Kevin Garcia (born August 21, 1990) is an American retired soccer player who played as a defender.
Garcia played his high school soccer at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows Queens, where he won the NYC Championship in his junior year. Was named NYC player of the year by NY Newsday. Kevin was elected to the all-city team sophomore, junior and senior year. Garcia played four years of college soccer for the Villanova University Wildcats between 2008 and 2011.
Garcia also appeared for Premier Development League side Long Island Rough Riders between 2010 and 2013.
On January 17, 2012, Garcia was drafted 41st overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft by New England Revolution. However, he didn't sign with the club.
Garcia joined Swedish club IFK LuleÃÂ¥ in July 2013. He made his debut for IFK LuleÃÂ¥ on August 25 in a 2âÂÂ0 loss in a Division 1 match against Sirius. Garcia would go on to make 9 appearances in his first season in Sweden as IFK LuleÃÂ¥ finished 5th in the Norra division.
On August 5, 2014, Garcia scored his first goal for IFK LuleÃÂ¥ in a Svenska Cupen match with Sandviks IK. Trailing 2âÂÂ1 late, Garcia scored in the 90th minute to level the score at 2 and send the game to extra time, where IFK LuleÃÂ¥ would go on to win. On August 10, Garcia would play late hero once again, this time in the league. Garcia managed to score his first league goal in the 82nd minute to give IFK LuleÃÂ¥ a 2âÂÂ1 win over IF Sylvia. Overall, Garcia enjoyed a more successful season in 2014, making 23 appearances and scoring 3 goals in all competitions, but it was a worse season for the club, dropping to 10th in the Norra table.
On March 23, 2015, Garcia signed with Irish club Galway United. He made his debut for the Tribesmen on March 24 in a 2âÂÂ0 loss to Cork City. After making 13 appearances for Galway United, Garcia was released on July 30, 2015.
On August 3, 2015, Garcia returned to Sweden to sign with Division 1 club VästerÃÂ¥s SK Fotboll. He made his VästerÃÂ¥s SK debut on August 20 in a Svenska Cupen match with AFC Eskilstuna, a 3âÂÂ3 match that saw Eskilstuna advance on penalties. Garcia made his league debut for VästerÃÂ¥s SK on August 23 in a 3âÂÂ2 win over Nyköpings BIS. He ended the season with 12 appearances across all competitions as VästerÃÂ¥s SK finished 10th in the Norra division.
Garcia joined new United Soccer League side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on January 29, 2016. Garcia made his Toros debut on March 26 in a 2âÂÂ0 win over the Tulsa Roughnecks. He scored his first goal for RGVFC on June 4 to give the Toros a 1âÂÂ0 win over San Antonio FC. Garcia captained the Toros to a 10âÂÂgame unbeaten run, allowing 1 goal in that span and keeping a 760-minute shutout streak.
On September 6, 2016, Garcia was rewarded for his strong play by signing a contract with the Toros' MLS affiliate, the Houston Dynamo. He would make the bench for 2 games, but would end up back with RGVFC on loan for the rest of the year, helping the Toros reach the playoffs, where they lost in the first round 3âÂÂ2 to the Oklahoma City Energy.
Garcia made his MLS and Dynamo debut on April 15, 2017, in a 2âÂÂ2 draw with Minnesota United FC. Garcia made 5 total appearances for the Dynamo during the 2017 season, spending the rest of the season on the bench for the Dynamo or on loan with the Toros.
In 2018, Garcia missed two months due to a muscle injury. He made 4 appearances in the US Open Cup, including coming on as a sub in the final, to help the Dynamo win their first ever Open Cup. Garcia scored his first MLS goal on October 21 in a 3âÂÂ2 loss to Seattle Sounders FC. He made 15 appearances and scored 1 goal in MLS play as the Dynamo finished 9th in the Western Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.
Garcia made his first appearance of 2019 on March 2, getting the start in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Real Salt Lake in the first league match of the season. He made his first appearance in a continental competition of his career on March 12, coming on as a sub in a 1âÂÂ0 loss to Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals. Garcia made 16 appearances across all competitions for the Dynamo, 12 of them coming in MLS as Houston finished 10th in the West to miss the playoffs again. He also made 2 appearances for the Toros in April. His contract with Houston expired following the 2019 season.
On March 3, 2020, Garcia joined USL Championship side FC Tulsa ahead of the 2020 season. He made his debut for Tulsa on March 7, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Sacramento Republic. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Garcia started all 15 games for Tulsa, playing every minute to help them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Tulsa fell in the first round of the playoffs 4âÂÂ2 on penalties to El Paso Locomotive, with Garica playing the full 120 minutes of the match. On December 17, Garcia re-signed with Tulsa for the 2021 season.
Garcia scored his first goal for Tulsa on October 20, 2021, in a 4âÂÂ0 win over Atlanta United 2. He ended the season with 25 appearances and 1 goal to help Tulsa qualify for the playoffs, however he did not appear in their playoff game, a 6âÂÂ2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Following the 2021 season, Garcia announced his retirement.
Garcia has Colombian heritage.
Houston Dynamo
http://www.elitefootball.com/player/kevin-garcia/22209