The Swope Park Rangers announced today that the club has signed 22-year-old midfielder Camden Riley to a USL contract.
Riley was selected by Sporting Kansas City with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft last month but did not sign for the club. He has joined the Rangers for their preseason preparations ahead of the USL Championship campaign, which begins March 9 with a visit to New York Red Bulls II.
Riley started 57 of 66 appearances for the University of the Pacific from 2015-2018, recording 19 goals and 10 assists from 2015-2018 as the program’s all-time leading scorer. His college career was highlighted by NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his last three seasons, with the Tigers going 38-13-6 during that time.
As a senior in 2018, Riley notched a team-best nine goals and five assists and was named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Riley became a regular starter at Pacific during a 2016 sophomore campaign that yielded four goals, three assists and culminated in West Coast Conference Honorable Mention accolades. He added five goals and two assists the following year, with Pacific posting their second straight 13-4-2 record and falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
As a junior, Riley was a member of the All-West Coast Conference First Team and landed United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region recognition. He was also a West Coast Conference All-Academic Team selection in his final two seasons.
While at Pacific, Riley gained Premier Development League experience with Burlingame Dragons FC in 2017 and the Portland Timbers U-23s in 2018. At the youth level, he played for the Dallas Texans in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and garnered All-District honors at Flower Mound High School.
Midfielder Kamar Marriott and defender Franky Martinez, Sporting’s other two picks in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, are no longer with the club and have pursued other professional opportunities.
For the second straight year, SPR will host USL Championship regular season matches at world-class Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Single-game tickets for all 17 home fixtures are now on sale at SeatGeek.com, and SPR season tickets are also available by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
VITALS
Camden Riley
Position: Midfielder
Born: 8/20/1996 (22 years old)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175 lbs.
College: University of the Pacific
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Citizenship: USA
Twitter: @camdenriley2
Instagram: @camdenriley
