Wes Knight (born September 6, 1986) is a retired 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.

Career

College and amateur

Knight attended

Wren High School Wren High School (WHS) is a public high school in Anderson School District One in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Athletics State championships * Bask ...

and played club soccer for the Greenville Futbol club, and 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

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

from 2004 to 2008, where he was named to the second team All-Southern Conference and to the NSCAA All-South Region second team as a junior and first team All-Southern Conference and NSCAA All-South Region second team as a senior. Following his senior season. Knight was one of 64 distinguished collegiate players to be invited to the Major League Soccer Combine. He was just the second player from the College of Charleston to be invited since the MLS's existence, behind former standout defender Drew Cavanagh in 2005. During his college years Knight also played for the

Bradenton Academics IMG Academy Bradenton is an American soccer team based in Bradenton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team is associated with IMG Academy and the Un ...

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 ...

Professional

On February 11, 2009, the Whitecaps announced the signing of Knight for the 2009 season. Knight made his

USL-1 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 D ...

debut during the 2–1 away defeat to

Puerto Rico Islanders The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the Nort ...

on Apr. 18. The defender replaced Vicente Arze in the second half of the match in the Caribbean. Three days later, Knight made his first league start and earned his first

point when he assisted on

Marco Reda Marco Reda (born June 22, 1977) is a Canadian former association football, soccer player who began his professional career in the USL A-League with the Toronto Lynx where he developed his skills as a solid defender. This led to his transfer to Eur ...

's goal during Vancouver's 1–1 draw at

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer p ...

. On May 10,

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

earned a spot in the

Team of the Week for Week Five after assisting on

Charles Gbeke Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team. Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders a ...

's winning goal, as the Whitecaps claimed a 1–0 victory at home to

. He then made the

Team of the Week for Week 10 after assisting on both of Gbeke's goals during a 3–2 home win over Miami FC Blues on June 12. Knight remained with

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 ...

when the club joined

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 ...

in 2011 but was released by the club on August 31, 2011. In the 2012 pre-season, Knight was on trial with

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 ...

. In 2012, Knight signed with NASL side

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadi ...

. On January 8, 2013, Knight signed with FC Edmonton of the NASL. Ahead of the 2015 season, Knight joined the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks. On December 6, 2016, the RailH ...

and started in their first game, a 3–1 win over

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. On July 30, 2015, Knight announced that he would be retiring form the game following

game against

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

on August 1, 2015.

Career statistics

References

External links

*
Vancouver Whitecaps bio

College of Charleston bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Wes 1986 births Living people American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players Charleston Cougars men's soccer players Soccer players from South Carolina IMG Academy Bradenton players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players San Antonio Scorpions players FC Edmonton players USL League Two players USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders