{{short description|American soccer player}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Quavas Kirk | image = Quavas-kirk.jpg | image_size = 175 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|4|13}} | birth_place = [[Aurora, Illinois]], United States | height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}} | position = [[Full back (association football)|Full back]], [[Winger (association football)|winger]] | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = 2003–2005 | youthclubs1 = [[IMG Soccer Academy]] | years1 = 2005–2007 | clubs1 = [[Los Angeles Galaxy]] | caps1 = 34 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2008 | clubs2 = [[D.C. United]] | caps2 = 10 | goals2 = 1 | years3 = 2009 | clubs3 = [[Minnesota Thunder]] | caps3 = 15 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2010 | clubs4 = [[Portland Timbers (2001–2010)|Portland Timbers]] | caps4 = 17 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2011–2012 | clubs5 = [[Rochester Rhinos]] | caps5 = 36 | goals5 = 2 | clubs6 = Schwaben AC | years6 = 2014 | nationalyears1 = 2003–2005 | nationalteam1 = [[United States men's national under-17 soccer team|United States U17]] | nationalcaps1 = 53 | nationalgoals1 = 22 | medaltemplates = | club-update = September 8, 2012 }}

'''Quavas Kirk''' (born April 13, 1988) is an American [[association football|soccer]] player who plays for Schwaben AC in the [[List of USASA affiliated leagues#Metropolitan Soccer League|Metropolitan Soccer League]], a [[USASA]] 6th-level league.

==Career==

===Youth=== Kirk did not play [[College soccer in the United States|college soccer]]; he joined the U.S. U-17 Residency Program at the [[IMG Soccer Academy]] in [[Bradenton, Florida]], before signing a [[Generation adidas]] contract in 2005.

===Professional=== Kirk was drafted in the 3rd round (34th overall) of the [[2005 MLS SuperDraft]] by [[Los Angeles Galaxy]]. He made his MLS debut in 2006, and scored his first professional goal on August 1, 2006, in the [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup]] in a 2-0 fourth-round win over [[Dallas Roma F.C.|Dallas Roma]].

Until the arrival of [[David Beckham]], Kirk wore the number 23 shirt for the Galaxy. However, despite publicly announcing his desire to retain the jersey, he was handed the number 15 to accommodate Beckham, who prefers to wear number 7 or 23. (Beckham had chosen the number 23 because 7 was already taken when he was transferred to Real Madrid by Raul, and also because he admires [[Michael Jordan]]).

On February 15, 2008, Kirk was traded to [[D.C. United]] in exchange for the rights to [[Greg Vanney]]<ref name="anchorName">{{cite web |title = United acquire Kirk from Galaxy |url = http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080215&content_id=139154&vkey=pr_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=t103 |access-date = 16 February 2008 }} {{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He scored his first career league goal on August 23, 2008, in a 3-0 DC win over the [[Colorado Rapids]].

In January 2009, Kirk was waived by D.C. United. After a brief trial with [[Seattle Sounders FC]], Kirk signed with [[Minnesota Thunder]] on 17 February 2009.<ref>[http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/307424.html Minnesota inks Kirk, Kante] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220215713/http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/307424.html |date=February 20, 2009 }}</ref> He made 15 league appearances for the Thunder in 2009, before being released from his contract as a result of Thunder's financial problems following the conclusion of the 2009 [[USL First Division]] season. He was signed by the [[Portland Timbers (2001–10)|Portland Timbers]] on December 7, 2009.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120913093249/http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2009/12/timbers_sign_quavas_kirk_for_2.html Timbers sign Quavas Kirk for 2010]</ref>

Kirk trialled with the [[Portland Timbers]], looking to secure a place on their roster prior to their first season in [[Major League Soccer]] in 2011, but suffered a hamstring injury in a pre-season game against [[Ventura County Fusion]], and was not offered a contract by the team. Kirk subsequently signed with [[Rochester Rhinos]] of the [[USL Pro]] league on March 25, 2011.<ref>[http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4171922 Rhinos Sign Defender Quavas Kirk - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008030639/http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4171922 |date=October 8, 2012 }}</ref> He re-signed with Rochester in January 2012.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120904013208/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/589564.html United Soccer Leagues (USL)]</ref>

After a couple seasons with Schwaben FC out of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Kirk played for amateur side Stare Byki FC out of Oak Brook, Illinois.

===International=== Kirk had been a standout in the United States' under-17 national team, scoring 22 goals in 53 games. He played in the [[FIFA U-17 World Championship|2005 U-17 World Championship]], and was expected to play a key role for the U-20 national team in the [[2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup]] but picked up a pre-tournament injury and was excluded from the roster.

===Coaching=== Kirk is the Director of Private Training at Soccer Speed.<ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/quavas-kirk-99904564 {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100404151951/http://www.portlandtimbers.com/team/roster/index.html?player_id=97 Portland Timbers bio] *[http://www.mnthunder.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD008&SRCN=biodetail&GnavID=5&SnavID=90&TnavID=&StaffBioID=166 Minnesota Thunder bio] {{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080310113611/http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/players/bio.jsp?team=t103&player=kirk_q&playerId=kir349214&statType=current MLS player profile]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Quavas}} [[Category:1988 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American men's soccer players]] [[Category:LA Galaxy players]] [[Category:D.C. United players]] [[Category:Minnesota Thunder players]] [[Category:Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players]] [[Category:Rochester Rhinos players]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Aurora, Illinois]] [[Category:Major League Soccer players]] [[Category:USL First Division players]] [[Category:USSF Division 2 Professional League players]] [[Category:USL Championship players]] [[Category:United States men's youth international soccer players]] [[Category:LA Galaxy draft picks]] [[Category:Soccer players from Illinois]] [[Category:Men's association football full-backs]]