Matthew Bell (footballer, born 2002)

Last updated
Matthew Bell
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-08-27) August 27, 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Kingston, Jamaica
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Real Salt Lake
Number 25
Youth career
Real Mona FC
2020–2021 Kingston Football Academy
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2023 Marshall Thundering Herd 39 (20)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2022 Valeo FC 11 (9)
2024– Real Salt Lake 1 (0)
2024 → Real Monarchs (loan) 20 (4)
2024 → FC Tulsa (loan) 7 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of August 25, 2024

Matthew Bell (born 27 August 2002) is a Jamaican footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.

Contents

Early life

Bell was born in Kingston, Jamaica. [1] He began playing youth soccer in Jamaica with Real Mona FC, later joining the Kingston Football Academy in 2020. [2]

College career

In 2022, Bell began attending Marshall University, where he played with the men's soccer team. [3] On August 25, 2022, he scored his first goal in his collegiate debut in a 5–0 victory over the VCU Rams. [4] At the end of his first season, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. [5]

Ahead of the 2023, he was named to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Team and named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List. [6] [7] On August 24, 2023, he scored a hat trick in a 4–0 victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. [8] In his second season, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week twice. [9] [10] He finished the season with a single-season school program record 12 assists and 10 goals for 32 points. [11] At the end of the season, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, as well as being named to the All-SBC First Team. [12] He was also named a First Team All-American and finished as a Mac Hermann semifinalist. [13] [14] He was also invited to participate in the MLS College Showcase. [15]

Club career

In 2021, Bell joined Valeo FC in the National Premier Soccer League. [2] [16]

At the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Bell was selected in the first round (16th overall) by Real Salt Lake. [17] In February 2024, he signed a four-year contract with the club. [18] [19]

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Real Salt Lake Signs First-Round 2024 Draft Pick Matthew Bell". Real Salt Lake . February 19, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Scott, Livingston (December 21, 2023). "'He's an amazing talent'". The Gleaner .
  3. ↑ "Matthew Bell Marshall profile". Marshall Thundering Herd .
  4. ↑ "Yosef Hat-Trick, Stout Defense Propels No. 14 Men's Soccer to Shutout of VCU". Marshall Thundering Herd . August 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ "No. 5 Herd Men's Soccer Racks up 2022 SBC Postseason Honors". Marshall Thundering Herd . November 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bell, Duggan Named 2023 Preseason All-SBC". Marshall Thundering Herd . August 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bell Named to 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List". Marshall Thundering Herd . August 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Bell Tallies Hat Trick in No. 11 Men's Soccer Shutout Over Oakland". Marshall Thundering Herd . August 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Bell Named Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week". Marshall Thundering Herd . August 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bell Earns Second SBC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week Award". Marshall Thundering Herd . September 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Two Herd Student-Athletes Taken in 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Bell Highest Pick in Program History". Marshall Thundering Herd . December 19, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "No. 4 Marshall Men's Soccer Sweeps Major 2023 SBC Postseason Awards". Marshall Thundering Herd . November 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Three Herd Men's Soccer Players Named 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Americans". Marshall Thundering Herd . December 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Bell, Duggan Named 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists". Marshall Thundering Herd . December 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Three Marshall Men's Soccer Student-Athletes Invited to 2023 adidas MLS Showcase". Marshall Thundering Herd . December 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ "13 NPSL alums selected in MLS SuperDraft 2024". National Premier Soccer League . December 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Marshall soccer's Bell, Duggan selected in MLS draft". WCHS-TV . December 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ Walker, Sean (February 19, 2024). "Real Salt Lake signs first-round SuperDraft pick Matthew Bell to 4-year deal". Salt Lake FC.
  19. ↑ Ireland, Kyle (February 19, 2024). "Real Salt Lake Signs First-Round Pick Matthew Bell". KSL Sports.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.