Dante Deneen Washington (born November 21, 1970) 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 striker. Washington played college soccer at Radford University, and was named a first team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1991. He is the NCAA career leader for assists in men's soccer.

Playing career

After years in the various indoor leagues and minor outdoor leagues, he signed with MLS and the

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 ...

midway through the inaugural 1996 season. But after only three games with the club, Dante was traded to the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

for the rights to Brad Friedel. Washington spent the next three and a half seasons in Dallas, his best being in 1997, when he scored 12 goals. In 2000, it was off to Columbus again, traded for a draft pick. Washington scored 15 in his first season back with the Crew, but his production declined during the next two seasons and he wasn't re-signed in 2003. Washington would spend the next two years with the Virginia Beach Mariners of the A-League. In 2004, he led the league in scoring and tied for the lead in goals. At the end of the year, Dante received a surprise call-up to the Crew and started a playoff game over the befuddled regular starter Edson Buddle. He stayed with the club through the opening of the 2005 season, but was let go when Columbus acquired Cornell Glen. He was then acquired by

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 exchange for salary budget considerations sent to Columbus. In nine years of MLS play, Washington scored 52 league goals and added 30 assists. He retired from MLS following the 2005 season, but later signed with the Baltimore Blast of the MISL. Washington had played for a few years prior to his stint in the MLS with the Washington Warthogs in the CISL. Washington played for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. He earned a total of six caps for the senior team, the first coming on March 12, 1991, against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He scored on his debut and added one other goal for his country. Washington is one of 22 college players to be part of the 40-40 club, having both 40 goals and 40 assists in their college career.

Honors

Club

Dallas Burn * U.S. Open Cup:

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Columbus Crew * U.S. Open Cup:

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Individual

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

* A-League Top Scorer:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Dante 1970 births Living people All-American college men's soccer players African-American soccer players American men's soccer players American soccer commentators Men's association football forwards Baltimore Blast (2001–2008 MISL) players Columbus Crew players Continental Indoor Soccer League players FC Dallas players Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Major League Soccer players Olympic soccer players for the United States Radford Highlanders men's soccer players Real Salt Lake players Soccer players from Baltimore United States men's international soccer players USL First Division players Virginia Beach Mariners players Washington Warthogs players Major League Soccer All-Stars United States men's under-23 international soccer players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Footballers at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in football