Connor Maloney
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Connor Austin Maloney (born May 18, 1995) is an American former
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 played as a full-back. His senior career includes stints with four different American clubs and experience 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 ...
. Playing collegiately at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...
, Maloney was the 2014
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the ''Chicago Tribune'' awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the confer ...
. A native of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...
, Maloney graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School, where he was a two-sport athlete and set multiple school and state records. He played collegiately at
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
, where he was a two-time captain for the Nittany Lions and a three-time All-
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
First Team honoree. Maloney was drafted in the
2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 ...
by
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
. He played his first three professional seasons as a backup in Columbus, spending time on loan during two of those years with
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American ...
. Maloney signed for USL Championship club San Antonio FC in 2020.


Early life

Born in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...
, Maloney attended Bishop McDevitt High School, where he played soccer and
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
. He was a three-year captain of the varsity soccer team, twice earning all-
PIAA PIAA may refer to: * Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) is one of the governing bodies of Secondary school, high school and middle school athletics for Pennsylvan ...
honors. As a senior, Maloney was named as an
NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...
High School All-American after scoring 45 goals, including nine hat tricks. He scored 110 goals with the Crusaders, a school and conference record, and set a school record with 68 assists. He was also the Bishop McDevitt
placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...
for four years, debatably setting a state record by scoring 328 points. At club level, Maloney played for Pennsylvania Classics in the
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 ...
. While in high school, he spent two summers with the
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...
Academy, winning the
Generation Adidas Cup The Generation Adidas Cup (previously known as the SUM U-17 Cup) is a competition run by Major League Soccer for all U-17 MLS academy teams. As part of the Homegrown Initiative, the Generation Adidas Cup focused on player development while provid ...
in 2012. He was ranked as the no. 21 recruit in the country, and the third-best player in Pennsylvania, by TopDrawerSoccer.com and committed to play collegiately for the
Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...
and coach Bob Warming.


College and amateur

Maloney was officially announced as a member of the Nittany Lions on April 5, 2013, one of ten recruits that Penn State brought in ahead of the season. He went on to start every game he played across his four years in University Park. Maloney scored his first collegiate goal in a 2–1 loss to
Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...
on November 6 and scored his first postseason goal in a 1–0 victory over
UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joined ...
in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. He finished the season with two goals and a team-high seven assists from 21 appearances, good enough to earn a spot on the All-
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
Freshman team as a unanimous selection. Maloney put up his best statistical season as a sophomore: a career-high ten goals, as well as three assists, from 20 appearances. Five of his goals were match-winners, including in each of the first two games on the year. He was named as the 2014
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the ''Chicago Tribune'' awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the confer ...
and was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team. Prior to his junior season, Maloney was called up to the United States U23 national team, taking part in a college identification training camp ahead of the
2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship The 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship was the fourteenth edition of the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship, CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying, the quadrennial, international, age-restricted association football, foot ...
. After returning to Penn State, he was named as a team captain for the Nittany Lions; Maloney responded by leading the team in shots, shots on goal, and goals. He tallied seven goals and two assists on the year, including a pair of two-goal performances in midseason. Although Penn State failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years, Maloney was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the second consecutive season. As a senior, he was again named as a captain and led the team with eight goals, five assists, and 25 shots on goal. Maloney capped the season by being named to the All-Big Ten First Team, the third consecutive year he was honored as such, and was named to the All-Great Lakes Region Second Team by the NSCAA. He finished his Penn State career with 27 goals from 75 appearances.


Reading United

Following his freshman season with the Nittany Lions, Maloney spent time with Reading United of the
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 ...
. He made just one appearance, playing for six minutes, during his brief stint with the club.


Club career


Columbus Crew


2017–2018: Loans to Pittsburgh

Maloney was selected 49th overall in the
2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 ...
by
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
. Although he played as a forward in college, he changed positions as a professional to become a defender, capable of playing at either outside back position. After taking part in preseason camp, Maloney officially signed with the club on February 20. He made his professional debut less than a month later, in a match against
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
on March 11. With Columbus trailing at halftime, he entered in place of Harrison Afful and played the final 45 minutes of a 3–1 defeat for the Crew. On May 19, Maloney was sent on loan to
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American ...
, the Crew's
United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
affiliate. The loan was on a match-by-match basis, with Maloney able to be recalled by Columbus at any time. He made his debut for the Hounds the next day, starting and playing 61 minutes in a 1–0 defeat to Louisville City. Maloney played just once more while on loan and returned to Columbus after those two appearances. He appeared in one more game after being recalled by the Crew, making his first professional start and tallying an assist against
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
in late July. His season ended after undergoing a meniscectomy on his left knee on October 24, just two days before the club's first playoff game. On December 1, Maloney had his contract option picked up by the Crew. After being unable to find the field in Columbus in early 2018, Maloney was again sent on loan to Pittsburgh on May 25, 2018. He made his second debut for the Riverhounds the next day, starting and playing 86 minutes of a scoreless draw against
Penn FC Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of th ...
. After again making just one more appearance for Pittsburgh, Maloney was recalled by the Crew. He went on to make two appearances in Columbus over the remainder of the season. In his one league appearance, he replaced Milton Valenzuela in the 62nd minute of a game against
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
on September 19 and provided his second career assist on a Niko Hansen goal three minutes into stoppage time. On November 19, Maloney was named as the recipient of the Kirk Urso Heart Award as "the player that best exemplified the qualities in a teammate and became 'the heart'" in the club's locker room. The club exercised the option on Maloney's contract on November 26.


