Roger Levesque
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Roger Levesque (born January 22, 1981) is an American former
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 played most of his career with the Seattle Sounders and its successor in
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 ...
,
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
. On January 28, 2010, he was ranked 19th in the
USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...
Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade. Levesque has become a Sounders fan favorite for his work rate, length of service with the club, his wit, and clever goal celebrations. His last game was Wednesday, July 18, 2012, in an exhibition match against
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...
After retiring from professional soccer, Levesque headed to the University of Washington's
Foster School of Business The University of Washington Foster School of Business (also known as UW Foster) is the business school of the University of Washington in Seattle. Founded in 1917 as the University of Washington School of Business Administration, the school was ...
to pursue a master's degree in business administration.


Career


High school and college

Born in
Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
, Levesque led Falmouth High School in
Falmouth, Maine Falmouth ( ) is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. A northern suburb of Portland, Falmouth borders Casco Bay a ...
to the 1996 and 1997
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
state championships. In 1998, he was selected the state player of the year by the Maine Sunday Telegram. His 106 goals over 4 years at Falmouth places him at second most goals in Maine history. Levesque was also a standout basketball player, twice named Maine's Class C player of the year by the
Lewiston Sun Journal The ''Sun Journal'' is a newspaper published in Lewiston, Maine, United States, which covers central and western Maine. In addition to its main office in Lewiston, the newspaper also maintains satellite news and sales bureaus in the Maine towns ...
, and leading Falmouth to state titles in 1997, and 1998. Roger also played for Maine Coast United leading them to 3 state titles and earning interest from the national under-23 team. Levesque played
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
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
from 1999 to 2002. After two seasons as a reserve, Levesque became a starter as a junior, and ended the season as a second-team
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
, having scored 14 goals and 9 assists. In his senior year he led the team in points with 7 goals and 13 assists, and was named a third team All-American. Stanford lost to
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
that year in the NCAA Final.


Professional

Levesque was selected 23rd overall in the
2003 MLS SuperDraft The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer. Player selection ;Key Round One Round one trades Round Two Round two trades R ...
by the
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
. Much of his rookie season was lost when he injured his ACL during a preseason game with the US under-23 national team in Portugal. He made his MLS debut on July 12, 2003, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 home loss to the
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 was loaned to the Seattle Sounders after the Earthquakes's loss to them in the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in August. He made his Sounders debut days later against the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
and go on to play nine matches for the Sounders, scoring two goals before returning to the Earthquakes on September 24 and making two appearances. He was on the bench as an unused substitute when the Earthquakes won MLS Cup 2003. He continued to play on loan with the Sounders in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he scored 8 goals and 4 assists in 27 games as the team reached the A-League championship. He scored four goals for the Sounders in the 2005
USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...
USL-1 playoffs. His three goals led Seattle past the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
and his stoppage time goal was the winner as Seattle beat the Montreal Impact 2–1. Seattle went on to win the 2005 Championship. The Earthquakes placed Levesque on waivers on November 16, 2005, after he played only one game that season with their first team. In February 2006, Levesque signed a year-long deal to return to Seattle Sounders. He scored two goals and three assists during the regular season and led the team in minutes played. In 2007, he was named second team All-League. At the end of the season, he served as a guest player in two exhibition games with USL-1 teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, against MLS teams. After a lengthy trial for most of early 2009, Levesque was signed by the expansion MLS franchise
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
in March 2009. He was used primarily as a reserve player, occasionally appearing as a substitute or a starting player in games of lesser importance. He scored a goal against the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as well as the winning goal against D.C. United in the Open Cup Final. He also scored the winning goal in the 89th minute against D.C. United a year later in 2010 MLS league play. In June 2011, Levesque scored 2 goals in the Sounders' 4–2 win against the New York Red Bulls, including his famous "scuba goal" celebration. On July 16, 2011, he scored another goal against the Colorado Rapids. Levesque announced his retirement in July 2012, playing his final match for the Sounders in a friendly against
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...
on July 18. Fans celebrated the match, jokingly referring it to a
testimonial In promotion and advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person's written or spoken statement extolling the virtue of a product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens, whe ...
, and
King County Executive The King County Executive is the elected county executive of King County, Washington. The office was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers of the county executive w ...
Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American lawyer, urban planner, and politician who is the chief executive officer of Sound Transit. He was appointed in 2025 after resigning as county executive of King County, Washington, a p ...
declared "Roger Levesque Day" in his honor. Levesque was named Director of Community Outreach for Seattle Sounders FC in 2014.


Honors


San Jose Earthquakes

*
MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...
(1):
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...


Seattle Sounders

*
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
Western Conference Championship (1):
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
*
USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...
Championship (2):
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
*
USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...
Commissioner's Cup (1):
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...


Seattle Sounders FC

*
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
(3):
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...


References


External links

*
2007 Sounders Media Guide

Ten Questions With Roger Levesque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levesque, Roger 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Portland, Maine San Jose Earthquakes players Stanford Cardinal men's soccer players Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players USL First Division players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Seattle Sounders FC players United States men's under-23 international soccer players San Jose Earthquakes draft picks Soccer players from Maine People from Falmouth, Maine Men's association football midfielders Falmouth High School (Maine) alumni American men's soccer players