Joshua Myiah Wicks (born November 1, 1983) 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 plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

Career

Early life and amateur

Wicks was born on a US Army base,

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), also known as Landstuhl Hospital, is a U.S. Army post in Landstuhl, Germany, near Ramstein Air Base. It is an amalgamation of Marceau Kaserne () and Wilson Barracks (''Kirchberg-Kaserne''), which we ...

, in

Landstuhl Landstuhl (), officially the Sickingen Town of Landstuhl (), is a town in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Municipal Association of Landstuhl. Situated on the north-west edge of the Palatin ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but grew up in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

. He 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

Cal State Bakersfield California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB, Cal State Bakersfield, or CSU Bakersfield) is a public university in Bakersfield, California. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Ba ...

, and during his collegiate off-season Wicks played one summer with

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The Menace have had sustained success in USL Lea ...

in the

USL 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 ...

Professional

In 2005, his first year as a professional, Wicks enjoyed a successful campaign with

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

. Wicks began the season as the backup to Mike Franks. However, injuries to the number one keeper allowed him to appear in 13 games, including two games in the playoffs. Wicks allowed only 0.55 goals per game and his overall record was five wins, four losses, and four ties. He also recorded seven shutouts, including both playoff games. Wicks re-signed for the Caps in 2006 and served as backup to Tony Caig. He also helped the Caps win their first

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

by beating the

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American association football, soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-Major League Soccer ...

3–0. In March 2007, Wicks signed with the

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 ...

as one of two goalkeepers. For the season, he recorded a .603 GAA with 14 shutouts in 27 games (all league highs), earning him Goalkeeper of the Year honors. He also delivered 2 assists (good for 3rd best on the team) from his booming goal kicks. Wicks had been on trial with

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

during the club's pre-season, featuring in the inaugural

Pan-Pacific Championship The Pan-Pacific Football Championship was an inter-confederation football (soccer), football tournament between teams from A-League (Australia and New Zealand), Chinese Super League (People's Republic of China, China), J. League (Japan), K-League ...

in Hawaii, and featuring on their Asian tour in China and Hong Kong. Having impressed Galaxy coach

Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a former Dutch Association football, footballer and subsequent manager. Regarded among the greatest footballers of all time, he was also noted for his Utility player#Association football, abili ...

with his performances, Wicks signed a full professional contract with Galaxy on March 26, 2008. He made his MLS debut on 30 August 2008 against

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 ...

, coming on as a second-half substitute for

Steve Cronin Steve Michael Cronin (born May 28, 1983) is an American retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Career College and amateur Cronin was born in Sacramento, California. He played college soccer at Santa Clara University from 2001 to 2003 ...

, who had suffered an injury. Wicks was traded to

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

in return for a conditional 4th round 2010 MLS SuperDraft pick. He made his debut for United against his former club on 22 March 2009 in the 2009 MLS Season opener for both clubs. Wicks was released by D.C. United on April 16, 2010 and subsequently moved to Finland when he signed for

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...

club

IFK Mariehamn IFK Mariehamn is a Finnish football club based in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland Islands. It plays in the Finnish Premier Division (''Veikkausliiga''), winning their first title in 2016. The club is managed by Gary Williams, and it plays ...

. He made his debut for Mariehamn on January 18, 2011, in a 4–0 victory over

FC Haka FC Haka, originally ''Valkeakosken Haka'', commonly known as Haka, is a Finnish professional football club based in the industrial town of Valkeakoski. The club was founded in 1934 and competes in Finland's premier division, the Veikkausliiga. ...

in the

Finnish League Cup The Finnish League Cup (in Finnish: ''Liigacup''), is a knock-out football competition contested annually during the pre-season in winter by teams from Veikkausliiga. The competition is notably the only football competition in Europe which is most ...

. In his first season with the club he was named best player of the entire league by Finnish sports magazine Veikaaja. On 15 July Joshua signed with Þór Akureyri in the 1st division in Iceland. In 2014, Wicks signed with

AFC United Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish professional football club based in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching owne ...

in the Swedish

Division 1 Norra Ettan Fotboll, or simply Ettan (), which also is its common name in everyday speech, is the third level in the Swedish football league system and consists of 32 Swedish football teams. It was formerly simply known as ''Division 1''. Division 1 ...

. Wicks helped AFC to two promotions in his three years with the club, before leaving for a one-year deal with fellow

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

newcomers

IK Sirius Idrottsklubben Sirius, commonly known as IK Sirius or Sirius, is a Swedish Sport, sports club located in Uppsala. Today IK Sirius is active in bandy, floorball, and association football, football as an . History The sports club that became IK Sir ...

before the 2017 season. After the season, Wicks signed a new two-year deal with Sirius. On 19 April 2018, Sirius announced that Wicks would have his contract terminated for violation of team rules. Wicks announced his retirement on Instagram on December 29, 2024.

Trouble in DC

On August 29, 2009, during a game against the Chicago Fire, Wicks confronted teammate

Marc Burch Marc Burch (born May 7, 1984, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American former professional soccer player. Career College and amateur Burch played college soccer at the University of Evansville for three seasons from 2002 to 2004, scoring seven goals ...

after Burch failed to clear out of the box during a Fire free-kick. A shoving match ensued; Wicks was both praised and criticized for the incident. Days later, on September 2, 2009, during the 2009

US 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. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

final against

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 ...

, he intentionally stomped on an opponent,

Fredy Montero Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz (born 26 July 1987), known as Fredy Montero (, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Real Cartagena. He was the all-time top scorer for the Seattle Sounders until being surpassed by Ra� ...

, after Montero scored a goal against him. His act earned a red card and his team went on to lose the game 2–1, and the cup. He was subsequently suspended for 5 future Open Cup games.

Honors

Vancouver Whitecaps

Championship (1):

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Individual

Goalkeeper of the Year:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Josh 1983 births Living people People from Landstuhl American expatriate men's soccer players American men's soccer players D.C. United players Des Moines Menace players Men's association football goalkeepers Þór Akureyri players IFK Mariehamn players LA Galaxy players AFC Eskilstuna players IK Sirius Fotboll players Allsvenskan players Superettan players Major League Soccer players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players A.F.C. Leopards players USL First Division players USL League Two players 1. deild karla players Veikkausliiga players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Expatriate men's footballers in Kenya Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Iceland Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners men's soccer players Sportspeople from San Bernardino, California Soccer players from San Bernardino County, California