Reggie Cannon

Reginald Jacob Cannon (born June 11, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids. He played one year of college soccer for the UCLA Bruins in 2016 and made his Major League Soccer debut for FC Dallas the following year, totaling 75 appearances for the club. In 2020, he moved to Boavista for a potential fee of $3.5 million.

Reggie Cannon

Personal information
Full name	Reginald Jacob Cannon[1]
Date of birth	(1998-06-11) June 11, 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Colorado Rapids
Number	4
Youth career
2015–2016	FC Dallas
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016	UCLA Bruins	20	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2020	FC Dallas	67	(2)
2020–2023	Boavista	82	(0)
2023–2024	Queens Park Rangers	21	(0)
2024–	Colorado Rapids	6	(1)
International career‡
2015	United States U17	2	(0)
2016	United States U19	2	(0)
2018–2022	United States	28	(1)
Medal record Representing  United States Men's soccer CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2019 United States–Costa Rica–Jamaica Winner 2021 United States CONCACAF Nations League Winner 2021 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 26, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 23, 2022

Cannon made his first appearance for the United States national team in 2018. He played at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019 and 2021, winning the latter as well as the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.

Youth and development

Cannon played high school soccer at Grapevine Faith Christian School in Grapevine, Texas, coached by Matt McKinney. During his freshman year Grapevine Faith won the TAPPS Division 2 Texas state championship in boys' soccer. In high school Cannon played for the FC Dallas academy team. Cannon won back-to-back national championships for FC Dallas's academy before joining University of California, Los Angeles.^[2]

Cannon played one year of college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2016, making 20 appearances for the Bruins.^[3] He was one of three players and the only freshman to appear in and start every match for the Bruins.^[2] Further, Cannon finished the year having played 1,753 minutes; playing the third most minutes on the team.^[2]

Professional career

FC Dallas

Cannon left college and signed a homegrown player contract with FC Dallas on December 22, 2016.^[4] He was the 18th homegrown player in Dallas's history.^[2]

On June 14, 2017, he made his professional debut when he started in a 2–1 win over Tulsa Roughnecks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.^[5] Cannon made his MLS debut for the club on September 2, in a 2–2 tie at home to the New York Red Bulls, as an added-time substitute for Michael Barrios.^[6]

In the 2018 season, Cannon cemented his place as a regular starter for the team.^[7] He made his first start for the team in their first game of the season, a 1–1 tie at home to Real Salt Lake on March 4.^[7] He totalled 34 appearances,^[6] and scored once to open a 2–2 tie against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at the Toyota Stadium on May 19.^[8]

Cannon played 29 games for Dallas in the 2019 season.^[6] He scored two goals for the team, a career high for the defender.^[6]

Amidst transfer speculation, Cannon signed a new, four-year contract with a team option with the team in March 2020.^[9] He started the first two games of the season before the league went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7] His team did not take part in the subsequent season restart, MLS is Back Tournament, being forced to withdraw after ten players and one staff member tested positive for coronavirus.^[10]

Boavista

On September 9, 2020, FC Dallas announced that they had reached an agreement with Portuguese side Boavista F.C. for the transfer of Cannon in a deal worth up to $3.5 million, along with a 25–50% sell-on fee.^[11][12] He debuted for Boavista in the team's 2020–21 Primeira Liga opener against C.D. Nacional; the game ended in a 3–3 draw.^[13]

Cannon was sent off for the first time as a professional on November 5, 2021, in the 58th minute of a 5–2 home loss to F.C. Famalicão, for a foul on Iván Jaime.^[14] In the 2022–23 season, he was sent off two more times: in a 4–1 home loss to city rivals FC Porto, and in a 1–0 win over Gil Vicente F.C. also at the Estádio do Bessa.^[15][16]

In June 2023, Cannon unilaterally terminated his contract, alleging unpaid wages.^[17] Boavista chairman Vítor Murta denied the claims and said that he would go to court.^[18]

Queens Park Rangers

On September 26, 2023, Cannon officially joined English club Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer, signing a four-year deal.^[19] He left the club by mutual consent on the 30th of August 2024.

