022,

manager Matt Glaeser announced at a community meeting that the club had signed Dean.

International

Dean trained with the United States U20 side in 2012. Dean scored his first international goal for the U-23 team in a 30 friendly win over Mexico on April 22, 2015.

Career statistics

References

External links

* 1993 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players California Golden Bears men's soccer players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Whitecaps FC 2 players Chicago Fire FC players Charlotte Independence players Bay Cities FC players Forward Madison FC players Men's association football defenders Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players National Independent Soccer Association players United States men's under-23 international soccer players People from East Palo Alto, California Soccer players from San Mateo County, California USL Championship players USL League One players De Anza Force players 21st-century American sportsmen {{US-footy-defender-1990s-stub