Kevin Ellis (soccer, born 1991)
Kevin Ellis (born June 30, 1991 as Kevin Boydston[1]) is an American professional soccer player who plays for the Kansas City Comets in the Major Arena Soccer League.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Ellis | ||
| Date of birth | June 30, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Kansas City Comets | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | Kansas City Wizards | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Barton Cougars | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009 | Kansas City Brass | 3 | (0) |
| 2011–2017 | Sporting Kansas City | 68 | (5) |
| 2013 | → Orlando City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Oklahoma City Energy (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Swope Park Rangers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | Chicago Fire | 20 | (2) |
| 2018 | D.C. United | 2 | (0) |
| 2019– | Kansas City Comets (indoor) | 20 | (24) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 April 2020 | |||
Career
Early career
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, as Kevin Boydston,[1] Ellis first started to make a name for himself in the Sporting Kansas City Juniors with the under-17 side at the SUM Cup in 2007 where he started in every match for the Sporting juniors and scored two goals in two minutes against the FC Dallas juniors in the group final.[2] Ellis then went on to attend Barton Community College where he played for the school's soccer team from 2009 to 2010. In 2009 Ellis scored 23 goals for Barton Community College while also earning NJCAA Second Team All-American honors. Then in 2010 Ellis was converted into a defender while still scoring 11 goals for the college team that season. After the 2010 season Ellis was named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and he also added All-Region VI First Team, NJCAA All-Tournament Team and NJCAA First Team All-American honors to his personal honors. His 34 goals scored while at Barton Community College remain an all-time school record.
Sporting Kansas City
After the 2010 season, Ellis attended the Sporting Kansas City invitation-only combine in January 2011, where after the three-day combine he earned a spot with the Sporting Kansas City preseason roster. On February 18, after two weeks of training with the first team in preseason, Ellis was signed by Sporting Kansas City to a homegrown player contract. Ellis was the second homegrown signing by Sporting Kansas City after goalkeeper Jon Kempin, who signed as the first homegrown player in August 2010.
Ellis made his first-team debut for Sporting Kansas City on June 28, 2011, two days before his 20th birthday, against the Chicago Fire Premier in the US Open Cup, in which he came on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Kei Kamara.[3] Sporting went on to win the game 3–0.
Ellis made his league debut in 2013[4] before spending several weeks on loan with Orlando City.[5] He scored his first professional goal in a 1–0 victory over Cruz Azul during the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.[6]
Ellis was waived during the 2018 preseason.[7] He later signed with the Chicago Fire on the eve of Chicago's season opener.[8] He was waived by the Fire on August 9, 2018.[9]
D.C. United
Ellis signed with D.C. United on September 7, 2018. Ellis played his first 90 minutes with DC in a friendly against C.D. Olimpia, contributing an assist to Dane Kelly.[10] He was released by the club at the end of their 2018 season.[11]
Career statistics
- As of December 31, 2014[12]
| Club | Season | League | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Orlando City (loan) | 2013 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 2014 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Oklahoma City Energy FC (loan) | 2014 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 0 |
| Career total | 61 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 1 | |
References
- McDowell, Sam (September 6, 2015). "Sporting KC's Kevin Ellis thankful for brother's sacrifice". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- Kurt Austin (February 18, 2011). "Kevin Ellis Signs as Home Grown Player | Sporting Kansas City". Sportingkc.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- "SPORTING KC VS. CHICAGO FIRE II 3 – 0". Soccerway. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
- "KC native Kevin Ellis makes MLS debut with Sporting KC | fox4kc.com". fox4kc.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- "Sporting Kansas City send CJ Sapong, Kevin Ellis on loan to Orlando City | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- "Hometown hero gives Sporting Kansas City first-leg win over Cruz Azul in CCL quarters | Planet Futbol – SI.com". soccer.si.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- https://www.sportingkc.com/post/2018/02/27/sporting-kc-waives-defender-kevin-ellis-and-forward-zach-wright
- https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/03/09/chicago-fire-sign-defender-kevin-ellis-goalkeeper-patrick-mclain
- "Chicago Fire Waive Defender Kevin Ellis and Midfielder Tony Tchani". chicago-fire.com. MLS. August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- "Ellis' big game against Olimpia shows the depth he offers United". September 20, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- https://www.dcunited.com/post/2018/11/28/dc-united-announce-contract-options
- Kevin Ellis at Soccerway