Kirk Urso

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Kirk Urso
Urso with Columbus Crew in 2012
Personal information
Full name Kirk Jon Urso[1]
Date of birth (1990-03-06)March 6, 1990
Place of birth Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S.
Date of death August 5, 2012(2012-08-05) (aged 22)
Place of death Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1997–2005 Chicago Sockers
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 North Carolina Tar Heels 91 (15)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009
Carolina Dynamo
 25 (4)
2010
Chicago Fire Premier
 16 (5)
2012 Columbus Crew 6 (0)
Total 47 (9)
International career
2007 United States U17 2 (1)
2008 United States U20
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kirk Jon Urso (March 6, 1990 – August 5, 2012) was an American

College Cups, and claim a national championship in 2011
. Upon his graduation, Urso's 91 appearances for North Carolina were the most in program history.

Urso appeared during the collegiate offseason with Carolina Dynamo and Chicago Fire Premier. He was selected by Columbus Crew in the first round of the

Milk Cup
.

Urso died at the

UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium is named after Urso, and both the Tar Heels and Crew give out the annual Kirk Urso Heart Award in his honor. The Kirk Urso Memorial Fund was also created in his memory, to advance research and programming on congenital heart defects
.

Early life

Urso was born in

NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America Team and the 2007 Parade High School All-America squad.[1]

At club level, Urso spent eight years in the

college soccer for head coach Elmar Bolowich at the University of North Carolina, part of a recruiting class that also included Jordan Gafa, Billy Schuler, and Sheanon Williams.[7]

College and amateur

After enrolling a semester early and training with North Carolina during the spring of 2008, Urso made his collegiate debut for the Tar Heels on August 29, 2008; he started and provided an

national championship game, Urso was named as a Soccer America Second Team Freshman All-American after tallying three goals and six assists in 19 appearances.[1]

As a sophomore, Urso tallied four goals and led the Tar Heels with six assists in 22 matches.

NCAA Tournament; this time, he tallied in regulation and scored during the penalty shootout as North Carolina advanced to the College Cup by defeating SMU.[16]

Urso was named as the team captain for his senior season;

NCAA Tournament, scoring in the second round against Coastal Carolina as North Carolina returned to the College Cup for the fourth year running.[19] In the College Cup semifinals against UCLA, he scored in the penalty shootout; he then played the entire national championship game as North Carolina claimed the national title with a 1–0 victory over Charlotte.[18] Urso finished his collegiate career with 15 goals and 24 assists in 91 appearances; he played more games than any player in Tar Heel history.[18][19] Following his senior season, Urso was invited to the 2012 MLS Combine.[20]

Carolina Dynamo

Urso spent the 2008 and 2009

Cary Clarets by a 3–1 scoreline.[22] In total, he played 26 matches and scored four goals during his time with the Dynamo.[21]

Chicago Fire Premier

Ahead of his junior collegiate season, Urso moved within the PDL and joined

homegrown player since he did not meet league requirements.[25]

Club career

Urso (foreground) takes a free kick against New York Red Bulls.

Out of college, Urso was selected with the 10th overall pick of the

2012 MLS Supplemental Draft by Columbus Crew; he joined North Carolina teammate Ben Speas in Columbus after Speas had signed with the club as a homegrown player a week earlier.[26] After taking part in preseason with the Crew, Urso signed with the club on March 1, 2012.[27] With starting defensive midfielder Danny O'Rourke sidelined by injury to begin the season, Urso made his club and professional debut in the season opener against Colorado Rapids on March 10. He played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat for Columbus.[28]

Urso tallied his first point for the Crew in just his fourth match, albeit in a 4–1 defeat against New York Red Bulls on April 7. His corner kick in the 89th minute was headed home by club captain Chad Marshall, briefly cutting the Columbus deficit to 3–1.[29] Urso started each of Columbus' first five games, but dropped out of the lineup following O'Rourke's return; he would make his sixth and final appearance for the Crew as a substitute against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on April 28.[2] Urso missed the month of May after suffering a groin injury,[30] then underwent surgery in June for what was confirmed to be right adductor tendonitis.[3]

The day before Urso's death, the Crew had suffered a 1–0 defeat on the road against D.C. United. Due to his injury, Urso had not traveled with the team to Washington, D.C. but had instead remained behind in Columbus.[31]

International career

After rising through the ranks with the

Milk Cup[36] and for a training camp in December of that year.[37]

