Kevin Alston

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Kevin Alston

| image = Kevin Alston NE Revolution 2009.jpg

| fullname = Kevin Lawrence Alston

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|5|5}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}}

| position = Defender

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 2003–2006

| youthclubs1 = Potomac Soccer Association

| collegeyears1 = 2006–2008 | college1 = Indiana Hoosiers | collegecaps1 = | collegegoals1 =

| years1 = 2009–2015

| clubs1 = New England Revolution

| caps1 = 148

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 2016–2017

| clubs2 = Orlando City

| caps2 = 24

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2017

| clubs3 = → Orlando City B (loan)

| caps3 = 12

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2018–2021

| clubs4 = Orange County SC

| caps4 = 75

| goals4 = 1

| nationalyears1 = 2003–2005

| nationalteam1 = United States U17

| nationalcaps1 = 17

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2007

| nationalteam2 = United States U18

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| medaltemplates =

| club-update = November 8, 2021

| ntupdate = October 26, 2012

}}

Kevin Lawrence Alston (born May 5, 1988) is an American soccer player.

Club career

Alston played college soccer for the Indiana University Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and 2008, and a 2008 NSCAA All-Great Lakes region selection.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

=New England Revolution=

File:Federico_Macheda_vs_Kevin_Alston.jpg

Alston was drafted in the first round (10th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by New England Revolution after signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer. He made his professional debut on March 21, 2009, in New England's first game of the 2009 MLS season against the San Jose Earthquakes.{{cite web|url=http://web.mlsnet.com/players/bio.jsp?team=t109&player=alston_k&playerId=als636264&statType=current|title=Major League Soccer Roster Player Bio|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412205835/http://web.mlsnet.com/players/bio.jsp?team=t109&player=alston_k&playerId=als636264&statType=current|archive-date=April 12, 2009|df=mdy-all}} Alston was selected to his first Major League Soccer All-Star Game during the 2010 season and was in the starting lineup for the match in Houston against Manchester United.{{cite web| url = http://www.mlssoccer.com/2010-mls-all-star-game/mls-roster| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100722173156/http://www.mlssoccer.com/2010-mls-all-star-game/mls-roster| archive-date = 2010-07-22| title = 2010 All-Star Game - MLS Roster {{!}} Major League Soccer}}

Alston scored his first professional goal in the final of SuperLiga 2010, but the Revolution lost 2–1 to Monarcas Morelia of Mexico.{{cite news |url=http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=44300&pcid=115 |title=Morelia 2, Revolution 1 |last=Lemieux |first=Jeff |date=September 1, 2010 |access-date=September 2, 2010 |archive-date=September 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904200506/http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=44300&pcid=115 |url-status=dead }} Alston scored his first league goal April 12, 2014 at home against the Houston Dynamo.

Alston scored his first Major League Soccer goal on April 12, 2014, in 2–0 victory against Houston Dynamo.

=Orlando City=

Alston's contract option was declined by New England at the end of the 2015 MLS season, and he was selected by Orlando City in the 2nd phase of the MLS Re-Entry Draft.{{cite tweet|user=OrlandoCitySC|author=Orlando City SC|number=677580676774936576|date=17 December 2015|title=In the second round of the Re-Entry Draft, Orlando City has selected Kevin Alston from the New England Revolution.}}

=Orange County SC=

On June 8, 2018, Alston joined United Soccer League side Orange County SC.{{cite web|url=https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/925498?referrer_id=2333971|title=Orange County Signs MLS Veteran Alston|website=USLSoccer.com|date=June 8, 2018}}

International career

Alston was a member of U.S. Soccer's Residency Program and the Under-17 National Team from September 2003 through his enrollment at Indiana in January 2006. He appeared in 76 matches while at the Residency Program, starting 51 and recording one goal and three assists. He earned 17 caps as a member of the U-17 National Team, including three starts at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru. He also represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Brazil in the summer of 2007.

On December 22, 2009, Alston received his first call up to train with the senior U.S. national team in preparation for a January friendly match against Honduras, however, he suffered a hamstring injury in training and was unable to participate. Alston was called up for the following friendly against El Salvador, but again had to pull out after a recurrence of the hamstring injury. He has yet to make his senior national team debut.

Personal life

Kevin is the son of Jeanne Fox-Alston and Larry Alston. He has one older brother, Kenneth, who is a University of Virginia graduate and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kevin grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland where he attended Woodlin Elementary School. Kevin majored in management at Indiana. He enjoys hip-hop and R&B and counts Lil' Wayne among his favorite musical artists. His favorite movies Gladiator, Man on Fire, Act of Valor and many others. Kevin's grandfather, Richard K. Fox Jr., is a retired foreign service professional who served as U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.{{cite web|url=http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=33601|title=New England Revolution Player Bio|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620041449/http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=33601|archive-date=June 20, 2010|df=mdy-all}}

On April 8, 2013, it was announced that Alston had taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team to undergo treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare but treatable form of leukemia.{{cite web|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/04/08/new-england-revolution-defender-kevin-alston-diagnosed-treatable-form-leukem|title=New England Revolution defender Kevin Alston diagnosed with treatable form of leukemia|work=MLSsoccer.com|access-date=April 8, 2013|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903085029/http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/04/08/new-england-revolution-defender-kevin-alston-diagnosed-treatable-form-leukem|url-status=dead}} In July 2013, Alston returned to soccer and was removed from the disabled list.{{cite web|last=Labidou|first=Alex|title=New England Revolution's Kevin Alston removed from Disabled List|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/england-revolution-kevin-alston-removed-154300660--mls.html|publisher=Yahoo! Sports|access-date=July 19, 2013|archive-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203150415/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/england-revolution-kevin-alston-removed-154300660--mls.html|url-status=dead}}