Player Spotlight: Ezra Armstrong

Ezra Armstrong is a 23 year old left back who signed with CITY2 after spending last season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL-C. Ezra can be considered somewhat of a rare breed of American soccer player, choosing to forego college in favor of a direct professional career path. He began on that path in the Sporting KC Academy system, which saw him work his way up to playing with Swope Park Rangers in 2016.  

After another year of playing in Sporting KC's Academy, Ezra was loaned to FC Columbus (NPSL) before heading overseas in 2018 to join Turkspor Augsburg in Germany on a loan. After 1 season with Turkspor, Ezra was transferred to Skovshoved in the Danish 2nd Division. In 2021, Ezra moved back to the US and signed with Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Last season saw Ezra play in 14 matches for the Riverhounds, with 3 starts during that time. Some of Ezra's stats for those 14 matches include 15 interceptions, a 69% tackle success rate, a 73% pass success rate, and 2 assists. 

It's interesting to point out that soccer runs in the Armstrong blood. Besides the fact that Ezra is joined on the CITY2 roster by his brother, Dida, the bigger title might go to their father. The Armstrong boys were fortunate to have a soccer role model from their father, Desmond Armstrong. That name may sound familiar to you, as Desmond was a USMNT player from 1987-1994, and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Perhaps this season we'll get a chance to spot Desmond watching his sons do great things on the pitch. 

By Steve Rusnack