Connor Maloney

Connor Austin Maloney (born May 18, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a fullback for USL Championship club San Antonio FC. He previously appeared at the senior level with Reading United, Columbus Crew SC, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

Maloney graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School, where he set multiple school and state records while playing soccer and American football. He played collegiately at Penn State, scoring 27 goals across his four seasons with the Nittany Lions, being named as the 2014 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and spending time during the collegiate offseason with Reading United. Maloney was selected by Columbus Crew SC in the third round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, going on to spend three years with the club. During each of his first two professional seasons, he was sent out to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on short-term loans. Ahead of the 2020 season, Maloney moved to join San Antonio FC in the USL Championship.

Early life
Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Maloney attended Bishop McDevitt High School, where he played soccer and American football. He was a three-year captain of the varsity soccer team, twice earning all-PIAA honors. As a senior, Maloney was named as an NSCAA High School All-American after scoring 45 goals, including nine hat tricks. He scored 107 goals with the Crusaders, a school and conference record, and set a school record with 74 assists. He was also the Bishop McDevitt placekicker for four years, debatably setting a state record by scoring 328 points.

At club level, Maloney played for two seasons with the Philadelphia Union Academy, winning the Generation Adidas Cup in 2012. He was ranked as the no. 21 recruit in the country, and the third-best player in Pennsylvania, by TopDrawerSoccer and committed to play collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions and coach Bob Warming.

College and amateur
Maloney was officially announced as a member of the Nittany Lions on April 5, 2013, one of ten recruits that Penn State brought in ahead of the season. He would go on to start every game he played across his four years in University Park. Maloney scored his first collegiate goal in a 2–1 loss to Akron on November 6 and scored his first postseason goal in a 1–0 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. He finished the season with two goals and a team-high seven assists from 21 appearances, good enough to earn a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman team as a unanimous selection. Maloney would put up his best statistical season as a sophomore: a career-high ten goals, as well as three assists, from 20 appearances. Five of his goals were match-winners, including in each of the first two games on the year. He was named as the 2014 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Prior to his junior season, Maloney was called up to the United States U23 national team, taking part in a college identification training camp ahead of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. After returning to Penn State, he was named as a team captain for the Nittany Lions; Maloney responded by leading the team in shots, shots on goal, and goals. He tallied seven goals and two assists on the year, including a pair of two-goal performances in midseason. Although Penn State failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years, Maloney was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the second consecutive season. As a senior, he was again named as a captain, and led the team with eight goals, five assists, and 25 shots on goal. Maloney capped the season by being named to the All-Big Ten First Team, the third consecutive year he was honored as such, and was named to the All-Great Lakes Region Second Team by the NSCAA. He finished his Penn State career with 27 goals from 75 appearances.

Reading United
Following his freshman season with the Nittany Lions, Maloney spent time with Reading United of the Premier Development League. He made just one appearance, playing for six minutes, during his brief stint with the club.

Club career

Columbus Crew SC

2017–2018: Loans to Pittsburgh
Maloney was selected 49th overall in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew SC. Although he played as a forward in college, he changed positions as a professional to become a defender, capable of playing at either outside back position. After taking part in preseason camp, Maloney officially signed with the club on February 20. He made his professional debut less than a month later, in a match against Houston Dynamo on March 11. With Columbus trailing at halftime, he entered in place of Harrison Afful and played the final 45 minutes of a 3–1 defeat for Crew SC. On May 19, Maloney was sent on loan to Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Crew SC's United Soccer League affiliate. The loan was on a match-by-match basis, with Maloney able to be recalled by Columbus at any time. He made his debut for the Hounds the next day, starting and playing 61 minutes in a 1–0 defeat to Louisville City. Maloney played just once more while on loan and returned to Columbus after just those two appearances. He appeared in one more game after being recalled by the Crew, making his first professional start and tallying an assist against Real Salt Lake in late July. His season ended after undergoing a meniscectomy on his left knee on October 24, just two days before the club's first playoff game. On December 1, Maloney had his contract option picked up by the Crew.

After being unable to find the field in Columbus in early 2018, Maloney was again sent on loan to Pittsburgh on May 25, 2018. He made his second debut for the Riverhounds the next day, starting and playing 86 minutes of a scoreless draw against Penn FC. After again making just one more appearance for Pittsburgh, Maloney was recalled by the Crew. He went on to make two appearances in Columbus over the remainder of the season; in his one league appearance, he replaced Milton Valenzuela in the 62nd minute of a game against Portland Timbers on September 19 and provided his second career assist on a Niko Hansen goal three minutes into stoppage time. On November 19, Maloney was named as the recipient of the Kirk Urso Heart Award as "the player that best exemplified the qualities in a teammate and became 'the heart'" in the club's locker room. The club exercised the option on Maloney's contract on November 26, doing so for the second successive season.

2019: Playing time in Columbus
Under new head coach Caleb Porter, Maloney began the 2019 season as the fourth-choice outside back, sitting behind Harrison Afful, Waylon Francis, and Hector Jiménez on the depth chart. He played just 15 minutes in one substitute appearance through the first five months of the season, but jumped into the lineup in August with multiple players out injured. Playing as a left back for the first time in his career, Maloney went on to start the Crew's final nine matches of the season. He was praised by Porter for his work rate and for "punching above his weight". Maloney finished the year with 11 appearances in all competitions, after he had played just eight total professional matches across his first two pro seasons. At the roster decision deadline ahead of the 2020 season, the Crew declined the option on Maloney's contract, ending his time with the club after three seasons. He went unselected in the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

San Antonio FC
Following his release from Columbus, Maloney joined USL Championship side San Antonio FC on January 6, 2020.

Personal life
Maloney's older sister, Kelsie, played four years of college soccer at West Virginia, scoring 13 goals in 80 appearances. His brother, Austin, also played soccer at Penn State; the two played together during Connor's junior and senior seasons. Connor Maloney majored in kinesiology while attending Penn State.

Career statistics

Honors

Team
Penn State
 Big Ten Conference (regular season): 2013

Individual
 All-Big Ten Freshman Team: 2013
 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year: 2014
 First team All-Big Ten: 2014, 2015, 2016
 Kirk Urso Heart Award: 2018

Notes

References

External links

 Penn State profile
 
 

Category:Living people
Category:1995 births
Category:American soccer players
Category:Soccer players from Pennsylvania
Category:Sportspeople from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Category:Association football fullbacks
Category:Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players
Category:Reading United A.C. players
Category:Columbus Crew SC draft picks
Category:Columbus Crew SC players
Category:Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players
Category:San Antonio FC players
Category:USL League Two players
Category:Major League Soccer players
Category:USL Championship players