Luke George-Blakely (born 13 July 1988) is an English-born Antiguan international footballer who played for

Antigua Barracuda FC Antigua Barracuda were an Antiguan professional football team based in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. Founded in 2010, the team played in USL Pro, the third tier of the United States soccer league system from 2011 to 2013. The team played ...

in the

USL Professional Division 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 ...

. Blakely started his youth career playing for Highfield Rangers in his hometown of

Leicester, England Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. In 2007, he relocated to the U.S. 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 ...

for

Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Marshalltown, Iowa. It is part of the Iowa Valley Community College District. The campus is located just to the south of Marshalltown along Highway 30. A second campus, Iowa ...

in the

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

Career

College and amateur

Blakely played the 2007 season with

where he helped MCC win the Iowa Conference and finish 3rd in the

national tournament. Blakely was awarded an honorable mention in the 2007 Iowa Regional team. Blakely transferred to

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

of the NAIA for the 2008 season where he helped IIT win two CCAC Conference Championships in 2008 and 2010. While captaining the side for his junior and senior year, Blakely was CCAC All-Conference honorable mention in 2008 and CCAC first team all-Conference in 2010. During his college years Blakely also played for the

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. ...

in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

and

U23 in the

United States Adult Soccer Association The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for Amateur sports, amateur Association football, soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and ...

. In 2010 Blakely helped the

U23 to a national championship.

Professional

Blakely signed with

club

in March 2012. He made his professional debut on 6, April 2012 in the Barracudas season opening game against the

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 ...

International career

Blakely received his first call up to the

Antigua and Barbuda national football team The Antigua and Barbuda national football team represents Antigua and Barbuda in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association, founded in 1928, it is a member of CONCACAF, CFU and also a ...

in March 2012 and was included in the squad for a friendly against

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

. Blakely received his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

on 12, March 2012 when he started in the 1–0 defeat against

. On 30, March 2012 Blakely received his second cap when he started for Antigua against St Vincent. Blakely was starting defensive midfielder in the Antigua and Barbuda World Cup Qualifiers squad that is competed in a group with USA, Jamaica and Guatemala.

External links

Marshalltown Stats
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakely, Luke 1988 births Living people English men's footballers Antigua and Barbuda men's footballers Antigua and Barbuda men's international footballers Antigua Barracuda FC players Barwell F.C. players Stamford A.F.C. players Loughborough Dynamo F.C. players USL Championship players English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent Sportspeople of Antigua and Barbuda descent Footballers from Leicester Men's association football midfielders Men's association football defenders 21st-century English sportsmen