Michael Joseph da Fonte (born 18 April 1991) 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.

Career

Youth and college

Mike da Fonte played his youth soccer with JBS FC a soccer club that was based out of Westchester County, New York. Following his youth career da Fonte played for

Bryant University Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It has three colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New E ...

in 2009 before transferring to

Longwood University Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary and colloquially known as Longwood or Longwood College, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of ...

for the 2010 season. In 2011, he transferred again, this time to the

University of Rio Grande The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College (originally Rio Grande College) is a private university and public community college merged into one institution in Rio Grande, Ohio. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commissi ...

, where he concluded his college soccer career. During his college career, he also played with the

Westchester Flames Westchester Flames is an American soccer team based in New Rochelle, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games at City Park Stadium ...

of the

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 ...

during the 2012 season. He played as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for Westchester appearing in nine matches and scoring two goals.

Professional

In 2012, da Fonte went on trial with Portuguese First Division club

S.C. Olhanense Sporting Clube Olhanense (), commonly known as Olhanense, is a Portuguese sports club from Olhão, Algarve. Its Association football, football team was founded on 27 April 1912 and currently plays in the Algarve Football Association Portuguese Di ...

, however due to the club's financial problems they were unable to sign him. However, he was signed by S.C. Espinho of the

Portuguese Second Division Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. In his first year in Portugal, da Fonte became a starter for the club and appeared in 23 league matches scoring 1 goal. He scored his lone goal of the season on January 20, 2013, in a 1–1 draw with

UD Sousense União Desportiva Sousense ''(abbreviated as UD Sousense)'' is a Portuguese football club based in Foz de Sousa, Gondomar in the district of Porto. Background UD Sousense currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal which is the third tier ...

. For the 2013–14 season da Fonte signed for Juventude de Pedras Salgadas and made 23 league appearances for the club. Da Fonte returned to the United States and signed with

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional Association football, 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. Hi ...

for the 2015 season. He made his debut as a starter in the club's inaugural match, a 0–0 draw with the

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

. da Fonte was named to the USL Team of the Week for his performance in a 1–0 victory over

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...

on June 13, 2015. Da Fonte moved across USL to

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that competes in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

for the 2016 season. He signed with the Colorado Rapids early in the 2017 season. On February 10, 2018, da Fonte joined the

Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. They won the league championship in 2023, defeating the ...

on loan for the 2018 season. Da Fonte was released by Colorado at the end of their 2018 season. Da Fonte signed with

OKC Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club, or simply Energy FC, is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer lea ...

on March 28, 2019. He was released at the end of the 2019 season, but re-signed with the club on September 2, 2020, for the remainder of the season.

Personal life

Da Fonte is of Portuguese descent through his father.

References

External links

* *
newyorkredbulls.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Da Fonte, Mike 1991 births Living people American men's soccer players American people of Portuguese descent Sportspeople of Portuguese descent American expatriate men's soccer players Westchester Flames players S.C. Espinho players Juventude de Pedras Salgadas players New York Red Bulls II players Sacramento Republic FC players Colorado Rapids players People from Ossining, New York Phoenix Rising FC players OKC Energy FC players Men's association football defenders Soccer players from Westchester County, New York Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Bryant Bulldogs men's soccer players Longwood Lancers men's soccer players Rio Grande RedStorm men's soccer players 21st-century American sportsmen