Personal life

Urso supported English club Arsenal and played basketball as a child before committing to soccer full-time;[38] he was a fan of the Chicago Bulls.[39] He majored in economics while at North Carolina.[1] Prior to college, Urso had trained with Spanish club Real Madrid;[6] while in school, he spent a semester in Europe training with Bolton Wanderers and Borussia Dortmund.[40]

Urso's older brother, Kyle, played college soccer at New Hampshire[41] and in the National Premier Soccer League with Seacoast United Phantoms.[42]

Death and legacy

"He was always someone who would come shake your hand, come search you out, somebody that coaches just loved to work with. You could be hard on him, but he would want you to, he would thank you for it."

—Dave Richardson, Chicago Sockers president, following Urso's death[4]

Early in the morning on August 5, 2012, Urso collapsed and fell unconscious at a bar in Columbus. He was taken by police officers to nearby

arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a preexisting heart condition that he "likely did not know he had", according to the Franklin County coroner.[44] In the immediate wake of Urso's death, tributes poured in on social media from his North Carolina and Crew teammates, fellow Major League Soccer rookies, and other members of the American soccer community.[45]

The Crew announced that Urso's number 15 jersey would hang in the locker room at

Nordecke honored Urso with banners[47] and Major League Soccer held a moment of silence before league matches on August 5.[3] Black armbands with Urso's name and number on them were worn by some clubs, including LA Galaxy.[48] Some former teammates, including Stephen McCarthy[49] and Rob Lovejoy,[50]
would later change their kit numbers to honor Urso.

On March 24, 2013, Columbus played their first game at D.C. United since learning of Urso's death while the club was in Washington, D.C. The Crew claimed a 2–1 victory in that game, with the winning goal being scored by Urso's college teammate Ben Speas; it marked Speas' first professional goal. He dedicated the goal to Urso, saying "This is the place we found out about Kirk, so it was pretty emotional. I thought about that yesterday and I knew my first goal was going to be to him and I wanted to get it today. It's just special.”[51]

Kirk Urso Memorial Fund

"He always was going to work hard on his game even though he knew maybe he wasn't the most athletic guy, not the most creative guy. ‘I will find a way to get on the field. I will do other things better than the next guy in front of me and I will ultimately get on' and that was really his mentality."

—Ethan Finlay, teammate and roommate of Urso in Columbus[52]

The Crew Soccer Foundation created the Kirk Urso Memorial Fund in October 2012, to honor Urso's memory and advance research and programming on congenital heart defects.[53][54] The fund raised more than $100,000 in its first year, partially through an initiative started by retired defender Eddie Pope that saw players' fines from the 2012 season donated to the fund.[55] In October 2013, United States national team striker Jozy Altidore wore a customized pair of cleats for a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica; a quote from Urso and both players' initials and numbers were featured on the cleats. They were raffled off during the game, with proceeds going to the Urso Memorial Fund.[56]

Former Crew athletic trainer Dave Lagow ran the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon in memory of Urso; he started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the fund. Lagow opened the campaign a month before the race with a goal of $1,500, reflecting Urso's number with the Crew, but later changed the goal to $3,000 to reflect his number at North Carolina.[57] During the 2019 season, Crew fans began offering free tickets to home matches in exchange for a donation to the Urso Memorial Fund.[58]

Later memorials

Both North Carolina and Columbus created a Kirk Urso Heart Award, although the inspiration behind the award was different for each team. The North Carolina award was given to "the most competitive player" on the team; senior midfielder Jordan Gafa was the first winner of that award following the 2012 season.[59] For the Crew, the award was given to the "player who best exemplifies Urso's leadership characteristics."[60] Urso was posthumously announced as the first winner of the award, with defender Eric Gehrig earning the honor in 2013.[60] In subsequent years, the award would be given to "the player that best exemplified the qualities in a teammate and became 'the heart' in the club's locker room."[61]

Beginning in 2013, North Carolina men's soccer started the Kirk Urso Memorial Match to contribute to the memorial fund. The inaugural edition featured the Tar Heels and Crew facing off,

college soccer programs in North Carolina.[63]

