Zach Prince (born March 30, 1988) 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 ...

coach and former professional soccer player who is currently an assistant coach 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

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

. He spent his entire professional career as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

with the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

in the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

Career

Youth and College

Prince grew up in

Irmo, South Carolina Irmo () is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, Lexington and Richland County, South Carolina, Richland counties, South Carolina, United States, and a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia. It is part of the Columbia Columbia, South ...

and attended

Irmo High School Irmo High School is a public high school in unincorporated area, unincorporated Lexington County, South Carolina, Lexington County, South Carolina, United States, - The school is not directly shown on the map, but comparing its location with th ...

playing soccer all four years while also a member of the USYSA Region III Pool team in 2003 and 2005. He played four years 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 ...

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 ...

as a striker. During his college years Prince also played for

Colorado Rapids U23's Colorado Rapids U–23 were an American soccer team based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado. Originally founded in 2000 as part of the development system for the Colorado Rapids, the team played in the Premier Development League, t ...

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. ...

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 ...

, and was part of the Chicago squad which reached the 2009 PDL Championship game.

Professional

Prince signed his first professional contract with the

on April 14, 2010. He made his professional debut on April 17, 2010, in a 3–2 win over the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles is an American amateur 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 at the ...

. He re-signed with the club for the 2012 season, his third, on January 13, 2012. Prince played most commonly as an outside midfielder for the Battery, but also filled in at numerous other positions including right back and defensive midfield and was known for his competitive, physical style of play. Following the 2016 season Prince announced his retirement from professional soccer, finishing his USL career with 162 league appearances and 9 goals.

Managerial career

In 2019, Prince joined the New Mexico United organization as the first assistant to then-head coach, Troy Lesesne. In addition to the time spent in the senior side, he worked with the New Mexico United Academy in its inaugural season of 2021. On November 15, Prince was announced as the manager for the senior squad, replacing Troy Lesesne. On June 3, 2023, Prince stepped down as New Mexico's head coach and technical director. Prince reunited with Troy Lesesne in January 2024, joining Lesesne's staff at

Honors

Charleston Battery

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 ...

Regular Season Champions (1):

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 ...

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

Champions (1):

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

References

External links

Charleston Battery bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Zach 1988 births Living people American men's soccer players Charleston Cougars men's soccer players Colorado Rapids U-23 players Chicago Fire U-23 players Charleston Battery players Soccer players from South Carolina USL League Two players USL Second Division players USL Championship players People from Irmo, South Carolina Men's association football midfielders New Mexico United coaches USL Championship coaches D.C. United non-playing staff