Matt Taylor
Encyclopedia
Matthew Taylor is an American
soccer forward
who currently plays for SC Paderborn 07
in the German Second Division
.
, Ohio
, Taylor grew up in Irvine, California and played college soccer
at UCLA from 2000 to 2003. Taylor was mostly a substitute his first year, but earned a larger role as a sophomore, finishing the season with seven goals and two assists. As a junior he bettered that, registering 12 goals and eight assists, while being in an important part of a UCLA team that won the NCAA Championship
. Taylor's senior season was his best, as he scored 14 goals and 8 assists, was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and was a Hermann Trophy
finalist. Taylor was the nation's leading scorer in the NCAA tournament during UCLA's championship run in 2002 and was named to the all tournament team at the college cup. Taylor also is the all-time leading scorer for UCLA in post season tournament play. During his college years he also played several games alongside former German National Team player Jurgen Klinsmann
with Orange County Blue Star
in the USL Premier Development League
.
trade up to draft him 4th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft
. Although stuck behind Davy Arnaud
and Josh Wolff
and receiving little playing time in 2003, Taylor showed his scoring acumen registering three goals and an assist in only 524 minutes from a substitute's role.
After his first season, Taylor was left unexposed for the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft
, and was selected 8th overall by Chivas USA
. He became one of the few non-Hispanic
s on the squad. Taylor was Chivas USA's first ever player to be named MLS player of the week. Taylor's first four years in MLS were hampered by injuries including a broken tibia, and double hernia surgery. Taylor became a first eleven player for Chivas USA coach Hans Westerhof and responded by leading all offensive categories in a starter's role. Taylor just started to regain the speed and quickness to match his work rate when he decided to leave Chivas USA over a contract dispute with then coach Preki.
He had a short stint at the amateur side Hollywood United
in the Los Angeles-based USASA
-affiliated Coast Soccer League, where he scored two goals on penalty kicks against his former club the Portland Timbers
in the first round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
, helping Hollywood to a shocking 3-2 win over the USL side.
On August 14, 2008, German squad TuS Koblenz
, currently playing in the Germany's second tier 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
announced Taylors move, just three days before their season started. He scored in his first game for the team. On October 5, 2008, Taylor scored a hat trick for Koblenz in a 5-0 win over Kaiserslautern. He announced his transfer to FSV Frankfurt on 27 May 2009, here signed a two years contract between 30 June 2011. After he played one year in the German 3rd Liga
for Rot Weiss Ahlen, he signed a contract with SC Paderborn 07
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who currently plays for SC Paderborn 07
SC Paderborn 07
SC Paderborn 07 is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the 2. Bundesliga.-History:...
in the German Second Division
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
.
College career
Born in ColumbusColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Taylor grew up in Irvine, California and played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at UCLA from 2000 to 2003. Taylor was mostly a substitute his first year, but earned a larger role as a sophomore, finishing the season with seven goals and two assists. As a junior he bettered that, registering 12 goals and eight assists, while being in an important part of a UCLA team that won the NCAA Championship
NCAA Men's Soccer Championship
The NCAA began conducting a Men's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. Currently, the tournament field consists of 48 teams...
. Taylor's senior season was his best, as he scored 14 goals and 8 assists, was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and was a Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
finalist. Taylor was the nation's leading scorer in the NCAA tournament during UCLA's championship run in 2002 and was named to the all tournament team at the college cup. Taylor also is the all-time leading scorer for UCLA in post season tournament play. During his college years he also played several games alongside former German National Team player Jurgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
with Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star is an American soccer team based in Irvine, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.The team plays its home games at...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
.
Professional career
An excellent MLS Combine saw the Kansas City WizardsKansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
trade up to draft him 4th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft
2004 MLS SuperDraft
The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft, and was most notable for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in American sporting history, Freddy Adu, with the first pick.-Player...
. Although stuck behind Davy Arnaud
Davy Arnaud
Davy Arnaud is an American soccer player who currently plays for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer.-College:Arnaud played college soccer at West Texas A&M University from 1999 to 2001, finishing his career with 31 goals and 11 assists...
and Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff
Joshua David "Josh" Wolff is an American soccer player currently playing for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.-College:...
and receiving little playing time in 2003, Taylor showed his scoring acumen registering three goals and an assist in only 524 minutes from a substitute's role.
After his first season, Taylor was left unexposed for the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft
2004 MLS Expansion Draft
The 2004 MLS Expansion Draft was held on November 19, 2004 and consisted of 10 rounds. The two new teams, C.D. Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, drafted players from the other 10 Major League Soccer teams....
, and was selected 8th overall by Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada....
. He became one of the few non-Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
s on the squad. Taylor was Chivas USA's first ever player to be named MLS player of the week. Taylor's first four years in MLS were hampered by injuries including a broken tibia, and double hernia surgery. Taylor became a first eleven player for Chivas USA coach Hans Westerhof and responded by leading all offensive categories in a starter's role. Taylor just started to regain the speed and quickness to match his work rate when he decided to leave Chivas USA over a contract dispute with then coach Preki.
He had a short stint at the amateur side Hollywood United
Hollywood United F.C.
Hollywood United is an American amateur soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1988, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.-Origins:Hollywood United...
in the Los Angeles-based USASA
USASA
The United States Adult Soccer Association is a national organization and sanctioning body for amateur soccer in the United States...
-affiliated Coast Soccer League, where he scored two goals on penalty kicks against his former club the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (USL)
Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...
in the first round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
-Schedule:Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.-First round:-----Second round:-----Third round:----...
, helping Hollywood to a shocking 3-2 win over the USL side.
On August 14, 2008, German squad TuS Koblenz
TuS Koblenz
TuS Koblenz is a German association football club, located in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Fussball Club Deutschland Neuendorf, which was formed in 1911, is viewed as the foundation of the modern club.-Play under the Third Reich:...
, currently playing in the Germany's second tier 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
announced Taylors move, just three days before their season started. He scored in his first game for the team. On October 5, 2008, Taylor scored a hat trick for Koblenz in a 5-0 win over Kaiserslautern. He announced his transfer to FSV Frankfurt on 27 May 2009, here signed a two years contract between 30 June 2011. After he played one year in the German 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
for Rot Weiss Ahlen, he signed a contract with SC Paderborn 07
SC Paderborn 07
SC Paderborn 07 is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the 2. Bundesliga.-History:...
.