Update: This article was originally published before Hairston joined Columbus Crew as a free agent. The end of the article has been edited to reflect this update.
Hey High Liners. Red again. This is Part 4 of my Colorado Rapids Black History Month Series, looking at noteworthy Players and People of Color to wear the Rapids shirt. Previously in this series, I wrote about Jean Harbor, Bouna Coundoul, and Omar Cummings.
This week, I’ll take a look at one of the best wide players in club history, Against All Odds himself, Marlon Hairston.
Players of Color Part 4: Marlon Hairston
Hairston was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. He grew up playing soccer and basketball with his older brother. He went on to play for Central Jackson Soccer Organization, which fielded teams of mostly black kids in a part of the country where soccer is very white and very upper middle class.
By the time he got to high school, he was growing out the dreadlocks that Rapids fans will always remember him for. When his basketball coach told him he had to cut his hair to play on the team, he chose to focus on soccer. Hairston ended up growing to be 6 feet tall, so that coach missed out on a great point guard.
Hairston went on to play at the University of Louisville Cardinals in 2012 and 2013. He recorded 3 goals and 2 assists his sophomore year, helping the Cardinals win the AAC title. He was named to the All-Conference team.
Go West, Young Man:
After that, he decided to turn pro, signing a GA contract with MLS. The Rapids selected him 12th overall at the SuperDraft. He was mostly a substitute as a rookie before having a breakout season in 2016.
Playing mostly as a right winger in Pablo Mastroeni’s 4-2-3-1, he scored 3 goals and 6 assists, embodying Keep Fighting to its core. Linking up with Dominique Badji, the two would go on greats runs of form together, setting each other up with scoring opportunities.
Hairston had now honed his quick decision making and tactical awareness with his speed and fitness at altitude. His confidence had grown and he was playing in a role that suited his skillset. Rabbi and I would often joke that he kept the dreadlocks to slow him down a bit just to make it somewhat fair for opposing defenders in the 80th minute at DSG.
As an individual, he was doing it against all odds. As a team, so did the 2016 Colorado Rapids.
He continued to play well in 2017, playing in all 34 regular season games, recording 3 goals and 4 assists. Unfortunately, the team did not play well. The Rapids struggled to replicate the success of 2016. Mastroeni was fired and they missed the playoffs. .
Anthony Hudson came in and the team again struggled in 2017. Hairston suffered a cartilage knee injury that kept him out for the better part of two months. He did not adjust well to the wing back role in Hudson’s 5-3-2 set up despite it appearing to be a good fit for him (not that anyone else adjusted well to that role).
Post Rapids:
Hairston was traded the following January to Houston Dynamo for $175,000 in GAM. He was traded again that November to Minnesota United, playing several games as a central midfielder in 2020.
The Loons hosted the Rapids in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs this past November. Hairston started and played 80 minutes in the 3-0 win against his former club. MNUFC chose to move on from him in the offseason.
On February 24, it was reported and alluded that Hairston joined defending MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew SC as a free agent.
His future isn’t set in stone but his past is. He came from humble beginnings in a tough non-traditional soccer environment. CJSO and a high school basketball coach helped make him just the second Mississippi-born player to play in MLS.
Hard work got him past every obstacle in his way in the past. A foundation like that doesn’t crack, even against all odds.
Photos are courtesy of Getty Images via Matthew Stockman, Dustin Bradford, and David Berding.