Dustin Branan
Encyclopedia
Dustin Branan is a retired American
soccer defender
who played for the Kansas City Wizards
of Major Soccer League
and the Minnesota Thunder
of the USL First Division
.
Branan attended Lakeville High School where he was a 1998 first team All State soccer player. He played college soccer
at Brown
, from 1999 to 2002, where he started 58 games, and was twice named first-team All-Ivy. Upon graduating, he was drafted by the Minnesota Thunder
of the A-League
and, despite joining the team midseason because of college commitments, was named the club's Rookie of the Year in 2003. The next year, Branan anchored the Thunder's formidable defense, and was a finalist for the A-League Defender of the Year Award.
Following his very successful 2004 season, Branan signed with the Kansas City Wizards
of MLS
as a developmental player in early 2005. He was released by the Wizards at the end of the season and returned to the Minnesota Thunder
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who played for the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas 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...
of Major Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
and the Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in nearby...
of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
.
Branan attended Lakeville High School where he was a 1998 first team All State soccer player. He 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 Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, from 1999 to 2002, where he started 58 games, and was twice named first-team All-Ivy. Upon graduating, he was drafted by the Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in nearby...
of the A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
and, despite joining the team midseason because of college commitments, was named the club's Rookie of the Year in 2003. The next year, Branan anchored the Thunder's formidable defense, and was a finalist for the A-League Defender of the Year Award.
Following his very successful 2004 season, Branan signed with the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas 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...
of MLS
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...
as a developmental player in early 2005. He was released by the Wizards at the end of the season and returned to the Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in nearby...
.