UCI soccer player’s pro career in flight

Former UC Irvine men’s soccer player Chris Klotz has signed a contract with the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer League’s Second Division.

Klotz will be available for the Eagles’ season opener Friday in Charlotte, N.C., against the Cincinnati Kings.

The midfielder was a two-time All-Big West Conference selection for the Anteaters and a team captain for three seasons. Klotz will return after the season to serve as a student-assistant for UCI Coach George Kuntz.

“Chris has been a stellar soccer player, student and person at the University of California, Irvine,” Kuntz said in a press release. “He is a dedicated young man who I know will be a very good player at the next level.

The Eagles are one of the top teams in the USL’s Second Division. Charlotte won the league title last season, defeating the Western Massachusetts Pioneers on penalty kicks, and lost in the final last season.

The team is led by two-time Second Division MVP Jacob Coggins. Charlotte also had the league’s goalkeeper and defender of the year in Chris McClellan and Josh Rife, respectively.

Klotz played two seasons for the Southern California Seahorses, a USL Premier Development League team affiliated with the Eagles, and will join former Seahorses players Trevor Upton, Ben Meek and Gregg Schroeder on the Eagles. Both teams are owned by Missionary Athletes International, a Christian organization.

“I am extremely excited about having an opportunity to play professional soccer,” Klotz said in a press release. “Signing with the Charlotte Eagles, I feel as if this organization will be the perfect fit for me. Not only is this one of the top clubs in the United Soccer League, but it is also a ministry-based team that is heavily involved in impacting the community.”dpt-ucisoccer20.IMGGraphicInfo3E1Q4MBL200604203E1Q4MBLNo Caption