Reginald Jacob Cannon (born June 11, 1998) 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

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

. He played one year of

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 the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

in 2016 and made his

debut for

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

the following year, totaling 75 appearances for the club. In 2020, he moved to Boavista for a potential fee of $3.5 million. Cannon made his first appearance for the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

in 2018. He played at the

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, winning the latter as well as the

2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals The 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League, 2019–20 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, the inaugural season of the international Association football, football competition invo ...

Youth and development

Cannon played high school soccer at Grapevine Faith Christian School in

Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. Its population was 50,631 in the 2020 United States Census, ...

, coached by Matt McKinney. During his freshman year Grapevine Faith won the TAPPS Division 2 Texas state championship in boys' soccer. In high school Cannon played for the FC Dallas academy team. Cannon won back-to-back national championships for FC Dallas's academy before joining

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. Cannon played one year of

at the

in 2016, making 20 appearances for the Bruins. He was one of three players and the only freshman to appear in and start every match for the Bruins. Further, Cannon finished the year having played 1,753 minutes; playing the third most minutes on the team.

Professional career

FC Dallas

Cannon left college and signed a homegrown player contract with

on December 22, 2016. He was the 18th homegrown player in Dallas's history. On June 14, 2017, he made his professional debut when he started in a 2–1 win over

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Cannon made his MLS debut for the club on September 2, in a 2–2 tie at home to the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, 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 (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

, as an added-time substitute for

Michael Barrios Michael David Barrios Puerta (born 21 April 1991) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Once Caldas. Club career Barrios spent four seasons with Colombian Categoría Primera A s ...

. In the 2018 season, Cannon cemented his place as a regular starter for the team. He made his first start for the team in their first game of the season, a 1–1 tie at home to

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

on March 4. He totalled 34 appearances, and scored once to open a 2–2 tie against

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

at the Toyota Stadium on May 19. Cannon played 29 games for Dallas in the 2019 season. He scored two goals for the team, a career high for the defender. Amidst transfer speculation, Cannon signed a new, four-year contract with a team option with the team in March 2020. He started the first two games of the season before the league went on hiatus due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. His team did not take part in the subsequent season restart,

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League ...

, being forced to withdraw after ten players and one staff member tested positive for

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

Boavista

On September 9, 2020, FC Dallas announced that they had reached an agreement with Portuguese side

Boavista F.C. Boavista Futebol Clube (), commonly known as Boavista, is a Portuguese professional sports club from the of Porto that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football league system, Portuguese football, at the Estádio do B ...

for the transfer of Cannon in a deal worth up to $3.5 million, along with a 25–50% sell-on fee. He debuted for Boavista in the team's 2020–21

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

opener against C.D. Nacional; the game ended in a 3–3 draw. Cannon was sent off for the first time as a professional on November 5, 2021, in the 58th minute of a 5–2 home loss to

F.C. Famalicão Futebol Clube de Famalicão, commonly known as Famalicão, is a Portuguese professional association football, football club from Vila Nova de Famalicão. Founded on 21 August 1931, its senior team currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top tie ...

, for a foul on Iván Jaime. In the 2022–23 season, he was sent off two more times: in a 4–1 home loss to city rivals

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...

, and in a 1–0 win over Gil Vicente F.C. also at the

Estádio do Bessa The Estádio do Bessa Sec. XXI (') is a soccer, football stadium located in the Boavista area of Porto, Portugal, used by Boavista F.C., Boavista Futebol Clube. Like other stadiums used in Euro 2004, the Bessa is a new ground but built on top of ...

. In June 2023, Cannon unilaterally terminated his contract, alleging unpaid wages. Boavista chairman Vítor Murta denied the claims and said that he would go to court.

Queens Park Rangers

On September 26, 2023, Cannon officially joined English club

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

on a free transfer, signing a four-year deal. He left the club by mutual consent on the 30th of August 2024.

Colorado Rapids

On 11 September 2024, Cannon was announced at Colorado Rapids on a three and a half year contract, with the option for a further year.

International career

On October 16, 2018, Cannon made his first senior appearance for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

in a friendly against

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, which finished 1–1. He made the cut for the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was p ...

, due to

Tyler Adams Tyler Shaan Adams (born February 14, 1999) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays for club AFC Bournemouth, Bournemouth and the United States men's national soccer team, United States national team. Primarily ...

's injury, and played four matches including the 1–0 final loss to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Cannon faced strong competition at right-back from DeAndre Yedlin and

Sergiño Dest Sergiño Gianni Dest (; born November 3, 2000) is a professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Full-back (association football), full-back for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and the United States men's national soccer team, U ...

. On June 6, 2021, he came on as a substitute for the former for the second half of extra time, as the United States defeated Mexico 3–2 in the

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League (, ) is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its secondary continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament takes pla ...

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. Three days later, he scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 friendly win over

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

at the

Rio Tinto Stadium America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is a soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, United States. It is the home of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Utah Royals of the National Women' ...

. He made four appearances at the

2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 16th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean regions organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was ...

, as second-choice to Shaq Moore and starting only in the 1–0 win over Mexico in the

on August 1. Cannon was not chosen for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, as Dest, Moore, Scally, and Yedlin were selected at right-back.

Personal life

Cannon is the grandson of atmospheric scientist Dr. Warren Washington. His step-sister, Bianca Smith, is a professional baseball coach. Cannon married his wife, Kendall, in April 2020. On August 12, 2020, Cannon spoke out against Dallas fans for booing and throwing a bottle at the players before a 0–1 loss against

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...

because the players knelt during the national anthem in solidarity of the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

movement, calling the fans' actions "disgusting". He subsequently received racist comments and death threats. Cannon said that FC Dallas prepared an apology message for him to post to fans on social media, which he refused. He said in March 2021 that he had left the United States due to his safety being "compromised" since the kneeling.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cannon goal''.

Honors

United States *

: 2019–20

References

External links

UCLA bio
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Reggie 1998 births Living people Sportspeople from Grapevine, Texas Soccer players from Dallas County, Texas Soccer players from Chicago African-American soccer players American men's soccer players Men's association football fullbacks UCLA Bruins men's soccer players FC Dallas players Boavista F.C. players Homegrown Players (MLS) Major League Soccer players Primeira Liga players United States men's international soccer players 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal 21st-century African-American sportsmen Queens Park Rangers F.C. players English Football League players 21st-century American sportsmen Colorado Rapids players Expatriate men's footballers in England