| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Humberto Avila | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | San Diego, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Toronto FC | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2005 | IMG Soccer Academy | ||
| 2005–2007 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006 | San Fernando Valley Quakes | 3 | (0) |
| 2007 | Ventura County Fusion | 10 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | FC Dallas | 63 | (3) |
| 2011– | Toronto FC | 9 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003–2005 | United States U17 | 20 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | United States U20 | 10 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 22, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Eric Humberto Avila (born 24 November 1987, in San Diego, California) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.
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Avila played club soccer in San Diego, initially for the San Diego Crusaders and later for the La Jolla Nomads, the same club as US National Team players Frankie Hejduk and Steve Cherundolo. With the Nomads, he helped the team to a U.S. Club Soccer National Championship, Disney Showcase tournament championship, and Coast Premier League regular season title.
He also attended La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California before entering the US U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. Avila led La Costa Canyon to the Avocado League title and a CIF Division I Finals berth as a sophomore. During the season, he was named the Avocado League MVP. Eric Avila was also a member of Chivas USA's U-19 club before he enrolled at UC Santa Barbara.[1]
Avila was recruited to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara by head coach Tim Vom Steeg. Upon his signing, he was regarded as UC Santa Barbara's highest level recruit to date. His first season with the UCSB Gauchos men's soccer team was in 2005. He immediately made an impact with the team, starting in 21 games while scoring 3 goals and assisting on 5 more for 11 points.[2] For his efforts, Avila was named to the College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team as well as being the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year.
2006 was a huge year for Avila with him starting 25 games. He scored 8 goals and had 5 assists for 21 points, the highest on the team.[3] He outscored eventual professionals in Bryan Byrne, Tyler Rosenlund, Andy Iro, and Tino Nuñez. Avila led the Gauchos to the 2006 Division I Men's College Cup in St. Louis, Missouri where they won the Division I National Championship over Southern California rivals UCLA Bruins. It marked the Gauchos' first ever NCAA Championship in soccer, with Avila scoring the game winning goal. He was awarded a spot on the All-College Cup Team in addition to a spot on the NSCAA/adidas Second Team as well as the College Soccer News Third Team and All-Far West First Team.
In 2007, Avila appeared in 20 games, starting 18 of them. He scored 4 more goals and added 8 more assists for 16 points on the season.[4] His career totals amount to 66 games (64 starts), 15 goals, 18 assists, and 48 points. He was a Hermann Trophy candidate for the season and was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Far West Second Team.
During his college years, Avila also played in the USL Premier Development League for the San Fernando Valley Quakes and Ventura County Fusion.
Avila decided to forgo his senior season as professional clubs started to show interest. Avila decided to sign a Generation Adidas contract and he was subsequently drafted in the 2nd Round (19th Overall) by FC Dallas in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
Avila made his MLS debut for FC Dallas as an 85th minute substitute against the Houston Dynamo in a 1-1 tie on 26 June 2008.[5] He earned his first MLS career assist on a header by Abe Thompson during stoppage time helping FC Dallas to a 1-1 tie against the Kansas City Wizards on July 4, 2008.[6] and scored his first senior goal on June 20, 2009, in a game against Columbus Crew.[7]
In December 2008, Eric traveled to England with fellow FC Dallas teammates Bruno Guarda, Josh Lambo, and Anthony Wallace along with other Generation Adidas players for friendlies against the reserve squads of Chelsea, Reading, and Aston Villa. He will graduate from the MLS Generation Adidas program at the end of the 2010 season.[8] In July 2011 it was announced that Eric had been transferred on a loan to F.C. Atlas for 6 months, but the loan deal fell through.[9]
On August 2, 2011, FC Dallas traded Avila to Toronto FC for Maicon Santos.[10] Four days later Avila made his debut for the team against DC United in a 3-3 away draw.[11] Avila scored his first goal for Toronto on August 27 in a 1-1 home draw against San Jose Earthquakes.[12]
Avila entered the US U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida in Fall of 2003.[13] He made his first appearance with US U-17's at the age of 15 against England. He went on to earn 9 international caps with the U-17's, appearing in 15 total matches. The total was the highest of the 1987 boys class. His last appearance came in Spring of 2005.[13]
He helped lead the U.S. to the finals of the Ballymena International Tournament held in Northern Ireland, which he regards as one of his most memorable moments in sports. He also participated in the Mondial Minimes Montaigu Vendee Tournament held in France. In addition to tournaments, he played in a number of matches against Major League Soccer teams, including Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, and Columbus Crew, while scoring the game-tying goal in a friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes.
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