Alec Díaz

Alec Díaz (born December 7, 2001) is a footballer who plays as a forward for Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro. Born in the mainland United States, he plays for the Puerto Rico national team.

Alec Díaz
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-12-07) December 7, 2001
Place of birth Issaquah, Washington, United States
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Toronto FC II
Number 86
Youth career
2010–2013 Eastside FC
2013–2015 Pacific Northwest SC
2015–2018 Seattle Sounders FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Tacoma Defiance[lower-alpha 1] 65 (14)
2022– Toronto FC II 31 (7)
International career‡
2020 Puerto Rico U20 3 (2)
2019– Puerto Rico 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 24, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 21, 2023

Early life

Díaz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and began playing soccer at age three or four.[1] He played youth soccer with Pacific Northwest SC(PacNW).[2] He also played at the state level for Washington.[3]

In 2015, he joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy via the Sounders Discovery Program.[4] At the U16 level, he helped them win the Youdan Trophy in 2016 defeating FC Basel.[4] In 2018, he won the USSDA National Championship with the U17 Sounders, scoring 36 goals in 38 matches across all competitions and also scored the winning goal to win the Generation Adidas Cup over the New York Red Bulls Academy.[4][5]

Club career

In 2018, he signed a USL Academy contract with Seattle Sounders FC 2 (later renamed to Tacoma Defiance).[6] He made his USL debut on September 5, 2018, appearing as a 59th-minute substitute in a 4–4 draw against the Tulsa Roughnecks.[6][7] He scored his first professional goal on October 10 against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.[8]

Díaz signed a professional contract with Seattle Sounders FC 2 ahead of their 2019 season.[6] In his first full professional season, he scored one goal in 16 appearances.[9] In 2020, he ranked in the top 10 in the league in combined goals and assists per 90 minutes, the only teenager in the top 10.[10]

In March 2022, he joined Toronto FC II of MLS Next Pro.[5] On September 15, 2023, he scored a brace with two goals in two minutes against New York City FC II.[11]

International career

In January 2019, Díaz was called up to a training camp for the United States U18.[12]

In September 2019, Díaz was called up to the Puerto Rico national team ahead of a friendly match against Honduras and CONCACAF Nations League match against Guatemala.[13][14] He made his debut against Honduras on September 5, 2019.[15]

In February 2020, he was called up for the Puerto Rico U-20 national team for the first round of the 2020 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying tournament.[16] He appeared in all three matches, including scoring two goals against the Cayman Islands U20.[5]

Notes
  1. Seattle Sounders 2 changed its name to Tacoma Defiance in 2019

References
  1. Mondello, Joseph (March 13, 2019). "Seventeen-year-old Defiance forward Alec Diaz is making a name for himself in Tacoma". SoundersFC.com.
  2. "Semifinal schedule set at US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships". Soccerwire. June 26, 2015.
  3. "Washington Youth bring home 4 Region IV Championships". Goal Washington. January 10, 2016.
  4. "Alec Diaz Seattle Sounders profile". SoundersFC.com.
  5. "Toronto FC II sign forward Alec Díaz". Toronto FC. March 30, 2022.
  6. "Sounders FC 2 signs forwards Alec Diaz and Danny Robles to professional contracts for 2019 season". SoundersFC.com. October 2, 2018.
  7. García, Mario (September 2, 2019). "Despunta un boricua en la USL" [A Puerto Rican stands out in the USL]. The Gondol (in Spanish).
  8. "S2 Earns Point in Home Finale at Cheney Stadium". Our Sports Central. October 11, 2018.
  9. "Alec Diaz is ready to level up". Tacoma Defiance. December 17, 2019.
  10. Rodriguez, Alicia (April 23, 2021). "Pacific Division preview: Tacoma Defiance". Indomitable City Soccer.
  11. "New York City FC II (3) - Toronto FC II (3) Postgame Summary". Our Sports Central. September 15, 2023.
  12. "U18 MNT roster named for California camp". Top Drawer Soccer. January 30, 2018.
  13. "Convocados 22 futbolistas a la Selección masculina para importantes duelos ante rivales centroamericanos" [22 footballers summoned to the men's team for important duels against Central American rivals]. fedefutbolpr.com (in Spanish). Puerto Rican Football Federation. September 1, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  14. "Tacoma Defiance Forward Akec Diaz called into Puerto Rican national team". Tacoma Defiance. September 5, 2019.
  15. Torres, Javier (September 6, 2019). "Cae Puerto Rico 4–0 ante Honduras" [Puerto Rico falls 4–0 to Honduras]. El Huracán Azul (in Spanish).
  16. "La Sub20 inicia su camino hacia la Copa Mundial" [The U20 starts its way to the World Cup]. El Huracán Azul (in Spanish). February 19, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
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