2019: Playing time in Columbus

Under new head coach
Caleb Porter Caleb Porter (born February 18, 1975) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach of Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. He was previously head coach of the Portland Timbers from 2013 until 2017. He won MLS Cup in 2015 with P ...
, Maloney began the
2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...
as the fourth-choice outside back, sitting behind Harrison Afful,
Waylon Francis Waylon Dwayne Francis Box (; born 20 September 1990) is a Costa Rican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back for Liga FPD club A.D. Municipal Liberia, Liberia. Club care ...
, and
Hector Jiménez In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...
on the depth chart. He played just 15 minutes in one substitute appearance through the first five months of the season, but jumped into the lineup in August with multiple players out injured. Playing as a left back for the first time in his career, Maloney went on to start the Crew's final nine matches of the season. He was praised by Porter for his work rate and for "punching above his weight". Maloney finished the year with 11 appearances in all competitions, after he had played just eight total professional matches across his first two pro seasons. At the roster decision deadline ahead of the 2020 season, the Crew declined the option on Maloney's contract, ending his time with the club after three seasons. He went unselected in the
2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft The 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on November 26, 2019 (Stage 1) and December 3, 2019 (Stage 2). All 26 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The priority order for the MLS Re-Entry Draft was reverse order of finish in 201 ...
.


San Antonio FC

Following his release from Columbus, Maloney joined
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
San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio FC ...
on January 6, 2020. He scored a goal in a preseason loss against
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
before making his club debut in a 1–0 victory over
Real Monarchs Real Monarchs is a professional soccer club playing in the MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer. The team is an affiliate of the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Real Salt Lake. Real Monarchs are based in the Real Salt Lake ...
on March 7. Maloney appeared in 16 matches on the year, keeping his starting spot after the season was paused due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and then resumed in July. He tallied two assists, both coming in September, in victories against
Rio Grande Valley FC Toros Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, was an American professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas, Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The tea ...
and
OKC Energy Oklahoma City Energy Football Club, or simply Energy FC, 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. Although ...
. Although San Antonio qualified for the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, they were eliminated in the conference quarterfinals by
New Mexico United New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U. ...
. Maloney was substituted in the 68th minute. His contract with the club expired at the end of the season, but Maloney re-signed with San Antonio on January 7, 2021. As he returned for his second season in San Antonio, Maloney was "projected to reprise prominent role" by the ''
San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...
''. However, he suffered a lower body injury, missed the first 12 games of the year, and did not return to the field until mid-July. Maloney then settled into a
utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...
role, appearing at five different positions while starting all but one of his 23 total games played. During the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs, he provided two assists and, in the conference final against
Orange County SC Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier ...
, scored his attempt during the
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. Maloney re-signed with San Antonio for a third season on January 21, 2022. During the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs, Maloney scored the game-winner in the Western Conference final against
Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the Western Conference in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The fra ...
on November 6.


Personal life

Maloney graduated from Penn State with a degree in
kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...
. His older sister, Kelsie, played four years of college soccer at
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
; one brother, Austin, also played soccer at Penn State; and another brother, Ryan, played soccer at Bishop McDevitt. All three of the brothers were coached by their father, Terence, while in high school.


Career statistics


Honors

Philadelphia Union *
Generation Adidas Cup The Generation Adidas Cup (previously known as the SUM U-17 Cup) is a competition run by Major League Soccer for all U-17 MLS academy teams. As part of the Homegrown Initiative, the Generation Adidas Cup focused on player development while provid ...
: 2012 Penn State *
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
(regular season):
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
San Antonio FC *
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 ...
(regular season):
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
*
USL Championship Final The USL Championship final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports le ...
: 2022 Individual * All-Big Ten Freshman Team: 2013 *
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the ''Chicago Tribune'' awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the confer ...
:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
* All-Big Ten First Team: 2014,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
*
NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...
All-Great Lakes Region Second Team: 2016 * Kirk Urso Heart Award:
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...


See also

* All-time Columbus Crew roster *
List of people from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, the fifth-most populous U.S. state, state in the United States, is the birthplace or childhood home of many famous Americans. People from Pennsylvania are sometimes called "Pennsylvanians". The following is a list of notable ...


Notes


References


External links


Penn State profile
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maloney, Connor 1995 births Living people American men's soccer players Soccer players from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Men's association football fullbacks Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players Reading United AC players Columbus Crew draft picks Columbus Crew players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players San Antonio FC players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players USL League Two players 21st-century American sportsmen