Taylor Graham

Taylor Graham

Graham playing for Seattle Sounders FC plays against Boca Juniors on May 28, 2010
Personal information
Date of birth (1980-06-03) June 3, 1980
Place of birth Fair Oaks, California, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position Defender
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Stanford Cardinal 66 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2004 Kansas City Wizards 19 (1)
2005 Seattle Sounders 28 (2)
2006–2007 New York Red Bulls 15 (0)
2007–2008 Seattle Sounders 38 (3)
2009–2011 Seattle Sounders FC 1 (0)
Total 101 (6)
National team
2008 Puerto Rico 3 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Taylor Graham (born June 3, 1980) is a former American soccer player.

Career

Youth and college

Graham attended Rio Americano High School and played five years of college soccer at Stanford University, registering as a walk-on his freshman year of 1998, and only appearing in two games in 1999. After appearing in 18 games his sophomore season, Graham started every possible game his final two, winning first team All-Pac-10 his senior year, as he led the Cardinal to an appearance in the NCAA College Cup.

Professional

After graduating from Stanford, Graham was drafted 33rd overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards. Graham was signed to a developmental contract, making two appearances and playing a total of ten minutes. In his second season Graham was given significantly more playing time, playing as both a right back and central defender. After a season in the USL First Division when he played every minute for the Seattle Sounders, led his team to the title, and was named USL Defender of the Year, Graham was acquired by the MetroStars, now New York Red Bulls. He was released midway through the 2007 season and signed with his former club Seattle Sounders. He then signed with Seattle Sounders FC, a continuation of the Sounders in Major League Soccer. On May 26, 2010 he had his first appearance of the 2010 season in a friendly against Boca Juniors of Argentina, playing the full 90 minutes and putting up a solid performance.

Graham announced his retirement on December 2, 2011, after he was dropped from the roster by the Seattle Sounders.[1]

International

Graham represented Puerto Rico in three international friendlies (including the team’s first win in 14 years) during early 2008. The national team coach Colin Clarke had misunderstood the requirements to play for Puerto Rican national side following a change to the eligibility criteria.[2]

Previously, all U.S. citizens were eligible for Puerto Rico national teams, but now the player pool is restricted to players who have lived on the island for at least five years, meaning that Graham is no longer eligible for the Puerto Rico national team per federation rules.[3]

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 January 16, 2008 Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas  Bahamas 0 - 1 0 - 2 Friendly

Honors

Kansas City Wizards

Seattle Sounders

Seattle Sounders FC

Television

Graham appeared on The Price Is Right on June 24, 2009. In the showcase he spoke on one of the prizes which was a vacation to Seattle, to go to any 2 home games of Seattle Sounders and watch them play.[4]

Personal life

After retiring as a player, Taylor Graham became Director of Business Operations for his former club, Seattle Sounders FC.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.soundersfc.com/News/Articles/2011/12-December/Graham-Retires.aspx
  2. ↑ "Taylor Graham Interview". prostamerika.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Carolina RailHawks profile". Carolinarailhawks.com. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  4. ↑ "The Price Is Right Video". CBS.com. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  5. ↑ Mayers, Joshua (27 Mar 2012). "Furlough day (Tuesday links)". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 17 Sep 2013.
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