Editing Brian Ching (section)

===Los Angeles Galaxy (2001) and Seattle Sounders (2001–2002)===
{{Rquote|right|My first year in the league, I'm on the team with Cobi Jones, Cienfuegos, Alexi Lalas, Robin Fraser, Kevin Hartman, Matt Reis, Sasha Victorine, and Brian Mullan. For those guys to all be on one team my first year in the league, now that I look back on it, that was pretty special. Significant guys that have done a lot for U.S. soccer, to be on that team was a gift for me.|Brian Ching on his first year in MLS<ref>{{cite interview
 |subject        =Brian Ching
 
 |interviewer    =Sebastian Salazar
 |title          =The MLS Experience – 1-on-1 with Brian Ching: Part Two 
 |url            =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgZxtomJNpQ
 |work        =[[Houston Dynamo]] on [[YouTube]]
 |location           =Houston, Texas
 |date           =December 4, 2013
 |access-date     =December 16, 2013
 }}</ref>}}

Ching began his professional career when the [[Los Angeles Galaxy]] drafted him as the 16th overall pick of the [[2001 MLS SuperDraft]].<ref name="2001superdraft">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2001|title=MLS SuperDraft Tracker 2001|work=MLSsoccer.com|publisher=[[Major League Soccer]]|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=January 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122231029/https://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2001|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LAdraft">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lagalaxy.com/club/history/superdraft|title=LA Galaxy Draft History|work=lagalaxy.com|publisher=[[Los Angeles Galaxy]]|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=January 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122231028/https://www.lagalaxy.com/club/history/superdraft|url-status=dead}}</ref> Los Angeles chose midfielder [[Brian Mullan]] and forward [[Isaias Bardales Jr.]] in the first round, 9th and 11th respectively, before picking Ching with their fourth pick in the second round.<ref name="2001superdraft" /> Ching was the first ever [[Native Hawaiians|Hawaiian]] selected in the MLS draft.<ref name="gonzagahall" />

Ching joined a roster that included [[National Soccer Hall of Fame|U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame]] players [[Cobi Jones]], [[Alexi Lalas]], and [[Paul Caligiuri]], Mexico's top World Cup scorer [[Luis Hernández (footballer, born 1968)|Luis Hernández]], [[Mauricio Cienfuegos]], [[Ezra Hendrickson]], [[Danny Califf]], [[Kevin Hartman]] and was coached by [[Sigi Schmid]]. Ching wore the number 9 jersey with Los Angeles.<ref name="LAalumni">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lagalaxy.com/club/alumni/roster|title=LA Galaxy Alumni Roster|work=lagalaxy.com|publisher=[[Los Angeles Galaxy]]|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=January 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122231033/https://www.lagalaxy.com/club/alumni/roster|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ching made his MLS debut against San Jose on April 7, 2001, as a member of the starting lineup.<ref name="GalaxyWaiveChing">{{Citation
| url = http://www.lagalaxy.com/r20020213.html
| title = L.A. Galaxy Waive Brian Ching
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher  = [[Los Angeles Galaxy]]
| year   = 2002
| author = Los Angeles Galaxy Communications
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020817141705/http://www.lagalaxy.com/r20020213.html
| archive-date=August 17, 2002
}}</ref> During the [[2001 Major League Soccer season|2001 season]], Ching appeared in eight games (starting one) and recorded one goal and one assist.<ref name="LA01stats">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lagalaxy.com/stats/season?season_year=2001&season_type=REG&group=GOALS&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form|title=2001 LA Galaxy Statistics| work=lagalaxy.com| publisher=[[Los Angeles Galaxy]]|access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref>

