Mark Bloom (born November 25, 1987) is a retired American soccer player. Bloom played as a defender.

Career

Youth and amateur

Born in Marietta, Georgia, Bloom 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 ...

Berry College Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian princi ...

, where he was a second-team All-Southern States Athletic Conference selection as a junior in 2008, and was his team's MVP in his senior year in 2009. During his time with Berry he helped the school to a 48-26-5 record, two conference titles, and scored 13 goals. During his college years Bloom also played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

both in the Atlanta Silverbacks U23's and the

Southern California Seahorses Southern California Seahorses are an American soccer team based in La Mirada, California. Founded in 2001, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the camp ...

Professional

Bloom signed his first professional contract in 2010 when he was signed by

AC St. Louis AC St. Louis was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF D2 Pro League, the s ...

of the

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

. He made his professional debut on April 10, 2010, in St. Louis's first ever game, against

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

Bloom joined

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games a ...

of the

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, ...

league for the 2011 season. In 2013, Bloom joined the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home gam ...

of the NASL. He was loaned to

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

on July 12, 2013. He made his Major League Soccer debut on September 14, 2013, playing a full 90 minutes in an away loss to

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. Bloom's loan option was exercised by Toronto FC, making a permanent move to the club the following season. On January 13, 2015, it was announced that he re-signed with the team on a multi-year deal. On March 25, 2016, Bloom was loaned to affiliate club

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, who play in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as well as ...

. He made his debut the following day in a 2–2 draw with

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Y ...

On December 13, 2016, he was traded to Atlanta United for

Clint Irwin Clinton Robert Irwin (born April 1, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Minnesota United. Early life Irwin attended high school at Charlotte Christian School. As a student, he played basketball, where h ...

who was selected by

Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began p ...

in the third round of the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft. As of December 2017, Bloom had his contract option with Atlanta United declined. He subsequently retired from professional football to work as a financial advisor.

References

External links

Toronto FC bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloom, Mark 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Marietta, Georgia American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Atlanta Silverbacks U23's players Southern California Seahorses players AC St. Louis players Charlotte Eagles players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Toronto FC players Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state) Expatriate soccer players in Canada USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL Championship players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Major League Soccer players Men's association football fullbacks Atlanta United FC players Toronto FC II players