Alec Smir

Alec Smir (born April 13, 1999) is an American-Jordanian soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for MLS Next Pro club Minnesota United 2.

Alec Smir
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-04-13) April 13, 1999
Place of birth Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Minnesota United 2
Number 35
Youth career
2013–2017 North Carolina Fusion
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 North Carolina Tar Heels 68 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Carolina Dynamo 2 (0)
2018 Ocean City Nor'easters 4 (0)
2022– Minnesota United 2 8 (0)
2023 → Colorado Springs Switchbacks (loan) 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 4, 2022

Career

Youth

Smir attended Greensboro Day School, also playing club soccer for NC Fusion from 2013 to 2017, captaining the team during the 2016 season. He was also selected for training camps with the United States under-18 side.[1][2] In 2017, he also played with Carolina Dynamo in the USL PDL.[3]

College

In 2017, Smir committed to playing college soccer at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He redshirted his sophomore season in 2018, but went on to make 68 appearances for the Tar Heels. He was named All-ACC Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team in 2020, and All-ACC First Team and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team in 2021.[1]

During the summer of 2018, Smir also appeared in the PDL for Ocean City Nor'easters, making four regular season appearances.[4][5]

Professional

On January 11, 2022, Smir was selected 62nd overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.[6][7][8] On March 23, 2022, it was announced that Smir had signed with MLS Next Pro side Minnesota United 2 ahead of their inaugural season.[9] Smir went on to make eight regular season appearances for Minnesota in 2022.[10][11] He was also the winner of Goalie Wars, part of the MLS NEXT Pro All-Star Skills Challenge at the 2022 MLS All-Star Game on August 10, 2022.[12][13]

On March 13, 2023, Smir was loaned to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks for the 2023 season.[14] On May 16, 2023, Smir was recalled from his loan after making only a single appearance for Colorado Springs, which came in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.[15]

References
  1. "Alec Smir - Men's Soccer". University of North Carolina Athletics.
  2. DELL, JOHN. "Goalie Alec Smir of North Carolina, a Greensboro native, a key player on Tar Heels' run to College Cup". Winston-Salem Journal.
  3. "North Carolina Fusion U23 - 2017 Regular Season - Roster - # - Alec Smir -". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
  4. "Ocean City Nor'easters - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - # - Alec Simr -". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
  5. "Alec Smir earns shutout in Nor'easters' rain-delayed win at Evergreen FC (VIDEO)". Ocean City FC. June 10, 2018.
  6. Dallas, F. C. "FC Dallas Selects Six Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft". FC Dallas.
  7. Koh, Michael (January 12, 2022). "FC Dallas Selects UNC Goalkeeper Alec Smir in MLS Superdraft".
  8. joe.sirera@greensboro.com, JOE SIRERA. "Alec Smir embarks on pro soccer career in Texas". Greensboro News and Record.
  9. "Minnesota United Announce MNUFC2 Roster for Inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Season | Minnesota United FC". MNUFC.
  10. "Alec Smir | MLSsoccer.com". mlsnextpro.
  11. "MNUFC2 Made Waves in Their Inaugural Season | Minnesota United FC". MNUFC.
  12. "MNUFC2's Alec Smir wins Goalie Wars at MLS All-Star Skills Challenge | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro.
  13. Tribune, Jerry Zgoda Star. "Loons development team goalkeeper Alec Smir wins 'Goalie Wars' challenge at All-Star event". Star Tribune.
  14. "Switchbacks FC Announce Acquisition of Alec Smir from Minnesota United FC". Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  15. "MNUFC2 Recalls Goalkeeper Alec Smir from Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Minnesota United FC". MNUFC. Retrieved June 19, 2023.


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