Ching started and played the full match in his [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup|U.S. Open Cup]] debut, a 5–0 victory over the [[Nashville Metros]] at [[Titan Stadium (Cal State Fullerton)|Titan Stadium]] on June 27, 2001, in the second round.<ref>{{Citation
| url = http://mlsnet.com/special/opencup01/rd2_0627la.html
| title = Galaxy Crush Nashville in Second Round
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher = [[Major League Soccer]]
| year = 2001
| author = MLSNet.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010713085309/http://mlsnet.com/special/opencup01/rd2_0627la.html
| archive-date = July 13, 2001
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Ching went the full 90 again in Los Angeles' 3–1 victory over the [[Seattle Sounders (1994–2008)|Seattle Sounders Select]] where he provided the assist to Isaias Bardales' 81st-minute goal, the Galaxy's third of the match.<ref>{{Citation
| url = http://www.mlsnet.com/special/opencup01/rd3_0711la.html
| title = Galaxy Advance to Open Cup Quarterfinals
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher = [[Major League Soccer]]
| year = 2001
| author = MLSNet.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010714174149/http://www.mlsnet.com/special/opencup01/rd3_0711la.html
| archive-date = July 14, 2001
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Those would be Ching's only appearances in the 2001 tournament as the Los Angeles Galaxy went on to win their first U.S. Open Cup trophy in franchise history.<ref>{{Citation
| url = http://www.mlsnet.com/content/01/mls1026opencup.html
| title = Galaxy Win First Open Cup Title
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher = [[Major League Soccer]]
| year = 2001
| author = MLSNet.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20011119055227/http://www.mlsnet.com/content/01/mls1026opencup.html
| archive-date = November 19, 2001
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

Ching made his [[MLS Cup Playoffs]] debut in a 4–1 loss in Game 2 of the quarterfinals against the [[New York Red Bulls|New York-New Jersey MetroStars]] on September 27, 2001, after coming on as an 88th minute substitution for Cobi Jones.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/news/2001/09/26/stars_galaxy_ap/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011123132601/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/news/2001/09/26/stars_galaxy_ap/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 23, 2001|title=MetroStars use second-half outburst to take series lead| magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref> Ching appeared for a second time in the playoffs in the Galaxy's 1–0 overtime win in Game 2 of the MLS semifinal series against the [[Chicago Fire Soccer Club|Chicago Fire]] on October 14, 2001, entering the game in the 91st minute for [[Sasha Victorine]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/news/2001/10/14/fire_galaxy/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011107224724/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/news/2001/10/14/fire_galaxy/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2001|title=L.A. up 4-1 in points against Chicago after 1-0 OT win| magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref> The Galaxy advanced to the [[MLS Cup 2001|2001 MLS Cup final]] and tied 1–1 with the [[San Jose Earthquakes]] in regulation before [[Dwayne De Rosario]]'s [[golden goal]] in the 96th minute ended the match.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/2001/mls_cup/news/2001/10/21/mlscup_gamer/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011109114802/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/mls/2001/mls_cup/news/2001/10/21/mlscup_gamer/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2001|title=Golden goal lifts Quakes over Galaxy 2-1 in MLS Cup| magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref>

After signing [[Carlos Ruiz (Guatemalan footballer)|Carlos Ruiz]], the Galaxy waived Ching on February 13, 2002, to comply with the MLS roster limits.<ref name="GalaxyWaiveChing" /> One month later, he signed with the [[Seattle Sounders (1994–2008)|Seattle Sounders]] of the [[A-League (1995–2004)|A-League]] where scored four goals and provided one assist in seven games the previous year when he was on loan from Los Angeles.<ref>{{Citation
| url = http://www.seattlesounders.net/PressReleases.asp?PressReleaseID=46
| title = Sounders Nab Brian Ching from MLS 
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher  = Seattle Sounders Professional Soccer Club
| year   = 2002
| author = Bart Wiley
| url-status = usurped
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020613185505/http://www.seattlesounders.net/PressReleases.asp?PressReleaseID=46
| archive-date=June 13, 2002
}}</ref> Ching finished the 2002 season second in the A-League in scoring with 16 goals and eight assists, and was selected as a member of the A-League All-League first team.<ref>{{Citation
| url = http://www.seattlesounders.net/PressReleases.asp?PressReleaseID=177
| title = Four Sounders Receive All-League Honors 
| access-date = December 14, 2013
| publisher  = Seattle Sounders Professional Soccer Club
| year   = 2002
| author = Bart Wiley
| url-status = usurped
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021206235027/http://www.seattlesounders.net/PressReleases.asp?PressReleaseID=177
| archive-date=December 6, 2002
}}</ref>