Brad Smith (soccer, born 1994)

Brad Smith
Smith training for Liverpool in 2012
Personal information
Full name Bradley Shaun Smith[1]
Date of birth (1994-04-09) 9 April 1994 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Penrith, New South Wales, Australia[2]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
2008–2013 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Liverpool 5 (0)
2014 → Swindon Town (loan) 7 (0)
2016–2020 AFC Bournemouth 5 (0)
2018–2019 → Seattle Sounders FC (loan) 31 (0)
2020 → Cardiff City (loan) 3 (0)
2020–2021 Seattle Sounders FC 32 (3)
2022 D.C. United 16 (0)
2023–2024 Houston Dynamo 38 (3)
2023 Houston Dynamo 2 2 (1)
International career‡
2011 England U17 11 (1)
2012–2014 England U19 2 (0)
2014 England U20 3 (0)
2015 Australia U23 8 (1)
2014–2021 Australia 23 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 February 2022

Bradley Shaun Smith (born 9 April 1994) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a left-back or winger for the Australia national team.

Born in Sydney, Smith moved to England to play youth soccer for Liverpool as a teenager, eventually making his professional debut for the side in 2013. He has also spent time on loan at Swindon Town in 2014 and at Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer in 2018 and 2019, helping the latter win MLS Cup 2019.

Smith represented England at youth levels (eligible through his parents) but subsequently switched to play for Australia.

Club career

[edit]

Early career

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Born in Penrith, New South Wales, Smith grew up in Ballina, New South Wales, and moved to England at the age of 14.[4] While playing for his local high school side Smith was scouted by Liverpool and invited to join their academy.[2]

Liverpool

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A week before his debut, Smith was promoted to the first team alongside his U21 youth team partner Jordan Rossiter. On 26 December 2013, Smith was named on the Liverpool bench in a 2–1 loss at Manchester City.[5] Three days later, he made his senior debut for Liverpool after coming on in the 59th minute, replacing the injured Joe Allen in a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He was deployed as a left winger, but was unable to make a difference to the result as Liverpool lost the match 2–1.[6]

Loan to Swindon Town

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On 7 August 2014, Smith was loaned to Swindon Town of League One on a season-long youth loan.[7] He made his debut for the club two days later, playing the entirety of a 3–1 win over Scunthorpe United at the County Ground.[8] He was recalled by Liverpool on 20 October due to a contract dispute, having played ten matches in total.[9]

Return to Liverpool

[edit]

In June 2015, Smith's contract expired with the player having rejected a new deal from the club however the club continued to hold his registration and as the player was under the age of 24, Liverpool would have been due a compensation fee if he had signed for another club.[10] On 17 November 2015, Smith signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool, putting an end to his contract dispute.[11] On 2 December, he came on as a 77th-minute substitute for Alberto Moreno in a League Cup quarter-final away to Southampton, assisting Divock Origi's hat-trick goal which confirmed a 6–1 victory.[12]

On 8 January 2016, he started his first FA Cup match for the club in a third round match against Exeter City and scored his first senior goal for the club.[13] In the replay of the FA Cup match against Exeter City, Smith assisted the first goal, scored by Joe Allen, in the 9th minute.[14] Smith made his first Premier League start against AFC Bournemouth on 16 April 2016 in a 2–1 victory for his side.[15] He made his second Premier League start on 1 May against Swansea in a 3–1 loss, and was sent off for a second yellow card in the 76th minute.[16]

AFC Bournemouth

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On 23 July, it emerged that Liverpool had accepted an offer from Bournemouth for Smith,[17] and the move was confirmed on 27 July, after he had flown back from Liverpool's pre-season tour of the US for a medical at the south coast club.[18] A buy-back clause was included in the transfer agreement.[citation needed] Smith made his competitive debut for Bournemouth in a win over Morecambe in the 2016–17 EFL Cup on 24 August 2016.[19] He then made his Premier League debut for the club on 27 November 2016 against Arsenal. He played 81 minutes as Bournemouth lost 3–1.[20] It was not until Boxing Day that Brad Smith made his second league appearance for Bournemouth starting in its away match to Chelsea.[21] Smith had only limited opportunities in his first season at Bournemouth, with Charlie Daniels preferred at left back.[22]

Seattle Sounders FC

[edit]

On 8 August 2018, Smith was loaned to Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.[23] Smith quickly became popular with Sounders supporters for his ability to get forward and combine with teammates, tallying 7 assists in 31 regular-season appearances.[24]

Smith was initially loaned to the Sounders for the duration of a year, with a return to Bournemouth set on 31 July 2019. However, the Sounders and Bournemouth agreed to extend the loan until the end of the 2019 MLS season.[25] Smith started each game during the team's run in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, helping the Sounders reach their third MLS Cup Final in four years.[26] On 10 November 2019, Smith started in the 2019 MLS Cup Final, which the Sounders would win. Smith became the first Australian footballer to lift the MLS Cup trophy.[27]

Cardiff City

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On 30 January 2020, Smith joined Championship side Cardiff City on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season.[28]

Return to Seattle Sounders FC

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On 17 September 2020, Smith returned to Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer, this time on a permanent basis.[29]

D.C. United

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On 27 January 2022, Smith was traded to D.C. United in exchange for $750,000 of General Allocation Money.[30] Following the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by D.C. United.[31]

Houston Dynamo

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On 6 January 2023, Smith joined Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo as a free agent,[32] helping the club to win the 2023 U.S. Open Cup in his first season.[33] On 7 November 2024, his contract option was declined by Houston following their 2024 season.[34]

