Chris Pontius (soccer) explained

Chris Pontius
Fullname:Christopher Richard Pontius
Birth Date:12 May 1987
Birth Place:Yorba Linda, California, U.S.
Position:Attacking midfielder
Youthclubs1:Irvine Strikers
Youthyears2:2001–2005
Youthclubs2:Servite High School
Collegeyears1:2005–2008
College1:UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Collegecaps1:86
Collegegoals1:29
Years1:2008
Clubs1:Ventura County Fusion
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Years2:2009–2015
Clubs2:D.C. United
Caps2:152
Goals2:31
Years3:2016–2017
Clubs3:Philadelphia Union
Caps3:63
Goals3:14
Years4:2018–2019
Clubs4:LA Galaxy
Caps4:44
Goals4:7
Nationalyears1:2017
Nationalteam1:United States
Nationalcaps1:5
Nationalgoals1:0
Club-Update:October 29, 2019
Nationalteam-Update:October 29, 2019
Totalcaps:259
Totalgoals:52

Christopher Richard Pontius (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player.

Playing career

Youth and college

Pontius attended and played central midfield for Servite High School.[1] He played club soccer with the Irvine Strikers.

He played college soccer at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2007, and Hermann Trophy candidate in 2008. In 2006, Pontius and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos won the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.

Professional

Despite being originally named to Ventura County Fusion's roster in 2008 along with a number of other Gauchos, he did not appear in any matches for the club.[2] [3]

D.C. United

Pontius was drafted in the first round (7th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United. He made his professional debut, and scored his first professional goal, on March 22, 2009, in D.C. United's first game of the 2009 MLS season against Los Angeles Galaxy.[4] On May 23, 2010, Pontius scored D.C.'s 2nd goal in the 3–2 victory against Italian giants A.C. Milan. On July 25, 2012, he scored the MLS All-Star's 2nd goal against Chelsea F.C. to equalize their eventual 3–2 win. Also in 2012, Pontius emerged as D.C. United's leading goal scorer with 10 goals through the first 27 league matches. On September 14, 2012, D.C. United announced Pontius' signing to a long-term contract extension with the club (terms of the extension are as yet undisclosed).

Pontius has had a career riddled with injuries. In September 2010, he had a hamstring injury that required surgery and ended his season. Again in 2011, his season ended early with a fractured tibia. In 2012, his first injury free season since his debut, he scored a career high 12 goals. Injuries again plagued Pontius in 2013 and he only played in 22 of the 34 matches that year. D.C. United announced in April 2014, that Pontius would again undergo hamstring surgery and would likely miss most of the 2014 season.[5] Pontius eventually returned to the lineup as a substitute on September 10, 2014, with a mere 8 games left in the regular season.[6] He played 182 games, scored 37 goals, and recorded 23 assists for DC.

Philadelphia Union

On December 7, 2015, Pontius was traded to Philadelphia Union for allocation money.[7] Pontius saw a resurgence to form and became a major contributor to the Union's 2016 season as he led the team in scoring with 12 goals from 34 appearances on the left wing. This return to form earned him the 2016 MLS Comeback Player of the Year.[8]

LA Galaxy

Pontius signed as a free agent with LA Galaxy in January 2018.[9] Pontius's contract with LA Galaxy concluded at the end of their 2018 season.[10] He re-signed with the club on December 19.[11] Pontius announced his retirement from professional soccer on October 29, 2019.[12] [13]

International

On December 22, 2009, Pontius received his first call up to train with the senior U.S. national team. Training in Carson, California began for Pontius and the other players called up on January 4, 2010, leading up to a friendly match against Chile. On August 29, 2011, Pontius was called up by the U.S. National Team for friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium. Pontius made his debut for the national team on January 29, 2017, as a substitute in a friendly against Serbia.[14]

Career statistics

All-time club performance
ClubSeasonMLSMLS CupU.S. Open CupCONCACAFTotal
AppGoalsAppGoalsAppGoalsAppGoalsAppGoals
D.C. United
2009284align="center"-align="center"-3052366
2010172align="center"-align="center"-40align="center"-align="center"-212
2011257align="center"-align="center"-20align="center"-align="center"-277
201231123000align="center"-align="center"-3412
2013222align="center"-align="center"-51align="center"-align="center"-273
2014812000align="center"-align="center"-101
2015233110060304
Philadelphia Union
201634121022align="center"-align="center"-3614
Club Total 186437116 3 112 22149
Career Total 186437116 3 112 22149

Honors

UC Santa Barbara

D.C. United

United States

Individual

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Word: DC United's Chris Pontius, from meager beginnings to MLS stardom – and maybe beyond . Boehm . Charles . March 22, 2013 . . February 4, 2017.
  2. Web site: EXCITING CHANGES FOR OPENING DAY . September 7, 2014 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20081220085211/http://www.vcfusion.com/ . December 20, 2008 .
  3. Web site: MLS Combine Initial Participants List . December 11, 2008 . USLSoccer.com . September 6, 2014 .
  4. Web site: Major League Soccer: Match Tracker: Main . March 25, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090325004627/http://web.mlsnet.com/scoreboard/game.jsp?match=03222009_DCLA . March 25, 2009 .
  5. News: Chris Pontius of DC United will miss four to size more months after hamstring surgery . Washingtonpost.com . April 23, 2013 . July 11, 2014 . Steven . Golf.
  6. News: D.C. United take heart from long-awaited Chris Pontius return in acrid defeat to New York Red Bulls . mlssoccer.com . September 11, 2014 . January 7, 2015 . Pablo . Maurer.
  7. Web site: Union Acquire Midfielder Chris Pontius from D.C. United. Philadelphia Union. December 7, 2016. January 2, 2017.
  8. Web site: Philadelphia Union's Chris Pontius wins MLS Comeback Player of the Year. MLSsoccer.com. November 16, 2016. January 2, 2017.
  9. Web site: LA Galaxy sign midfielder Chris Pontius LA Galaxy.
  10. Web site: LA Galaxy exercise 2019 contract options on four players. November 26, 2018. LAGalaxy.com.
  11. Web site: LA Galaxy re-sign midfielder Chris Pontius LA Galaxy.
  12. Web site: Login • Instagram. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B4NS8M8J3JB . 2021-12-24 . limited.
  13. Web site: Longtime MLSer Chris Pontius announces retirement MLSSoccer.com.
  14. Web site: Chris Pontius makes USMNT debut against Serbia. Brotherly Game. January 30, 2017. January 30, 2017.
  15. Web site: U.S. men's national team defeats Jamaica to win CONCACAF Gold Cup. July 26, 2017. USA Today. July 5, 2023.