Nelson David Becerra (born 20 July 1987) is a Peruvian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Career

College and amateur

Becerra grew up in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The s ...

, where he was a teammate of fellow professional

José Angulo José Angulo (born 13 January 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for New Amsterdam FC in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). Career Youth Angulo grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the ...

. He began his

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 ...

at Centenary College of New Jersey, where he earned NSCAA second team Metro Region accolades, Skyline Conference first team honors, and was named Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year. He transferred to St. John's University prior to his sophomore season. In 2008, Becerra earned NSCAA All-Northeast Region third team honors; he was also named the Midfielder of the Year for the Big East conference and was part of the All-BIG EAST first team as a junior. He helped lead the Red Storm to their first College Cup appearance since 2003, earning himself an invitation to the 2010 MLS Combine. During his college years, Becerra also played in the

USL 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 ...

for the Long Island Rough Riders and the Central Jersey Spartans. He scored three goals in 10 games with the Long Island Rough Riders in 2008. With the Spartans in 2010, he bagged eight assists in only nine games.

Professional

Having attended the MLS combine in 2010, Becerra signed his first professional contract in 2011 when he signed with the

Harrisburg City Islanders Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...

of 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 ...

. He made his professional debut on April 23 in a 1–0 loss to 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 ...

, and scored his first professional goal on May 14 in a 1–1 tie with the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

.http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175623

References

External links

Harrisburg City Islanders bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becerra, Nelson 1987 births Living people Footballers from Lima Men's association football midfielders Peruvian men's footballers 21st-century Peruvian sportsmen St. John's Red Storm men's soccer players Long Island Rough Riders players Central Jersey Spartans players Penn FC players Jersey Express S.C. players Wigry Suwałki players FC Motown players USL League Two players USL Championship players II liga players Peruvian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in Poland