Tyler Ruthven (born July 18, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender.

Career

College and amateur

Ruthven attended Roswell High School and Milton High School and played club soccer for the Concorde Fire Elite, before beginning his

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...

career at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The ...

. He transferred to the University of South Carolina as a sophomore in 2007, where he received numerous awards and accolades, being named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and to the All-Conference USA Third Team and the NSCAA All-South Third Team in 2007, and collecting First-Team All-Conference USA honors and being named to the NSCAA All-South Third Team as a senior. During his college years Ruthven also played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

with Colorado Rapids U23's and

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. The ...

Professional

Ruthven turned professional in 2010 when he signed with the

Harrisburg City Islanders Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was 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 United States soc ...

of the

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 ...

. He made his professional debut on July 3, 2010, in a game against the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games a ...

, and scored his first professional goal on July 10 in a 3–2 victory over the

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 Ameri ...

. Ruthven signed with

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home gam ...

of the North American Soccer League on March 7, 2011. Ruthven earned his first league honors on July 26, 2011, winning the NASL Defensive Player of the Week. He re-signed with Atlanta on January 30, 2012, but was allowed to go on trial with

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional 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. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. On March 5, 2012, Ruthven agreed to terms with the

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

after impressing during his trial stint. His first appearance in MLS came in the second half of the April 22, 2012, match against D.C. United. Ruthven then started the club's next three matches, helping New York to three consecutive clean sheets (all 1-0 victories). On November 19, 2012, the Red Bulls announced it declined options for an additional 6 players, having released 4 a week earlier, with Ruthven included in the mix. In 2013, he rejoined the

during preseason and earned a contract. However, the contract was revoked before the 2013 season began. On March 28, 2013, Ruthven agreed to terms with

IK Brage Idrottsklubben Brage, also known as IK Brage or simply Brage, is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge. The club is affiliated with Dalarnas Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Domnarvsvallen. The club colours, reflected in thei ...

Superettan Superettan (; meaning the super first (division)) is an association football league and the second highest league in the league system of Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with All ...

after impressing the team's sport director Michael Kallback. After becoming a regular in the lineup the first half of the season with IK Brage, the club ran into some difficulties and Ruthven left on a free transfer during the summer window to KuPS in Finland. On October 1, 2019, after two seasons with

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

side

Atlanta United 2 Atlanta United 2 are the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC. The team plays in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer. The team was established on November 14, 2017 and began their first professiona ...

, Ruthven announced he would retire from playing professional soccer.

Personal

He is the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher

Dick Ruthven Richard David Ruthven (born March 27, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. The tw ...

.Roberson, Doug. "Soccer-playing son of ex-Brave leans on dad," ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', Friday, August 10, 2012.
Retrieved March 4, 2021

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruthven, Tyler 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Atlanta United 2 players Chicago Fire U-23 players Colorado Rapids U-23 players Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Finland IK Brage players Jacksonville Armada FC players Kuopion Palloseura players Major League Soccer players Miami FC players New York Red Bulls players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Penn FC players Sportspeople from Alpharetta, Georgia Phoenix Rising FC players San Francisco Dons men's soccer players Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state) South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer players Superettan players USL Championship players USL League Two players USL Second Division players Veikkausliiga players