30 Facts About Zarek Valentin

Zarek Chase Valentin was born on August 6,1991 and is a former professional footballer who played as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Minnesota United FC.

Zarek Valentin started all 25 games for the Zips in his freshman year, and was off the field for only 11 minutes.

Zarek Valentin played every game at centerback to lead a defense that conceded only 16 goals over the entire season.

Zarek Valentin was named College Soccer News All-America Second Team, All-MAC First Team, and was named to the College Cup All-Tournament Team.

At the completion of his 2010 season at the University of Akron, Zarek Valentin chose to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility, declaring for the MLS SuperDraft and signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer as one of eleven players that year.

Zarek Valentin was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Chivas USA.

Zarek Valentin made 25 appearances in his rookie season, but it was a disappointing season for Chivas USA as the team missed out on the playoffs by 13 points.

Zarek Valentin joined expansion side Montreal Impact ahead of the 2012 season after Chivas USA left him unprotected in the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft.

Zarek Valentin returned to play some games with the reserves, but did not appear with the first team again.

Zarek Valentin made 15 appearances in his first season in Montreal, but the Impact finished in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, missing out on the playoffs by 11 points.

On January 12,2016, Zarek Valentin joined the Portland Timbers, reuniting with Caleb Porter, who was his coach at Akron.

Zarek Valentin ended his first season in Portland with 24 appearances and 1 goal across all competitions.

Zarek Valentin made 19 appearances in the regular season to help the Timbers finish first place in the Western Conference.

Zarek Valentin made 32 league appearances for the Timbers as he helped them finish fifth in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Zarek Valentin appeared in 40 of a possible 43 games for Portland in 2018, setting career highs for MLS appearances, starts, and minutes.

On December 10,2018, Zarek Valentin signed a new contract with Portland.

Zarek Valentin made 21 appearances in the league, with zero goals and assists, to help the Timbers qualify for their third straight playoffs.

On November 19,2019, Zarek Valentin was selected by Nashville SC in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft and was traded to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Joe Willis.

On November 10,2020, Zarek Valentin signed a contract extension with Houston until 2022, with a team option for 2023.

Zarek Valentin ended the season with 7 appearances across all competitions as the Dynamo missed out on the playoffs again, finishing 13th in the conference.

On December 8,2022, Zarek Valentin signed a one-year deal with Minnesota United FC.

Zarek Valentin was a member of various US Youth National teams, including the U-20s, U-18s, U-17 and U-15s.

Zarek Valentin has 29 caps for the United States U-20 men's national soccer team.

Zarek Valentin was a valuable part of the 2010 Milk Cup winning squad.

On September 15,2016, Zarek Valentin was called up to the Puerto Rico national team by coach Carlos Garcia Cantarero ahead of two 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifying games against Curacao and Antigua and Barbuda, although he did not appear in those matches.

In October 2020, it was confirmed that Zarek Valentin agreed to represent Puerto Rico internationally for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification set to start in 2021.

Zarek Valentin scored his first international goal in a Concacaf Nations League match against Cayman Islands at the 84th minute.

One of his older brothers is retired soccer player Julian Zarek Valentin, who played for MLS club LA Galaxy and NASL club FC Tampa Bay.

In 2010 Zarek Valentin was featured in The New York Times Magazine as one of eleven Next-Gen American Soccer players.

Zarek Valentin met his wife Liz McAteer while playing for Montreal.