Ross Schunk (born April 28, 1986, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

) is an American

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 last played for

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 ...

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 ...

Career

College and amateur

Schunk attended Woodrow Wilson High School, where he acquired his skills under the training of Don Juan Mercado. At a young age, Ross was known for his outstanding crossbar and soccer-tennis skills. Although widely speculated, it's known by many living in southwest Portland, Schunk developed his skills from the founding members of Gabe Academy (Don Juan Mercado and Shiloh were two of the founding fathers, among others). Ross would spend summers in Gabriel Park getting hustled by Shiloh. Many credit this with his playful spirit and love for the game, because the games were always just that: fun. No collecting ever took place. He 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 the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university in Redlands, California, United States. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Calif ...

from 2005 to 2008. He led his team in goals, assists and points in his junior year in 2007, and was named to the All-Far West Third-Team, the All-West First-Team, the All-SCIAC First Team, and was a Second-Team All-American. He finished his college career as a two-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and with 126 points, making him Redlands' all-time career points leader. Schunk also played for the Los Angeles Legends 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 ...

where he was a prolific goalscorer, netting 15 times in 27 games during his two years with the team.

Professional

Schunk was the only NCAA Division III player invited to the 2009 MLS combine; he was drafted in the fourth round (47th overall) of the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009, in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, ...

, and signed a professional contract on March 13, 2009. He made his professional debut on April 7, 2009, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

. He made his MLS debut on June 6, 2009, as a late substitute in a game against

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 ...

. Schunk was also briefly sent on loan to

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

club

Real Maryland Monarchs Real Maryland F.C., commonly known as the Real Maryland Monarchs, was an American soccer team based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the Americ ...

in May 2009. Schunk was waived by Colorado on 24 November 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schunk, Ross 1986 births Living people Soccer players from Portland, Oregon American men's soccer players Colorado Rapids players USL League Two players LA Laguna FC players Major League Soccer players Real Maryland F.C. players USL Second Division players Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School alumni Colorado Rapids draft picks University of Redlands alumni Men's association football forwards