Upon completion of the

2019 season, sections three and four were unveiled as the Kirk Urso Student Section. Rob Lovejoy, who had played alongside Urso for two seasons at North Carolina, spearheaded an effort through the Rams Club to raise $50,000: to help offset the cost of building the stadium and to name the student section in Urso's honor. The section was dedicated at halftime of an August 30 game against Creighton;[19] Urso's number three jersey was also informally retired by the Tar Heels.[64]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[21][65][66]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Carolina Dynamo
 2008
PDL
 15 1 — — 15 1
2009 PDL 10 3 — 1[a] 0 11 3
Total 25 4 0 0 1 0 26 4
Chicago Fire Premier
 2010 PDL 16 5 — — 16 5
Columbus Crew 2012 MLS 6 0 0 0 — 6 0
Career total 47 9 0 0 1 0 48 9
  1. PDL playoffs

Honors

North Carolina Tar Heels[67]

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Kirk Urso – North Carolina profile". North Carolina Tar Heels. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Kirk Urso – Columbus Crew profile". Columbus Crew. Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Merz, Craig (August 5, 2012). "Columbus Crew mourn passing of midfielder Kirk Urso". Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Schwarz, Orrin (August 6, 2012). "New details emerging from Lombard soccer star's death". Daily Herald. Paddock Publications. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Ridenour, Marla (August 29, 2012). "Friend's death drives UA goalkeeper David Meves". Akron Beacon Journal. Black Press. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Amato, Neil (December 8, 2011). "Captain Kirk: Urso a mainstay for the Tar Heels". North Carolina Tar Heels. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  7. ^ UNC Athletic Communications (March 12, 2008). "Tar Heel men's soccer inks star-studded group". North Carolina Tar Heels. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "No. 24 Tar Heels blank FIU in opener". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. August 29, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "No. 15 Carolina, No. 14 UCLA play to 1–1 draw". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. September 7, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "Men's third-round roundup". SoccerAmerica.com. Soccer America. December 1, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Rossman-Reich, Philip (December 14, 2008). "Men's Soccer: Season ends with NCAA quarterfinals loss to North Carolina". DailyNorthwestern.com. The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  12. ^ "Urso, No. 1 Tar Heels Cruise Past Bulldogs, 5–0". TarHeelTimes.com. Tar Heel Times. September 2, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "No. 2 Tar Heels top Clemson, grab share of ACC regular season title". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. November 6, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "Legendary run through NCAA Tournament ends for Drake with 2–1 loss at North Carolina". Drake.edu. Drake University. December 4, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  15. ^ "Carolina men's soccer announces 2009 award winners". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. April 22, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "North Carolina men beat SMU; advance to semis". TopDrawerSoccer.com. December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  17. ^ Walston, Turner (August 8, 2012). "Farewell, Captain Kirk". TarHeelMonthly.com. Tar Heel Monthly. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c Moree, Brandon (December 13, 2011). "After a Long Career at U.N.C., a Championship at Last". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  19. ^ a b c Fowler, Chapel (August 28, 2019). "With the Kirk Urso Student Section, UNC men's soccer will again honor one of its own". DailyTarHeel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "Hedges, Schuler and Urso earn MLS Combine invites". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. December 9, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Kirk Urso at SoccerStats.us". SoccerStats.us. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  22. Premier Development League. July 21, 2009. Archived from the original
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  23. ^ Palazzolo, Tavio (June 8, 2010). "PDL Great Lakes Division recap: Chicago Fire sweeps Michigan teams". MLive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  24. ^ Dropkin, Alex (July 11, 2010). "Michigan Bucks inch closer to playoffs". TheOaklandPress.com. The Oakland Press. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  25. ^ Thornton, Tweed (January 3, 2012). "Brent Richards, the Portland Timbers, and how they could majorly help the Chicago Fire". HotTimeinOldTown.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  26. ^ "Urso tabbed by Columbus Crew in MLS Supplemental Draft". TarHeelTimes.com. Tar Heel Times. January 17, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  27. ^ "Number of MLS moves go down ahead of roster salary compliance deadline". Goal.com. Goal. March 2, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  28. ^ "Colorado Rapids 2–0 Columbus Crew". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. March 10, 2012. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  29. ^ "Columbus Crew 1–4 New York Red Bulls". ESPN.com. ESPN. April 7, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  30. ^ Jardy, Adam (May 10, 2012). "Urso sidelined for a month". Dispatch.com. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
