{{Short description|American soccer player}} {{Infobox football biography | name = D. J. Countess | image = | fullname = Delvin Christopher Countess | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|1|9}} | birth_place = [[Sacramento, California]], United States | height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}} | currentclub = | clubnumber = | position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]] | collegeyears1 = 2000 | college1 = [[UCLA Bruins]] | years1 = 2001 | years2 = 2001–2003 | years3 = 2004 | years4 = 2005 | years5 = 2006 | years6 = 2007 | years7 = 2007 | clubs1 = [[MetroStars]] | clubs2 = [[Dallas Burn]] | clubs3 = [[Chicago Fire S.C.|Chicago Fire]] | clubs4 = [[Real Salt Lake]] | clubs5 = [[Östers IF]] | clubs6 = [[Provincial Osorno]] | clubs7 = [[Club Atlético Tigre|Tigre]] | caps1 = 0 | caps2 = 25 | caps3 = 2 | caps4 = 27 | caps5 = 3 | caps6 = 15 | caps7 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | goals2 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 0 | goals6 = 0 | goals7 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 1998–1999 | nationalyears2 = 2000–2001 | nationalyears3 = 2002–2004 | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | pcupdate = 16 October 2007 | ntupdate = 5 Jan 2007 }} '''Delvin Christopher "D.J." Countess''' (born January 9, 1982, in [[Sacramento, California]]) is an American former professional [[association football|soccer]] [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]].

He graduated from Bella Vista High School in [[Fair Oaks, California]].

==Club career== Countess attended [[University of California, Los Angeles]], where he had a 1.02 [[goals against average]], good for a second in the [[Pacific-10 Conference]] his freshman season.

Upon completing his freshman year, he joined the [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) [[Generation Adidas|Project-40]] program. On August 3, 2001, he acquired by the [[MetroStars]] through a weighted lottery.<ref>[http://www.metrofanatic.com/story.jsp?ID=316 Metros win lottery for DJ Countess]</ref> During his first year he served as a backup to [[Tim Howard]]. Countess was traded to the [[Dallas Burn]] on March 13, 2002, prior to the start of the 2002 season. However, shortly after an impressive debut match, he suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to miss the remainder of the season. He bounced back in 2003, starting in twenty-four league matches and was named the clubs Defender of the Year after tallying 115 saves. He also tied an MLS record that season by facing a total of ten [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty kick]]s; and he set the league record by saving four, including two in a single game which was also another league record. In 2004, he was traded to [[Chicago Fire S.C.|Chicago Fire]], where he spent the 2004 season as the primary backup to [[Henry Ring]]. Countess made only two first team appearances. [[Real Salt Lake]], then coached by Countess' youth coach, [[John Ellinger]], took Countess as a second draft pick in the [[2004 MLS Expansion Draft]]. Countess started in twenty-seven matches for the expansion team but his option was not picked up following the season.

Though several MLS clubs expressed interest in acquiring him in early 2006, Countess opted not to return to MLS and to instead pursue a career in Europe. In mid-2006 he had trials with French clubs [[AJ Auxerre]] and [[FC Metz]], and Swedish club [[Östers IF]]. All three teams expressed interest but it was Östers IF who then played in Sweden's top division the [[Allsvenskan]] that signed Countess to a contract until the end of the 2006 season. Up to October 2006, he had started in three matches for the club. In early 2007, he signed for [[Provincial Osorno]], in the Chilean second division, [[Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera B]]. After helping them win promotion to the [[Chilean Primera División|Primera División]], in July 2007 he moved to Argentina to play for newly promoted [[Club Atlético Tigre|Atlético Tigre]] in the [[Argentine Primera División]].<ref>http://www.futbolpasion.com/transferencias.cfm?campeonato=ap07 Transfers Apertura 2007</ref> Countess sustained a wrist injury early in the 2008 season with Tigre, he underwent surgery in April 2008.

==International career== Countess has played at various levels for the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]] playing a total of seventy-two games for the U-17's, U-20's and U-23's. He was in goal for the U.S. when they finished fourth at the 1999 [[FIFA U-17 World Championship]] in New Zealand, and in the 2001 U-20 [[FIFA World Youth Championship]] in Argentina. In 2004, he played in the US U-23 Olympic team that failed to qualify for the [[2004 Summer Olympics]].

==Dream Keeper Foundation== Countess has been involved in [[Humanitarianism|humanitarian]] work throughout his career. While playing for [[Real Salt Lake]] he established the Dream Keeper Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing funding for [[Utah]] children in need of medical care.<ref name="dailyherald61003">{{cite news|last=Asey |first=Jasen |title=D.J. Countess feature |publisher=Daily Herald |date=2005-08-01 |url=http://old.heraldextra.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=61003 |accessdate=2007-08-01 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185608/http://old.heraldextra.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=61003 |archivedate=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Countess, D. J.}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American men's soccer players]] [[Category:American expatriate men's soccer players]] [[Category:Soccer players from Sacramento, California]] [[Category:Chicago Fire FC players]] [[Category:FC Dallas players]] [[Category:Real Salt Lake players]] [[Category:UCLA Bruins men's soccer players]] [[Category:Östers IF players]] [[Category:Club Atlético Tigre footballers]] [[Category:Provincial Osorno footballers]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Chile]] [[Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Argentina]] [[Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Chile]] [[Category:Major League Soccer players]] [[Category:Allsvenskan players]] [[Category:Primera B de Chile players]] [[Category:United States men's youth international soccer players]] [[Category:United States men's under-20 international soccer players]] [[Category:United States men's under-23 international soccer players]] [[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Fair Oaks, California]]