Donavan Phillip

Last updated

Donavan Phillip
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-04-01) 1 April 2005 (age 20)
Place of birth Castries, Saint Lucia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Colorado Rapids
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2023–2024 Oakland Golden Grizzlies 19 (5)
2024–2025 NC State Wolfpack 41 (25)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2023 B1 FC 9 (2)
2024–2025 Kalamazoo FC 14 (9)
2025–2026 Flint City Bucks 12 (12)
2026– Colorado Rapids 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:20, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Donavan Phillip (born 1 April 2005) is a Saint Lucian footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids.

Contents

Club career

Phillip started his career in Saint Lucia as a defender and goalkeeper at age four before becoming a forward. He became interested in football in a country that prefers cricket by watching his father's professional games in Jamaica. As a youth, he played for B1 FC with the junior team and the first team in the SLFA First Division. [1] [2]

At age fourteen, he moved to Saltsburg, Pennsylvania in the United States to attend The Kiski School after he was offered a spot on the team. He would go on to win two national titles with the school. While playing for the school team, he also played for the Borussia Dortmund International Academy Pittsburgh and competed in the US Youth Soccer National Championships. [3] [4] [5] Following graduation from the Kiski School, it was announced in April 2023 that Phillip would continue his education at Oakland University and play for its Golden Grizzlies of the NCAA Division I. [6] At the club level, Phillip joined Kalamazoo FC of the USL League Two for the 2024 season. He scored the team's only goal in a 1–0 victory over Lansing City to open the season. [7]

For the 2024 season, Phillip transferred to North Carolina State University to play for the Wolfpack. [8] In December of that year, he was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the Third Round (62nd overall) of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. [9] In doing so, he became the first Saint Lucian ever taken in the draft. [3] He returned to North Carolina State the following season to utilize more of his college eligibility to gain more experience. For the 2025 season, he moved to the Flint City Bucks, also of USL League Two. [10] He went on to tally twelve goals and nine assists on the season en route to becoming the league's joint top scorer and being named a member of the league's Team of the Year and the Central Conference Player of the Year. [11] Phillip's twelve goals set a new team single-season record as the Bucks captured its third-straight Great Lakes Division title. [12] He scored an additional five goals in four postseason matches on route to Flint City winning the Central Conference title. [13]

During his Junior season at North Carolina State in 2025, Phillip scored a nation-best nineteen goals and was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. [8] He lead the Wolfpack to the NCAA College Cup final and was eventually named the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy winner as the best college player in the nation. Despite a goal from Phillip in the NCAA Cup final, North Carolina State fell 2–3 to the Washington Huskies. [14]

In January 2026, Phillip signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Rapids which included a club option for an additional three years. [15]

International career

Phillip competed for Saint Lucia in the 2019 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship. [16]

References

  1. ↑ De Beauville, Anthony. "GIFL/GUARDSMAN INVITATIONAL: 21 Goals Scored in Weekend Matches". The Voice Saint Lucia. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "GSA profile". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 Fleischman, Noah. "How NC State's Donavan Phillip, the NCAA's goals leader, became a scoring machine". The Wolfpacker. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  4. ↑ Loy, Ryan. "NCAA standout Donavan Phillip talks about his journey". The National League. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  5. ↑ Krysinsky, John. "Former Kiski School, Pittsburgh Independence FC standout Donovan Phillip leads NC State into College Cup". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Golden Grizzlies add forward Donavan Phillip and defender Noah Roka to 2023 recruiting class". Oakland University Athletics. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  7. ↑ Brown, Nate. "Kalamazoo FC starts season on right cleat, gets 1-0 shutout against Lansing City". WWMT. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 Turner, Jonathan. "Donavan "Gusto" Phillip Signs First-Team Professional Contract with Colorado Rapids". National Soccer Network. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Colorado Rapids select nine players in 2025 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas". Colorado Rapids. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  10. ↑ "Meet The Flint City Bucks: Donavan Phillip". Mid Michigan Now. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Finisterre, Terry. "Gusto Phillip Racks Up Honours After Stellar Season". The Saint Lucia Times. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  12. ↑ Nasser, Yousef. "Flint City Bucks win Great Lakes Division as Phillip sets goals record". ABC 12. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "Bucks Striker Wins 2025 USL Golden Boot Award". Flint City Bucks. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  14. ↑ Finisterre, Terry. "Gusto scores, but Pack lose in title matchup". The Saint Lucia Times. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Rapids sign steal of 2025 draft, Donovan Phillip, to 2-year deal". WTVB. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  16. ↑ De Beauville, Anthony. "Football: Saint Lucia U-15s Take on Puerto Rico U-15s in International Friendly Today". The Voice Saint Lucia. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
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