Roger Levesque
Encyclopedia
Roger Levesque is an American
soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC
in Major League Soccer
.
On January 28, 2010 he was ranked 19th in the USL First Division
Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade. Levesque has become a Sounders fan favorite for his length of service with the club, his mustache, and clever goal celebrations.
, Levesque led Falmouth High School
in Falmouth, Maine
to the 1996 and 1997 Maine
state championships. In 1998, he was selected the state player of the year by the Maine Sunday Telegram. His 106 goals over 4 years at Falmouth places him at second most goals in Maine history that was beat on November 4 by Bangor Christian striker Bradley Wilcox. Levesque was also a standout basketball player, twice named Maine's Class C player of the year by the Lewiston Sun Journal, and leading Falmouth to state titles in 1997, and 1998. Roger also played for Maine Coast United leading them to 3 state titles and earning time with the United States U/23 National team
Levesque played college soccer
at Stanford University
from 1999 to 2002. After two seasons as a reserve, Levesque became a starter as a junior, and ended the season as a second-team All-American, having scored 14 goals and 9 assists. In his senior year he led the team in points with 7 goals and 13 assists, and was named a third team All-American. Stanford lost to UCLA
that year in the NCAA Final
.
by the San Jose Earthquakes
. Much of his rookie season was lost when he injured his ACL
during a preseason game with the United States Under-23 national team. However, he did play three games with the Earthquakes and another nine on loan with the Seattle Sounders
.
He continued to play on loan with the Sounders in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he scored 8 goals and 4 assists in 27 games as the team reached the A-League championship. He scored four goals for the Sounders in the 2005 United Soccer League
USL-1 playoffs. His three goals led Seattle past the Portland Timbers
and his stoppage time goal was the winner as Seattle beat the Montreal Impact
2-1. Seattle went on to win the 2005 Championship
. The Earthquakes placed Levesque on waivers on November 16, 2005 after he played only one game that season with their first team.
In February 2006, Levesque signed a year-long deal to return to Seattle Sounders. He scored two goals and three assists during the regular season and led the team in minutes played. In 2007, he was named second team All-League. At the end of the season, he served as a guest player in two exhibition games with USL-1 teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, against MLS teams.
After a lengthy trial for most of early 2009, Levesque was signed by the expansion MLS franchise Seattle Sounders FC
in March 2009. He has been used primarily as a reserve player, occasionally used as a substitute or starting games of lesser importance. He scored a goal against the Portland Timbers
in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
, as well as the winning goal against D.C. United
in the Open Cup Final. He also scored the winning goal in the 89th minute against D.C. United a year later in 2010 MLS league play. In June 2011, Levesque scored 2 goals in the Sounders' 4-2 win against the New York Red Bulls. On July 16, 2011 he scored another goal against the Colorado Rapids.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
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...
.
On January 28, 2010 he was ranked 19th in 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....
Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade. Levesque has become a Sounders fan favorite for his length of service with the club, his mustache, and clever goal celebrations.
High School and College
Born in Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Levesque led Falmouth High School
Falmouth High School (Maine)
Falmouth High School is a public high school located in the town of Falmouth, Maine. The school serves roughly 720 students in grades 9–12. Located on the Woodville Road Campus, the current Falmouth High School was completed in 2001, and opened for the 2001–2002 school year...
in Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
to the 1996 and 1997 Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
state championships. In 1998, he was selected the state player of the year by the Maine Sunday Telegram. His 106 goals over 4 years at Falmouth places him at second most goals in Maine history that was beat on November 4 by Bangor Christian striker Bradley Wilcox. Levesque was also a standout basketball player, twice named Maine's Class C player of the year by the Lewiston Sun Journal, and leading Falmouth to state titles in 1997, and 1998. Roger also played for Maine Coast United leading them to 3 state titles and earning time with the United States U/23 National team
Levesque 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 Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
from 1999 to 2002. After two seasons as a reserve, Levesque became a starter as a junior, and ended the season as a second-team All-American, having scored 14 goals and 9 assists. In his senior year he led the team in points with 7 goals and 13 assists, and was named a third team All-American. Stanford lost to UCLA
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
that year in the NCAA Final
NCAA Men's Soccer Championship
The NCAA began conducting a Men's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. Currently, the tournament field consists of 48 teams...
.
Professional
Levesque was selected 23rd overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft2003 MLS SuperDraft
The 2003 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:References=* USA Today MLS Draft List...
by the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
. Much of his rookie season was lost when he injured his ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
during a preseason game with the United States Under-23 national team. However, he did play three games with the Earthquakes and another nine on loan with the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (USL)
Seattle Sounders was an American professional soccer team founded in 1994 as a member of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, the team became a member of the USL First Division, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid, until 2008, after which the majority of the team's...
.
He continued to play on loan with the Sounders in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he scored 8 goals and 4 assists in 27 games as the team reached the A-League championship. He scored four goals for the Sounders in the 2005 United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
USL-1 playoffs. His three goals led Seattle past the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (USL)
Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...
and his stoppage time goal was the winner as Seattle beat the Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
2-1. Seattle went on to win the 2005 Championship
United Soccer Leagues 2005
-General:* A-League renamed USL First Division.* Pro Soccer League renamed USL Second Division.* The newly renamed top two divisions each become single table....
. The Earthquakes placed Levesque on waivers on November 16, 2005 after he played only one game that season with their first team.
In February 2006, Levesque signed a year-long deal to return to Seattle Sounders. He scored two goals and three assists during the regular season and led the team in minutes played. In 2007, he was named second team All-League. At the end of the season, he served as a guest player in two exhibition games with USL-1 teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, against MLS teams.
After a lengthy trial for most of early 2009, Levesque was signed by the expansion MLS franchise Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
in March 2009. He has been used primarily as a reserve player, occasionally used as a substitute or starting games of lesser importance. He scored a goal against the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (USL)
Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...
in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 96th edition of the oldest competition in American soccer, running from June through early September.The tournament proper features teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, as well as the winning goal against 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...
in the Open Cup Final. He also scored the winning goal in the 89th minute against D.C. United a year later in 2010 MLS league play. In June 2011, Levesque scored 2 goals in the Sounders' 4-2 win against the New York Red Bulls. On July 16, 2011 he scored another goal against the Colorado Rapids.
Seattle Sounders
- A-League Western Conference Championship (1): 20042004 A-League-Western Conference:-Eastern Conference:-Playoffs:...
- USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
Championship (2): 2005United Soccer Leagues 2005-General:* A-League renamed USL First Division.* Pro Soccer League renamed USL Second Division.* The newly renamed top two divisions each become single table....
, 2007United Soccer Leagues 2007The 2007 Season is the 21st edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.The season kicked off on Friday, April 13 when the 2006 league runners-up Rochester Raging Rhinos traveled to the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders.-General:* Two new teams join the... - USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
Commissioner's Cup (1): 2007United Soccer Leagues 2007The 2007 Season is the 21st edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.The season kicked off on Friday, April 13 when the 2006 league runners-up Rochester Raging Rhinos traveled to the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders.-General:* Two new teams join the...
Seattle Sounders FC
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupLamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
(3): 20092009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 96th edition of the oldest competition in American soccer, running from June through early September.The tournament proper features teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, 20102010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 97th edition of the oldest competition in American soccer, running from June through early October.The tournament proper featured teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, 20112011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 98th edition of the oldest competition in American soccer, running from June through early October. Seattle Sounders FC, who entered the competition as the two-time defending champions, successfully defended their title again. They became the third team in...