Lyle Martin (born March 25, 1985) is an American soccer player.

Career

College and amateur

Martin made his debut in the football field in 2004, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...

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 Bak ...

, appearing in 79 career games and scoring 29 goals. In his senior year, he earned the 2006 California Collegiate Athletic Association goal-scoring title with 17 goals in 19 matches, which paved the way for him to become the second most single-season goals in school history. During his college years he also played for

Bakersfield Brigade Bakersfield Brigade was an American soccer team based in Bakersfield, California, United States. Founded in 2005, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after whic ...

of the USL Premier Development League, scoring five goals in 10 games in his rookie season in 2005, and playing in 16 matches and scoring nine goals in 2006.

Professional

Martin was drafted by Chivas USA in the

2007 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft was held on January 18, 2007, following the SuperDraft (held on January 12, 2007), as teams filled out their developmental rosters. Changes from 2006 * 2007 expansion club Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (co ...

, but signed instead with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division. In his first season, in Vancouver he earned 19 starts in 24 games and played 1,657 minutes, and was honored with the Whitecaps Newcomer of the Year award. On October 12, 2008, he helped the Whitecaps capture their second USL First Division championship, beating the

Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

2–1. On December 18, 2008, the Whitecaps announced the contract extensions of Martin and

Wesley Charles Wesley Charles (born 12 December 1975) is a Vincentian footballer. He was born in Brighton. Career Europe Charles spent the beginning of the 2000s traveling Europe. His travels started in Ireland, where he first joined Bray Wanderers in Nov ...

for the 2009 season. Martin was released by the Whitecaps at the end of the 2009 season. Martin moved to China with his former teammate

Charles Gbeke Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team. Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders and ...

and signed a contract with Chinese Super League side

Shaanxi Chanba Beijing Chengfeng Football Club () was a professional Chinese football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Fengtai District, Beijing and their hom ...

in February 2010. He is the first American footballer to play for a Chinese professional football club. He played as a forward in China and scored his first goal for Shaanxi on 25 April, in a 3–2 home win against Shenzhen Ruby. He was released by Shaanxi in June 2010 and signed a contract with

China League One The Chinese Football Association China League (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (中甲联赛), is the second level of professional football in China. Above League One is the Chinese Super League. Prior to the formation of ...

side Hubei Luyin in July. In March 2011, Martin transferred to

Beijing Baxy Beijing Sport University Football Club (), commonly known as BSU (), is a Chinese professional football club that currently participates in the China League One division under license from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based ...

. He was released in the summer of 2011. Martin signed with NASL club

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadium ...

on December 19, 2012. On April 10, 2014, Martin signed with Chivas USA.

Honors

Vancouver Whitecaps

* USL First Division Championship (1):

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

References

External links

player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Lyle 1985 births Living people American soccer players Association football defenders American expatriate sportspeople in Canada Bakersfield Brigade players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players American expatriate sportspeople in China USL First Division players Chinese Super League players China League One players Expatriate footballers in China Beijing Renhe F.C. players Wuhan F.C. players Beijing Sport University F.C. players San Antonio Scorpions players Chivas USA players Expatriate soccer players in Canada USL League Two players Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners men's soccer players North American Soccer League players Chivas USA draft picks Soccer players from California Sportspeople from Bakersfield, California