Editing Rusty Pierce

{{short description|American soccer player}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name                = Rusty Pierce
| image                =
| fullname             = Rusty Curtis Pierce
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1979|7|24}}
| birth_place = [[The Woodlands, Texas]], [[United States]]
| height               = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}
| position             = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| collegeyears1        = 1997–1999
| college1             = [[UNC Greensboro Spartans]]
| years1               = 2000–2004
| clubs1               = [[New England Revolution]]
| caps1         = 113 | goals1         = 0
| years2               = 2005
| clubs2               = [[Real Salt Lake]]
| caps2         = 15 | goals2         = 0
| years3               = 2006–2007
| clubs3               = [[Columbus Crew]]
| caps3         = 39 | goals3         = 0
| years4               = 2009
| clubs4               = [[Wilmington Hammerheads]]
| caps4         = 4 | goals4         = 0
| totalcaps            = 171
| totalgoals           = 0
}}

'''Rusty Pierce''' (born July 24, 1979, in [[The Woodlands, Texas]]) is an American former professional [[soccer]] player who spent eight seasons in [[Major League Soccer]].

==Career==

===College===
Pierce played [[College soccer in the United States|college soccer]] at the [[University of North Carolina at Greensboro]] from 1997 to 1999, appearing in 51 games during his time there. Following his junior season, Pierce signed a [[Project-40]] contract with [[Major League Soccer]], entering the [[2000 MLS SuperDraft]], where he was selected 14th overall by the [[New England Revolution]].

===Professional===

====New England Revolution====

The Revolution selected Pierce in the SuperDraft on February 6, 2000.<ref name="New England Revolution Club History">{{cite web|url=https://newengland-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/media/ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf |title=Club History Coach and Player Registry |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20180612135826/https://newengland-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/media/ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=September 18, 2024}}</ref> As a rookie, Pierce quickly earned a place in the Revolution starting lineup with his tenacious defending, and finished the season second on the team in minutes played, having started in 29 of the team's 32 games.<ref name="2024 Media Guide">{{cite book |title=2024 Media Guide |publisher=New England Revolution|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322013528/https://revolution.1rmg.com/season/2024/media-guide/ |access-date=September 18, 2024}}</ref> Pierce made his Revolution debut (and first start) on March 18 against the [[Miami Fusion]] in the season opener, and his home debut on April 15 against [[D.C. United]] in the Revolution's home opener.<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/> He was named Revolution Defender of the Year for the 2000 season, and re-signed with the Revolution on March 20, 2001.<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/>

Pierce remained a constant in the New England backline for the next four years when healthy, although injuries limited his playing time in the 2002 and 2004 seasons.<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/>

====Later Career====

Following the 2004 season, Pierce's impending free agency led the Revolution to leave him unprotected for the [[2004 MLS Expansion Draft]], where he was selected in the eighth round by [[Real Salt Lake]]. After the 2005 season, his rights were traded to the [[Columbus Crew]], where he played 2 years

Following a year out of soccer, during which Pierce founded a financial investment company<ref>[http://www.solidfoundationinvestments.com Solid Foundation Investments]</ref> and worked as a real estate broker<ref>[http://www.waterbridgesc.com/ Waterbridge]</ref> in [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]], Pierce returned to the game in 2009 to play for the [[Wilmington Hammerheads]] in the [[USL Second Division]].

===International===
Pierce has played for [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]] at a number of youth levels, but is uncapped at the senior level.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com/teams/13380711/22403-13380778/14570611.html Wilmington Hammerheads bio]
* [http://columbus.crew.mlsnet.com/players/bio.jsp?team=t102&player=pierce_r&playerId=pie574860&statType=current Columbus Crew bio]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Rusty}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:New England Revolution players]]
[[Category:Real Salt Lake players]]
[[Category:Columbus Crew players]]
[[Category:Wilmington Hammerheads FC players]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer players]]
[[Category:USL Second Division players]]
[[Category:UNC Greensboro Spartans men's soccer players]]
[[Category:United States men's youth international soccer players]]
[[Category:United States men's under-20 international soccer players]]
[[Category:New England Revolution draft picks]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Texas]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]