Rusty Pierce - Definition

Rusty Pierce (born July 24, 1979 in The Woodlands, Texas) is an American soccer defender who currently plays for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.

Pierce played 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 MLS, entering the 2000 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 14th overall by the New England Revolution.

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. 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.

Following the 2004 seasons, 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 RSL.

Pierce has played for United States national team at a number of youth levels, but is currently uncapped at the senior level.

See also

• List of current MLS players