Michael Gavin
American soccer player (born 1986)
Michael Gavin
Gavin with the LA Galaxy in 2008
Personal information
Full name Michael Gavin
Date of birth (1986-03-30) March 30, 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position Defender
Youth career
1997–2004 Sereno SC Golden Eagles '86[1]
2000–2004 Horizon High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2007 Portland Pilots 75 (4)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 Bradenton Academics 26 (1)
2008 Los Angeles Galaxy 2 (0)
International career
2008 United States U23 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 8 April 2009

Michael Gavin (born March 30, 1986) is an American former professional soccer player who featured for his teams as a left wing-back.

Career

Youth Levels

Gavin served as captain of the highly decorated the '86 Sereno Golden Eagles,[2] which featured future Major League Soccer players Brandon McDonald, Robbie Findley, Rob Valentino, as well as future NCAA players Joey Vitagliano,[3] Andrew Antila,[4] Cody Russell,[5] Kegan Riley,[6] and Jordan Demos.[7]

Gavin's Sereno squad were highly successful, registering eight Arizona state championships (1997-2004), four Far West Region IV championships (2001-2004), three US Youth Soccer National Championships Final Four finishes (2001-2002, 2004), as well as a national runners-up finish (2003).[8][9][10] During this period, Gavin found form as an attacking threat at the state[11] and national levels,[12] and represented the Arizona State Olympic Development Team in Far West Region IV competitions from 1998 to 2003.[13]

Gavin simultaneously attended Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and in his lone year playing prep soccer he won the 2003 State Championship.[14] He was named Horizon's Defensive Player of the Year, chosen as an all-Region first-team performer, and was a 5A all-State selection by The Arizona Republic newspaper.[15][16]

Gavin concluded his youth career in 2004 by signing a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Portland.[17]

College

Gavin went on to represent Portland Pilots men's soccer from 2004 to 2007.[18] Gavin opened his college career by being named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and an all-Conference selection in 2004.[19] During his tenure, Gavin started 71 of his 75 appearances[20] as the Pilots were ranked in the Top 25 by the United Soccer Coaches,[21] TopDrawerSoccer,[22] Soccer America,[23] and College Soccer News.[24] His collegiate career culminated in earning the captaincy for his side, developing a knack for scoring crucial late goals,[25][26] being named to conference[27] and national Teams of the Week[28] by various publications, receiving all-Conference honors,[29] and being named the Pilots' Most Inspirational Player.[30]

While Gavin demonstrated himself to be a threat by scoring four goals himself and assisting on four others, professional scouts were drawn to Gavin's defensive prowess, as he was only shown 3 yellow cards during his college career and never sent off.[31]

Professional

After Gavin spent two years with the Bradenton Academics of the USL Premier Development League,[32][33] he was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy as the 4th overall pick in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft,[34] and started the 2008 season as the team's first-choice left back.[35][36] However, after he departed for a national team call-up, he was dropped from the Starting XI. Gavin was reduced to a place on the bench as an unused substitute for the remainder of the season while the 2008 Galaxy side struggled to find consistent performance and leadership - the team were knocked out of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup, suffered a last place finish in the league, cycled through three different managers,[37] and also changed sporting directors.[38]

After Gavin began the 2009 season with the Galaxy,[39] Bruce Arena overhauled his player personnel in favor of more experience, which ultimately left Gavin outside of the club's final 24-man roster for that season.[40]

International career

Gavin was chosen to represent the United States U-23 National Team in the 2008 Toulon Tournament (now known as the Maurice Revello Tournament).[41][42]

Personal

Michael is the older brother of midfielder Blair Gavin. He resides with his wife and 3 children in Vernal, Utah.

References

  1. ^ "Youth National Championships Get Underway". 26 January 2002.
  2. ^ "Michael Gavin - Men's Soccer".
  3. ^ "YCJ Photos: University of New Mexico vs University of Maryland (12/11/05) - box score".
  4. ^ "Andrew Antila - 2007 - Men's Soccer".
  5. ^ "Cody Russell - Soccer".
  6. ^ "Kegan Reilly - 2007 - Men's Soccer".
  7. ^ "Jordan Demos - Men's Soccer". 28 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Cody Russell - Soccer".
  9. ^ "Youth National Championships Get Underway". 26 January 2002.
  10. ^ "U.S. Youth Soccer crowns champs". NBC News. 26 July 2003.
  11. ^ https://www.angelfire.com/az3/azpsl/leading%20scorers.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ "Youth National Championships Get Underway". 26 January 2002.
  13. ^ "Michael Gavin - Men's Soccer".
  14. ^ https://aiaonline.org/files/222/soccer-team-champs-boys-fall-winter.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ "The Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona". 9 March 2003.
  16. ^ "Michael Gavin - Men's Soccer".
  17. ^ "Men's Soccer Announces Two New Recruits". April 2004.
  18. ^ "Michael Gavin - Men's Soccer".
  19. ^ "Chandler, Coach Visser Claim Top WCC Soccer Honors". 17 November 2004.
  20. ^ "Men's Soccer Statistics".
  21. ^ "College Rankings Archive | United Soccer Coaches".
  22. ^ "No. 25 Pilots Look to Make a Statement Against Cal Poly, Santa Clara". 14 November 2007.
  23. ^ "Pilot Men Ranked 19th in Soccer America Preseason Poll". 30 August 2004.
  24. ^ "College Soccer News Rank Pilots 24th in Preseason Poll". 26 July 2004.
  25. ^ "Gavin Buries Game-Winner in 110th minute as Pilots top San Diego 1-0". 9 November 2007.
  26. ^ "Gavin Named WCC Co-Player of the Week". October 2007.
  27. ^ "Gavin Named WCC Co-Player of the Week". October 2007.
  28. ^ "Gavin Lands on Soccer America's Team of the Week". 13 November 2007.
  29. ^ "Eight Pilots Earn All-WCC Honors". 21 November 2007.
  30. ^ https://portlandpilots.com/documents/2024/8/26/2024_Men_s_Soccer_Info_Guide.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  31. ^ "Men's Soccer Statistics".
  32. ^ "Bradenton Academics All-time Stats | SoccerStats.us".
  33. ^ "Michael Gavin | SoccerStats.us".
  34. ^ "Galaxy Take Gavin in MLS Supplemental Draft". 25 January 2008.
  35. ^ "Gavin Makes MLS Debut with the L.A. Galaxy". 4 April 2008.
  36. ^ https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/michael-gavin/
  37. ^ "Galaxy parts ways with Lalas, Gullit". Los Angeles Times. 12 August 2008.
  38. ^ "Arena is new Galaxy coach, GM". Los Angeles Times. 19 August 2008.
  39. ^ https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/galaxy-unveil-2009-preseason-roster
  40. ^ "The LA Galaxy".
  41. ^ "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon".
  42. ^ "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon".
  • MLS profile at MLSNet.com
  • Portland Pilots bio
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