Rapids of Color Part 7: Anthony Wallace
An MLS Cup Champion, a compliment to Kosuke Kimura, a good teammate
This is Part 7 of Holding The High Line celebrating Black History Month. You can find the 2021 series here and last week’s Part 6 here. In this installment, I’ll be taking a look at Anthony Wallace who wore the Burgundy and Blue from 2010-2013.
Rapids of Color Part 7: Anthony Wallace
Wallace is a product of the IMG Academy. He played a year of college soccer on the other side of Tampa Bay at the University of South Florida. The Brooklyn native then became a member of the 2007 Generation Adidas class, which included Maurice Edu.
The GA program has provided opportunities to college underclassmen and has elevated deserving players of ethnic minorities to accurately represent the diversity of the college game. Six of the eight players in the 07 GA class are of color.
Starting a trend of Dallas to Colorado:
“Wally” as his Rapids teammates call him struggled for minutes in four years at FC Dallas. He spent time in the MLS Reserve League and never played more than seven regular season games in one year.
He and Drew Moor started the legacy of Dallas players getting traded to Colorado and that trade aging poorly for FCD. Wallace was traded in late July for draft picks, while Moor came in August 2009.
The left back provided a good fit the one insecure position in the Starting XI for Gary Smith’s 4-4-2. He provided some speed out wide and complimented right back Kosuke Kimura. While he wasn’t the heart and soul of the defense, he did regularly provide service to Conor Casey when he was on the left side of the field.
Wallace started all four games of the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2010. Julien Baudet subbed on for him in second half stoppage time in MLS Cup. In my conversations with former teammates for Memories From Toronto (I promise we’re working on, it’s happening this year), Wally is remembered as a hard worker, an unselfish teammate, and a good hang.
Life after Burgundy:
Injuries plagued his next three years in Colorado. He went on to play for Tampa Bay Rowdies, New York Red Bulls, and Jacksonville Armada before retiring at the end of 2017 with OKC Energy in the USL Championship.
Wallace won a Supporters’ Shield with New York in 2015. Energy played Colorado at DSG in the U.S. Open Cup in 2017. The Rapids won scoring three goals in the second half to win 3-2. Wally started and played all 90 minutes. His former teammate and then Rapids manager Pablo Mastroeni spoke well of him after the reunion:
Not bad for an FC Dallas reject.