Taylor Gray (born January 28, 1998) is an American soccer player who plays for Chattanooga FC in MLS Next Pro.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 28, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Hughesville, Maryland, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chattanooga FC | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| D.C. United | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Lees–McRae Bobcats | 38 | (4) |
| 2018–2019 | Reinhardt Eagles | (12) | |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | West Virginia Chaos | 8 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Tri-Cities Otters | 26 | (8) |
| 2021 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 17 | (1) |
| 2022– | Chattanooga FC | 50 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 3, 2024 | |||
Early life
editGray played youth soccer with the D.C. United Academy.[1]
College career
editIn 2016, Gray began attending Lees–McRae College, where he played for the men's soccer team.[2] He made his collegiate debut and recorded his first assist on September 1, 2016, against the Anderson Trojans.[2] He scored his first collegiate goal on October 12, 2016, against the Catawba Indians.[3]
In 2018, he began attending Reinhardt University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[4] In 2018, he was named to the All-Appalachian Athletic Conference Second Team, after scoring five goals and adding three assists.[5] In 2019, after scoring seven goals and adding seven assists during his senior season, he was named to the All-Appalachian Athletic Conference Second Team[6] and was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year.[7]
Club career
editIn 2017, Gray played with the West Virginia Chaos in the Premier Development League.[8]
In 2018 and 2019, Gray played with the Tri-Cities Otters.[9][10] In 2019, he had a league best five consecutive game goal scoring streak[11] and was named to the USL2 Eastern Conference Team of the Season.[12] He was also named one of 12 finalists nationwide in the 'Global Greats' honors in 2019, finishing as runner-up.[13] He was set to return to the team in 2020, however, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
In May 2021, he joined the Maryland Bobcats FC first team in NISA, after beginning the year with their reserve squad in the Eastern Premier Soccer League.[15]
In 2022, he joined Chattanooga FC in NISA,[16] after having previously trialed with the team in 2019, but failing to make the team.[17] On May 21, 2022, he scored a hat trick in a 4–2 victory over Bay Cities FC.[18] He was named to the NISA Best XI in 2022.[19] He spent much of the 2023 season injured, before returning to full health in 2024 as the team moved leagues to play in MLS Next Pro.[20]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Virginia United | 2017 | Premier Development League | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| Tri-Cities Otters | 2018 | Premier Development League | 12 | 1 | – | – | – | 12 | 1 | |||
| 2019 | USL League Two | 14 | 7 | – | – | – | 14 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | ||
| Maryland Bobcats FC | 2020–21 | National Independent Soccer Association | 4 | 0 | – | – | ? | ? | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 13 | 1 | – | – | ? | ? | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Chattanooga FC | 2022 | National Independent Soccer Association | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ? | ? | 29 | 7 |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | MLS Next Pro | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 50 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 101 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 19 | ||
References
edit- ^ "Reinhardt Standout Taylor Gray Continues Pro Career With Local Club". Reinhardt Eagles. March 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Taylor Gray Lees-McRae profile". Lees-McRae Bobcats.
- ^ "Catawba clips men's soccer, 3-2". Lees-McRae Bobcats. October 12, 2016.
- ^ "Taylor Gray Reinhardt profile". Reinhardt Eagles.
- ^ DeVader, Mike (November 5, 2018). "All-AAC Honors Loaded With Men's Soccer Flavor". Reinhardt Eagles.
- ^ DeVader, Mike (November 15, 2019). "Aaron Whitten Paces Conference Awards for Reinhardt Men's Soccer". Reinhardt Eagles.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Highlights 2019 Season With End-of-Year Banquet". Reinhardt Eagles. February 25, 2020.
- ^ "Taylor Gray 2017 USL2 Stats". USL League Two.
- ^ "Taylor Gray 2018 USL2 Stats". USL League Two.
- ^ "Taylor Gray 2019 USL2 Stats". USL League Two.
- ^ "Reinhardt Soccer Making Waves in Summer Play". Reinhardt Eagles. June 28, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Eastern Conference Team of the Season". USL League Two. August 15, 2019.
- ^ "Taylor Gray Earns National Recognition for USL2 Excellence". Reinhardt Eagles. January 6, 2020.
- ^ "Taylor Gray Returns for the 2020 Season". Tri-Cities Otters. April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Reserve Team → First Team". Maryland Bobcats FC. Facebook. May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Chattanooga FC signs forward Taylor Gray". Chattanooga FC. February 11, 2022. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022.
- ^ Henley, Gene (August 9, 2022). "CFC's Taylor Gray enjoying putting on a show for Chattanooga fans". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
- ^ Henderson, Jed (May 28, 2022). "Taylor Gray's Hattrick Leads CFC To 4-2 Win Over Visiting Bay Cities FC". The Chattanoogan.
- ^ "NISA Announces 2022 Best XI". National Independent Soccer Association. November 16, 2022.
- ^ Casano, Samantha (April 12, 2024). "Chattanooga Football Club's Taylor Gray off to hot start in 2024". WRCB.
- ^ Taylor Gray at Soccerway
- ^ "Taylor Gray NISA Stats". National Independent Soccer Association.
External links
edit- Taylor Gray at Soccerway