{{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=https://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 |url-status=dead }}</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://revolution.1rmg.com/season/2024/media-guide/ |access-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322013528/https://revolution.1rmg.com/season/2024/media-guide/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</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]].
==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]]