Erik Hurtado (born November 15, 1990) is an American professional

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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

Club career

Born in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...

, Hurtado moved with his mother to her hometown of

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city in the Willamette Valley, Located in Multnomah County in the U.S. state of Oregon, bordered by Portland to the northwest and partially in the southwest. It was first settled in the early 1850s by the Powell brothers. It ...

when he was six. He began playing club soccer in nearby Beaverton before moving with his family to

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...

in Mexico. During his time in Mexico, Hurtado was invited to train with the youth academy at

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

side

UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

. He soon moved back to Beaverton and continued playing for his club side. During high-school, Hurtado played for both his high school team, the Westview Wildcats, and club side, Westside Metros. In 2009, Hurtado moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and enrolled at

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

and played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for the

Santa Clara Broncos The Santa Clara Broncos are athletic teams that represent Santa Clara University. The school colors are red and white. The nicknames for teams is The Broncos and the student fans are referred to as the "Ruff Riders". The Broncos compete in the ...

. He played four seasons for the Broncos, being named as the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

Player of the Year in his senior year. He scored a total of 33 goals during his time with the Broncos. While playing for the Santa Clara Broncos, Hurtado would spend the summer months playing for the

Portland Timbers U23s Capital FC is an American soccer team based in Salem, Oregon, United States. Although founded in 2008 as part of the development system for the Portland Timbers USSF D2 organization, beginning in 2011 they were part of the development system fo ...

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 ...

. During the 2011 season, Hurtado was joint top scorer in the team with 8 goals. He returned to the Timbers U23s for the 2012 season.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

After his senior year at Santa Clara, Hurtado attended the

MLS Combine The Major League Soccer Player Combine was a four-day annual showcase, that occurred every January until its discontinuation in 2020. Format The present Player Combine features four teams composed of invitees, usually who play on youth nation ...

. He was rated as the seventh best forward option in the

2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draf ...

and projected to be drafted late in the first round or early second round. On January 17, 2013, Hurtado was selected with the 5th overall pick 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 ...

. He made his professional debut for the club on March 2, 2013, against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute for

Daigo Kobayashi is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Club career Kobayashi started up his professional career at Tokyo Verdy where he won the 2004 Emperor's Cup and the 2005 Japanese Super Cup. In the same year, they were relegated ...

as Vancouver won 1–0. Hurtado ended his first professional season with no goals from 15 appearances, four being starts. Hurtado scored his first professional goal for the Whitecaps on May 10, 2014, against 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 ...

. His 37th-minute goal was the only one in a 1–0 victory. That goal was the first in a run of five matches in a row in which Hurtado managed to find the back of the net. He scored on May 14 against Toronto FC in the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

before finding the net against the

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

on May 24. He then scored in a 4–3 victory over his hometown

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 June 1 before finishing his scoring run against 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 ...

on June 7 in a 3–3 draw. Hurtado then ended the 2014 season with one goal each in two matches 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 ...

on September 13 and October 29. On August 7, 2015, Hurtado was loaned out to Norwegian

Tippeligaen Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

side

Mjøndalen Mjøndalen is a built up area in Drammen municipality in Buskerud, Buskerud county, Norway. It is situated south of the Drammenselva River opposite of Krokstadelva. History Mjøndalen has traditionally been a railway site most known as an indu ...

for the rest of the 2015 season. He made his debut for the club on August 13 in the

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament ...

against Rosenborg. The next season, he returned to Vancouver having scored two goals in 24 matches.

Sporting Kansas City

On December 14, 2018, Hurtado was traded to

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

in exchange for their second-round pick in the

2020 MLS SuperDraft The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was the 21st edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first SuperDraft held exclusively via conference call and web streaming. The first two rounds of the 2020 SuperDraft we ...

and their first-round pick in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conference call a ...

. He made his debut for Kansas City on February 21, 2019, in the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...

against

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...

. He came on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Krisztián Németh as Sporting won 3–0. He scored his first goal for the club on August 4 against the Seattle Sounders FC. His 58th-minute goal was the third in a 3–2 victory. On December 9, 2020, Hurtado was released by Sporting Kansas City following the 2020 season but was reported to be in discussions with the club regarding his future. On February 15, 2021, Hurtado announced that he had left the club.

CF Montréal

On February 16, 2021, Hurtado joined

CF Montréal Club de Foot Montréal () is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Montreal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Founded in 1992 as the Mo ...

on a one-year deal, with an option for another. He made his debut on April 14 against

, coming on as a substitute in the 4–2 victory.

Columbus Crew

On July 8, 2021, Hurtado was traded to the

in exchange for $200,000 in General Allocation Money. According to CF Montréal sporting director, Olivier Renard, the trade had to be made since Hurtado was not vaccinated against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and thus would not be allowed to enter Canada when the rest of the team were allowed to return. Hurtado made his Crew debut the next day in a 2–2 away draw against

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...

. Following the 2021 season, Columbus declined their contract option on Hurtado. However, Hurtado and Columbus came to terms on a new deal on February 3, 2022. Hurtado scored his first goal for the club on May 7, 2022, in a 2–2 tie with the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

San Antonio FC

On April 12, 2023, Hurtado 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 ...

side

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 a 25-day contract.

Career statistics

Club

Honors

Columbus Crew *

Campeones Cup The Campeones Cup is an annual North American association football match contested between the winners of the previous MLS Cup from Major League Soccer and the winners of the Campeón de Campeones from Liga MX. The competition was established by ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtado, Erik 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Fredericksburg, Virginia American men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players Capital FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Whitecaps FC 2 players Mjøndalen IF Fotball players Sporting Kansas City players Sporting Kansas City II players CF Montréal players Columbus Crew players Columbus Crew 2 players D.C. United players San Antonio FC players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Eliteserien players Soccer players from Virginia American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's footballers in Norway American expatriate sportspeople in Norway Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks United States men's youth international soccer players Soccer players from Oregon Sportspeople from Beaverton, Oregon Sportspeople from Gresham, Oregon American sportspeople of Mexican descent American expatriate sportspeople in Canada MLS Next Pro players 21st-century American sportsmen