David Stokes

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David Stokes
Personal information
Full name	David Stokes
Date of birth	May 28, 1982 (age 24)
Place of birth	Dumfries, VA, United States
Height	6'3
Position	defender
Club information
Current club	D.C. United
Number	2
Youth clubs
2000-02	North Carolina
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
2002 2003–	Raleigh CASL Elite D.C. United	13 (1) 24 (0)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 December, 2006. ** National team caps and goals correct as of 3 December, 2006.

David Stokes (born May 28, 1982 in Dumfries, Virginia) is an American soccer player, who currently plays for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

Stokes played three years of college soccer at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill from 2000 to 2002. As a sophomore, Stokes was named Defensive MVP of the College Cup as he helped UNC to a national championship.

After finishing his junior season, Stokes signed a Project-40 contract with MLS. Hailed as the second-coming of Eddie Pope, Stokes was selected 5th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United. Although Stokes' athleticism was clear, he was unexpectedly raw, and was clearly unprepared to start in MLS as a rookie. He finished the year without having played any league games, although he did appear in U.S. Open Cup games for United, and played on loan with the Virginia Beach Mariners. After Ray Hudson was released, many expected Stokes to play a larger role in Peter Nowak's team; while he was given an opportunity, however, Stokes' inconsistency and lack of focus resulted in him seeing very little playing time for United. He finished the year with only 410 minutes and three starts. Stokes remains a talented prospect, but his very disappointing first two years significantly dampened peoples' expectations. During the 2006 season, Stokes again saw little playing time and could not break into United's starting defensive line.

Stokes played for the Under-23 national team in 2003 Olympic Qualifying.

[edit] See also

• List of current MLS players

D.C. United - Current Squad
1 Perkins | 2 Stokes | 4 Prideaux | 5 Erpen | 6 Mediate | 7 Donnet | 8 Moose | 10 Gómez | 11 Eskandarian | 12 Wilson | 14 Olsen | 16 Carroll | 17 Gros | 18 Rimando | 19 Simms | 21 deRoux | 22 McTavish | 23 Walker | 24 Carroll | 26 Namoff | 30 McIntosh | 32 Boswell | 99 Moreno | – Nolly | Coach: Nowak