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Michael Gavin

American soccer player (born 1986) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Gavin
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Michael Gavin (born March 30, 1986, in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a former American professional soccer player who featured for his teams as a left wing-back.

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Career

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Youth Levels

Gavin served as captain of the highly decorated the '86 Sereno Golden Eagles,[2] which featured future Major League Soccer players Brandon McDonald, Robbie Findley, Rob Valentino, as well as future NCAA players Joey Vitagliano,[3] Andrew Antila,[4] Cody Russell,[5] Kegan Riley,[6] and Jordan Demos.[7]

Gavin's Sereno squad were highly successful, registering eight Arizona state championships (1997-2004), four Far West Region IV championships (2001-2004), three US Youth Soccer National Championships Final Four finishes (2001-2002, 2004), as well as a national runners-up finish (2003). [8][9][10] During this period, Gavin found form as an attacking threat at the state[11] and national levels,[12] and represented the Arizona State Olympic Development Team in Far West Region IV competitions from 1998 to 2003.[13]

Gavin simultaneously attended Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and in his lone year playing prep soccer he won the 2003 State Championship.[14] He was named Horizon's Defensive Player of the Year, chosen as an all-Region first-team performer, and was a 5A all-State selection by The Arizona Republic newspaper.[15][16]

Gavin concluded his youth career in 2004 by signing a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Portland.[17]

College

Gavin went on to represent Portland Pilots men's soccer from 2004 to 2007.[18] Gavin opened his college career by being named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and an all-Conference selection in 2004.[19] During his tenure, Gavin started 71 of his 75 appearances[20] as the Pilots were ranked in the Top 25 by the United Soccer Coaches,[21] TopDrawerSoccer,[22] Soccer America,[23] and College Soccer News.[24] His collegiate career culminated in earning the captaincy for his side, developing a knack for scoring crucial late goals,[25][26] being named to conference[27] and national Teams of the Week[28] by various publications, receiving all-Conference honors,[29] and being named the Pilots' Most Inspirational Player.[30]

While Gavin demonstrated himself to be a threat by scoring four goals himself and assisting on four others, professional scouts were drawn to Gavin's defensive prowess, as he was only shown 3 yellow cards during his college career and never sent off.[31]

Professional

After Gavin spent two years with the Bradenton Academics of the USL Premier Development League,[32][33] he was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy as the 4th overall pick in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft,[34] and started the 2008 season as the team's first-choice left back.[35][36] However, after he departed for a national team call-up, he was dropped from the Starting XI. Gavin was reduced to a place on the bench as an unused substitute for the remainder of the season while the 2008 Galaxy side struggled to find consistent performance and leadership - the team were knocked out of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup, suffered a last place finish in the league, cycled through three different managers,[37] and also changed sporting directors. [38]

After Gavin began the 2009 season with the Galaxy,[39] Bruce Arena overhauled his player personnel in favor of more experience, which ultimately left Gavin outside of the club's final 24-man roster for that season.[40]

International career

Gavin was chosen to represent the United States U-23 National Team in the 2008 Toulon Tournament (now known as the Maurice Revello Tournament).[41][42]

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Personal

Michael is the older brother of midfielder Blair Gavin. He resides with his wife and 3 children in Vernal, Utah.

References

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