Brian Span
American soccer player (born 1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian "Cobi" Span (born February 23, 1992) is a retired American professional soccer player who last played for Swedish club Haninge.
|
Span with IFK Mariehamn | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Matthew Span Jackson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | February 23, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Somers, New York, United States | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2010 | FC Westchester | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Virginia Cavaliers | 41 | (12) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011 | Reading United | 5 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Djurgårdens IF | 14 | (1) |
| 2014 | FC Dallas | 0 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Orlando City (loan) | 19 | (3) |
| 2015–2017 | IFK Mariehamn | 96 | (10) |
| 2018–2021 | Västerås SK | 96 | (10) |
| 2022–2023 | Haninge | 25 | (8) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of January 1, 2023 | |||
Club career
Span started out playing for FC Westchester as a youth player at age twelve.[2] He stayed there for seven years[3] and then went on to play two years of college soccer at the University of Virginia, scoring 12 goals and registering 8 assists during that time.
During the summer of 2011 he trained in Europe with German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Örebro SK in Sweden.[4] After his sophomore season that autumn, the winger felt ready to go professional but MLS did not offer him a Generation Adidas contract. Instead, the North Salem native signed a two-year deal with Djurgårdens IF in Swedish Allsvenskan.[5]
Djurgårdens IF
Span made his debut on May 20, 2012. He came on at the 65th minute, replacing Ricardo Santos, and played the rest of the match.[6] Three days later he scored his first professional goal in his first game as a starter to equalize 1–1 against Helsingborgs IF.[7] Span's contract was not renewed following the 2013 season.[8]
FC Dallas
On January 8, 2014, Span signed a contract with Major League Soccer and was allocated via a weighted lottery with FC Dallas, Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes, New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake participating.[9] FC Dallas acquired Span on January 9 in the weighted lottery.[10]
Span was waived by Dallas on February 5, 2015.[11]
Orlando City
Span was loaned to USL Pro club Orlando City on April 2, 2014.[12]
International career
While not a recent national team participant, Span was a member of the U17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida.[13]
In 2020, Span expressed his intention to play for the Costa Rica national team, motivated by his maternal family, who are relatives to Costa Rican legend Juan Cayasso.[14]
