Clarence Goodson
Clarence Goodson IV began his soccer career with the Braddock Road Warhawks, where he won five Virginia State (VYSA) Championships, the USYSA 1999 U-17 National Championship, and the 1999 North American Indoor National Championship. In 2000 Clarence won the Virginia State AAA Championship with WT Woodson High School. Clarence attended the University of Maryland, and won an ACC Championship.
Clarence was selected 7th overall in the MLS 2004 Super Draft by the Dallas Burn (F.C. Dallas). In 2008-2010 Clarence played for IK Start in Norway. 2010-2013 Clarence played for famed Danish Superliga team, Brondby IF, where he served as Team Captain and helped the team gain qualification into the UEFA League. In 2013 Clarence returned to the US and signed for the San Jose Earthquakes, where they rose to one of the strongest defensive teams in the MLS. Clarence was named team Defender of the Year six times throughout his career, and served as elected MLS Player Representative for Major League Soccer Players Association.
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Clarence played Central Defender for the US Men's National Team for seven years and served as an elected US National Team Executive Board member. Clarence played in the Gold Cup in 2009 and 2011, winning the 2013 Gold Cup Championship as Vice-Captain. In 2010 Clarence was selected to the United States Men's National Team Roster for the South African World Cup. Clarence was also an alternate for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Clarence earned 46 caps and scored five goals for the United States.
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Today Clarence works for Major League Soccer Players Association as Player Relations Manager. Alongside wife Kelsey, Clarence is Youth Director for 120+ Bay Area youth, and he coaches the next generation of soccer youth elitists. The Clarence E. Goodson IV Mini Pitch was dedicated in September 2017 at his alma mater Springfield Elementary School. Clarence & his wife Kelsey partnered with the US Soccer Foundation to build a mini soccer pitch where children, in underserved communities, are provided a free and safe place to play the beautiful game. In 2022, Clarence and Kelsey founded the Goodson Foundation to combine elite athletics with the S.T.E.A.M. curriculum to train up the next generation of creative leaders.