Kendall Burks (born October 8, 1999) 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 plays as a defender for

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

Lexington SC Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an expansion side in USL League One (the third division of the United States soccer league system), the clu ...

Career

Youth, college & amateur

Burks attended

Stadium High School Stadium High School is a public high school located in the Stadium District near downtown Tacoma, Washington. A historic landmark, the original building opened as a school in 1906 after conversion of an uncompleted railway hotel project. The ...

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, where he earned second team All-Pierce County League honors as a freshman and first team honors as a sophomore and a junior. As a junior Burks was also named Pierce County League MVP, first team all-region and all-state. He also played club soccer with Washington Premier FC, where he helped the team to four state titles. In 2018, Burks committed to play

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 ...

California State University, 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 ...

. In two seasons with the Roadrunners, Burks made 36 appearances and had two assists to his name. In his freshman season, he earned All-

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

Freshman Team honors. In 2020, Burks transferred to the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, going on to play 38 times for the Huskies, where he scored five goals and tallied four assists. In 2021, he was an All-Region Second Team and All-

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

Second Team selection. While at college, Burks appeared in the

USL League Two 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 ...

for

Seattle Sounders FC U-23 Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced i ...

during their 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Professional

On January 11, 2022, Burks was selected 11th overall in the

2022 MLS SuperDraft The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was the 23rd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season and has been conducted via conference calls since 2020. Previously, the S ...

by Chicago Fire. He didn't immediately sign with Chicago after the draft, instead going on trial with

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

side

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

. On February 25, 2022, Burks signed with

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 ...

's Chicago Fire. He made his first team debut on April 19, 2022, starting in a

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

fixture against

Union Omaha Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. Nicknamed the Owls, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1) in 2020. In the clubs first five seasons, the Owls finished in ...

. He spent time with the club's

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...

team during their 2022 season. On February 7, 2024, Burks joined

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 ...

following his release from Chicago at the end of their 2023 season. Burks signed with

on December 31, 2024, ahead of the club's first season competing in the

References

External links

Major League Soccer Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burks, Kendall 1999 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC players Chicago Fire FC II players Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners men's soccer players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players San Antonio FC players Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players Soccer players from Washington (state) Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington Stadium High School alumni USL League Two players Washington Huskies men's soccer players 21st-century American sportsmen Lexington SC players