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  32. ^ Ziegler, Robert (August 5, 2012). "A remembrance of Kirk Urso, soccer player". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  33. ^ "U.S. head coach John Hackworth names 21-player roster for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup". USYouthSoccer.org. United States Youth Soccer Association. August 8, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  34. ^ Bell, Jack (August 15, 2007). "U.S. U-17 team lands in South Korea". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  35. ^ "Win over 10-man Belgium keeps USA alive at U-17 World Cup". SoccerAmerica.com. Soccer America. August 27, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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  37. ^ "UPDATE: College Cup quartet called into under-20 national team camp". SoccerAmerica.com. Soccer America. December 16, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  38. ^ "Q&A: Kirk Urso [2009]". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. November 18, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  39. ^ "Q&A: Kirk Urso [2008]". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. October 27, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
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  41. ^ "UNH men's soccer team wins tournament title". SeacoastOnline.com. The Portsmouth Herald. August 31, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  42. ^ "Phantoms Match Reports". SeacoastUnited.com. Seacoast United Phantoms. June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
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  45. ^ MLSSoccer staff (August 5, 2012). "Teammates & MLS community react to Urso's death". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  46. ^ "Crew announces permanent Urso tribute". USSoccerPlayers.com. U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association. October 2, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  47. ^ Cath, David (March 6, 2019). "Players on Kirk Urso: 'It's a legacy that will live on forever and ever.'". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  48. ^ @LAGalaxy (August 13, 2012). "RT @LAGalaxyInsider The @LAGalaxy wore these armbands honoring late @columbuscrew player Kirk Urso" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  49. ^ @BigMacca15 (January 7, 2013). "Number 15 to honor my friend Kirk Urso. He will have my back all season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  50. ^ @RobLovejoy (March 5, 2015). "Extremely humbled to wear #3 this season in honor of Kirk Urso. I'm yet to meet a more genuine,…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  51. ^ Davis, Steve (March 25, 2013). "Ben Speas: great young player, great show of respect". NBCSports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  52. ^ Murphy, Pat (August 5, 2016). "On the anniversary of his passing, we remember Kirk Urso". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  53. Columbus Crew SC
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  54. ^ Guldan, Patrick (October 10, 2012). "Crew announce Kirk Urso Memorial Fund". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  55. ^ @EddiePope23 (April 18, 2013). "MLS Players direct 2012 fine money to Kirk Urso Memorial Fund and US Soccer Foundation. Please RT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  56. ^ Lamantia, Jonathan (October 14, 2013). "U.S. national team's Jozy Altidore honors late UNC men's soccer player Kirk Urso". DailyTarHeel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  57. ^ Oberhelman, Dave (October 24, 2018). "Naperville North soccer has learned to deal with pressure". DailyHerald.com. Daily Herald. Retrieved August 21, 2019. Dave Lagow knew Kirk Urso for less than a year. That brief relationship imprinted Lagow for life...
  58. ^ @knaas (August 16, 2019). "This is pretty dang cool. I have now seen a few of these today where in lieue of payment for tickets, there is a donation to the Kirk Urso Memorial Fund. Brilliant idea, #Crew96 fans" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  59. ^ "Tar Heels hold annual banquet". GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. March 12, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  60. ^ a b Jardy, Adam (October 23, 2013). "Crew: Kirk Urso fund reaches goal of $100,000". Dispatch.com. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  61. ^ Torres, Guilherme (November 19, 2018). "Crew SC announce 2018 individual year-end awards". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  62. ^ Morris, Neil (February 22, 2013). "UNC Tar Heels and Columbus Crew to meet this Sunday in Kirk Urso Memorial Match". IndyWeek.com. Indy Week. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  63. ^ Doughton, Sam (April 10, 2016). "UNC men's soccer remembers 'heart of the team' in Kirk Urso Memorial Match". DailyTarHeel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  64. ^ "3⃣ – The number of days until our home opener. 3⃣ – The number of days until we dedicate the Kirk Urso Student Section 3⃣ – A number never to be worn again in Chapel Hill. Make sure you plan on being at the new soccer stadium Friday night. And stay in your seats for halftime". Instagram.com. North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer. August 27, 2019. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  65. ^ Kirk Urso at Soccerway. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  66. ^ Kirk Urso at Major League Soccer
  67. ^ a b "2018 North Carolina men's soccer media guide" (PDF). GoHeels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. August 23, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  68. ^ "Maryland forward Townsend heads All-Freshman team". SoccerAmerica.com. Soccer America. December 17, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  69. ^ Jardy, Adam (October 24, 2012). "Ursos lead emotional awards night". Dispatch.com. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 3, 2019.

External links

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