Clyde Simms (born August 21, 1982) is an American former soccer player. He played in Major League Soccer from 2005 to 2013. He also represented the United States at international level.

Career

College

Born in

Jamestown, North Carolina Jamestown is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby cities of Greensboro and High Point. The population was 3,382 at the 2010 census. Geography Jamestown is located in southwestern Guilford Cou ...

, and attended

Southwest Guilford High School Southwest Guilford High School is a secondary school in High Point, North Carolina, United States established in 1979. It serves grades nine through twelve. The school was recently renovated and expanded to add more class rooms, a media center, ...

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. High Point is North Carolina's only city that ex ...

. Simms 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 ...

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its origi ...

from 2000 to 2003, where he appeared in 72 games and notched seven goals and seven assists. He was team captain his final three years.

Professional

Simms went undrafted by

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 ...

after college and instead signed with

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competit ...

. Although he had a relatively impressive first season with the Kickers and started 28 games for the club, Simms's talent was not really recognized until he was called into the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

camp as a

replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a strike or lockout, serving as a strikebreaker. Instances of replacement players Natio ...

due to a conflict between the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

and the players in 2005. Simms greatly impressed in camp and, when the disagreement was settled, Simms was asked to remain in camp and train with the regular team. Simms's performance in the national camp intrigued several MLS teams, and he was eventually signed as a discovery player by

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Su ...

on February 25, 2005. In the 2008 MLS season, Simms played in 30 MLS games, with 30 starts and two goals scored and two assists. He missed only 3 minutes the entire season. After seven seasons with D.C. United, 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 Waiv ...

. Simms was selected by

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

in stage two of the draft on December 12, 2011. He agreed a contract with New England eleven days later. Simms played two seasons for New England. He announced his retirement on February 13, 2014.

International

Simms has one cap for

, which he received on May 28, 2005, when he came on as an injury-time substitute against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Honors

D.C. United

Supporter's Shield (2): 2006,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

Lamar Hunt U.S. 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. O ...

(1):

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

NC Hall of Fame

*'
Inducted into the NC Soccer Hall of Fame on January 24, 2015
''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Clyde 1982 births Living people African-American soccer players American soccer players D.C. United players East Carolina University alumni North Carolina FC U23 players A-League (1995–2004) players Richmond Kickers players New England Revolution players United States men's international soccer players People from Jamestown, North Carolina Soccer players from North Carolina USL League Two players Major League Soccer players Association football midfielders 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people