International

[edit]

Although he was born in Australia, Smith was also eligible to play for England as his parents are English.[35] Smith represented the England under-17 side at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and made his England U20 debut at the end of the 2013–14 season.[4] On 21 August 2014, Smith was named in the Socceroos squad to face Belgium and Saudi Arabia.[36] He completed his change of eligibility to Australia against Belgium on 4 September 2014.[37]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of 22 November 2023[38][24]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Liverpool 2013–14 Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2014–15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2015–16 4 0 4 1 1 0 1[a] 0 — 10 1
Total 5 0 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 11 1
Swindon Town (loan) 2014–15 League One 7 0 0 0 2 0 — 1[b] 0 10 0
AFC Bournemouth 2016–17 Premier League 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 — 8 0
2017–18 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 — 3 0
Total 5 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 — 11 0
Seattle Sounders FC (loan) 2018 Major League Soccer 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 6 0
2019 25 0 1 0 — 0 0 4[c] 0 30 0
Total 31 0 1 0 — — 4 0 36 0
Cardiff City (loan) 2019–20 Championship 3 0 0 0 0 0 — — 3 0
Seattle Sounders FC 2020 Major League Soccer 5 0 0 0 — — 4[c] 0 9 0
2021 13 3 0 0 — 0 0 — 13 3
Total 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 22 3
D.C. United 2022 Major League Soccer 16 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 16 0
Houston Dynamo 2023 Major League Soccer 19 1 4 0 — 2[d] 0 — 25 1
Career total 104 4 11 1 7 0 3 0 9 0 134 5
  1. ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Appearance in Football League Trophy
  3. ^ a b Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
  4. ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

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As of match played 14 November 2019[39]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Australia 2014 4 0
2016 10 0
2017 5 0
2019 3 0
2021 1 0
Total 23 0 0

Honours

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Seattle Sounders

Houston Dynamo

Individual

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Brad Smith". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Brad Smith: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b Garb, Daniel. "Socceroos could enter fight with England over Liverpool defender Brad Smith's eligibility". Herald Sun. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Manchester City 2–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Chelsea 2–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Brad Smith: Liverpool full-back joins Swindon Town on loan". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Swindon 3–1 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Socceroo Brad Smith, on loan at Swindon, recalled by Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers". Fox Sports Australia. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  10. ^ Pearce, James (3 December 2015). "Liverpool FC: How Brad Smith settled his contract dispute to become part of Klopp revolution". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Reds settle contract dispute with Brad Smith". The Telegraph. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  12. ^ McNulty, Phil (2 December 2015). "Southampton 1–6 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  13. ^ "Exeter City 2 – 2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  14. ^ Greco, John (21 January 2016). "Aussies Abroad: Brad Smith sparks Liverpool FA Cup win". Goal. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Socceroos' Smith starts in Liverpool's win over Bournemouth".
  16. ^ "Brad Smith red card, sent off, Liverpool v Swansea, video highlights". Fox Sports. 1 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Liverpool accept Brad Smith bid from Bournemouth – Sky sources". Sky Sports. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  18. ^ Lusby, Jack (27 July 2016). "CONFIRMED: Brad Smith joins Bournemouth in £6 million deal". This Is Anfield.
  19. ^ "Smith solid in Bournemouth debut". FourFourTwo. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Arsenal 3–1 Bournemouth". Soccerway.
  21. ^ "Chelsea 3–0 Bournemouth". Soccerway.
  22. ^ Somerford, Ben (3 June 2017). "Smith reflects on 'difficult' 2016–17". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  23. ^ Ciaccio, Danny (8 August 2018). "Seattle Sounders sign 24-year-old fullback Brad Smith from AFC Bournemouth on loan". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  24. ^ a b "Brad Smith | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  25. ^ "Sounders FC and AFC Bournemouth agree to extend loan of Brad Smith". SoundersFC.com. Sounders FC Public Relations. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  26. ^ Evans, Jayda (30 October 2019). "The Sounders could've lost Brad Smith this summer. Instead, he stayed and helped shut down LAFC". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Socceroo Brad Smith just made history in the US. He could play in the Premier League in two weeks". Fox Sports. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  28. ^ "City sign Brad Smith on loan". Cardiff City F.C. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Sounders sign Brad Smith". Seattle Sounders F.C. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Sounders FC Receives $750,000 in General Allocation Money from D.C. United in Exchange for Brad Smith". Seattle Sounders FC. 27 January 2022.
  31. ^ 🖉"D.C. United Announce Roster Decisions Ahead of 2023 Season | DC United". dcunited.
  32. ^ "Houston Dynamo FC sign Australian international and MLS Cup winner Brad Smith | Houston Dynamo". houstondynamofc.
  33. ^ a b Buckley, Logan (27 September 2023). "Houston Dynamo FC Wins 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup With 2-1 Victory Against Inter Miami CF". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  34. ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston Dynamo FC announce roster decisions following the 2024 season | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC.
  35. ^ "Liverpool's Penrith-born defender Brad Smith refuses to commit his future to Australia". foxsports.com.au. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  36. ^ "Home | Live Scores & Latest News". Fox Sports. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Australia's Socceroos fall to Belgium in friendly | Football". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  38. ^ Brad Smith at Soccerway
  39. ^ Brad Smith at National-Football-Teams.com
  40. ^ "Seattle Sounders are 2019 MLS Cup champions: Rave Green win second MLS title". Major League Soccer. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Quartet of accolades for Philippe Coutinho at LFC Players' Awards". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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