Ali Curtis
Encyclopedia
Ali Curtis is a former American soccer forward
. He was the 1999 Hermann Trophy
and 2000 MAC Award winner before spending four seasons in Major League Soccer
.
at Duke University
, where he scored 53 goals and 28 assists from 1997 to 2000, and, in his junior season won the Hermann Trophy
, and in his senior season won the MAC Award, both recognizing college soccer's best player. He ranks as the all-time leading goal-scorer in Duke soccer history.
by the Tampa Bay Mutiny
. Despite the fact that the 2001 Mutiny were one of the worst teams in MLS, Curtis finished the season with two goals and one assist in 1211 minutes. After the contraction of Tampa Bay, Curtis' rights were picked up by D.C. United
, with whom he showed more promise, scoring five goals and one assists in only 806 minutes in the 2002 season. Curtis ended up leading D.C. United in goal scoring in 2002. Curtis had a fantastic season in 2003, however, midway through the season, he was traded to Dallas. Curtis finished the 2003 season as the Dallas Burn's team leader in assist. After a third of a season with the Burn, Curtis and Dallas parted ways in 2004.
Curtis retired from soccer in 2004.
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...
. He was the 1999 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:...
and 2000 MAC Award winner before spending four seasons in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.
College
A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Ali Curtis had an extraordinary career playing college soccerCollege 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 Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where he scored 53 goals and 28 assists from 1997 to 2000, and, in his junior season won the 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:...
, and in his senior season won the MAC Award, both recognizing college soccer's best player. He ranks as the all-time leading goal-scorer in Duke soccer history.
MLS
After graduating from Duke, Curtis was drafted second overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft2001 MLS SuperDraft
-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:-External links:*...
by the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
. Despite the fact that the 2001 Mutiny were one of the worst teams in MLS, Curtis finished the season with two goals and one assist in 1211 minutes. After the contraction of Tampa Bay, Curtis' rights were picked up by D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, with whom he showed more promise, scoring five goals and one assists in only 806 minutes in the 2002 season. Curtis ended up leading D.C. United in goal scoring in 2002. Curtis had a fantastic season in 2003, however, midway through the season, he was traded to Dallas. Curtis finished the 2003 season as the Dallas Burn's team leader in assist. After a third of a season with the Burn, Curtis and Dallas parted ways in 2004.
Curtis retired from soccer in 2004.