International career

On October 16, 2018, Cannon made his first senior appearance for the United States men's national soccer team in a friendly against Peru, which finished 1–1.^[20] He made the cut for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, due to Tyler Adams's injury,^[21] and played four matches including the 1–0 final loss to Mexico.^[22]

Cannon faced strong competition at right-back from DeAndre Yedlin and Sergiño Dest.^[23][24] On June 6, 2021, he came on as a substitute for the former for the second half of extra time, as the United States defeated Mexico 3–2 in the CONCACAF Nations League final.^[25] Three days later, he scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 friendly win over Costa Rica at the Rio Tinto Stadium.^[26] He made four appearances at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, as second-choice to Shaq Moore and starting only in the 1–0 win over Mexico in the final on August 1.^[27]

Cannon was not chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as Dest, Moore, Scally, and Yedlin were selected at right-back.^[28]

Personal life

Cannon is the grandson of atmospheric scientist Dr. Warren Washington.^[29] His step-sister, Bianca Smith, is a professional baseball coach.^[30]

Cannon married his wife, Kendall, in April 2020.^[31]

On August 12, 2020, Cannon spoke out against Dallas fans for booing and throwing a bottle at the players before a 0–1 loss against Nashville SC because the players knelt during the national anthem in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling the fans' actions "disgusting".^[32] He subsequently received racist comments and death threats.^[33] Cannon said that FC Dallas prepared an apology message for him to post to fans on social media, which he refused. He said in March 2021 that he had left the United States due to his safety being "compromised" since the kneeling.^[34]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played December 8, 2024^[35]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Team	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Dallas	2017	MLS	1	0	2	0	–		–		–		3	0
	2018		33	1	2	0	1	0	2[c]	0	–		38	1
	2019		28	1	–		1	1	–		–		29	2
	2020		5	0	–		–		–		–		5	0
	Total		67	2	4	0	2	1	2	0	–		75	3
Boavista	2020–21	Primeira Liga	31	0	2	0	–		–		–		33	0
	2021–22		21	0	1	0	1	0	–		–		23	0
	2022–23		30	0	–		3	0	–		–		33	0
	Total		82	0	3	0	4	0	–		–		89	0
Queens Park Rangers	2023–24	EFL Championship	21	0	–		–		–		–		21	0
Colorado Rapids	2024	MLS	6	1	–		2	0	–		–		8	1
Career total			176	3	7	0	8	1	2	0	0	0	193	4

1. Includes U.S. Open Cup and Taça de Portugal
2. Includes MLS Cup Playoffs and Taça da Liga
3. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League

International

As of match played September 23, 2022^[35][36]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States	2018	2	0
	2019	8	0
	2020	3	0
	2021	9	1
	2022	6	0
Total		28	1

Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cannon goal.^[35][36]

List of international goals scored by Reggie Cannon

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	June 9, 2021	Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, United States	18	Costa Rica	3–0	4–0	Friendly

Honors

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2021^[27][37]
• CONCACAF Nations League: 2019–20^[38]

References

1. "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via Bernews.
2. "FC Dallas signs 18th Homegrown player Defender Reggie Cannon". FC Dallas. December 22, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
3. "Men's Soccer Roster - UCLA". UCLA.
4. "FC Dallas sign defender Reggie Cannon to Homegrown contract | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
5. "Boxscore: FC Dallas vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC 06/15/2017 | Matchcenter".
6. "R. Cannon". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
7. "Reggie Cannon". FC Dallas. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
8. Savitsky, Tyler (May 20, 2018). "Homegrown Reggie Cannon Nets First Career Goal in Draw". FC Dallas. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
9. Epperley, Drew (March 5, 2020). "FC Dallas signs Reggie Cannon to a new four-year contract". Big D Soccer. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
10. "FC Dallas pull out of MLS is Back with 11 positive coronavirus cases". www.goal.com. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
11. "FC Dallas transfer Reggie Cannon to Portugal's Boavista FC | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
12. "Reggie Cannon sold to Portuguese side Boavista". SBI Soccer. September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
13. "CD Nacional de Madeira vs. Boavista - Football Match Line-Ups - September 19, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
14. "Tudo corre mal ao Boavista. O lance que ditou a expulsão de Reggie Cannon" [Everything is going badly for Boavista. The challenge that led to Reggie Cannon's ejection] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
15. Ribeiro, Patrick (November 13, 2022). "Sporting and Porto head into World Cup interval on winning terms". PortuGOAL. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
16. Marshall, Matthew (January 8, 2023). "Boavista defeat Gil Vicente 1-0 to get back to winning ways in the Primeira Liga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
17. Crez, Matt (June 22, 2023). "USMNT international Reggie Cannon becomes free agent". Soccer Times. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
18. "Presidente do Boavista nega salários em atraso, rescisão de Cannon nos tribunais" [President of Boavista denies unpaid wages, Cannon's termination going to court] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
19. "Defender Reggie Cannon joins QPR". QPR FC. September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
20. Baum, Carter (October 17, 2018). "Reggie Cannon Makes US Men's National Team Debut in 1-1 Draw vs. Peru". FC Dallas. MLS. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
21. Sigal, Jonathan (June 11, 2019). "Reggie Cannon added to Gold Cup roster as Tyler Adams withdraws to injury". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
22. Sciaretta, Brian (September 3, 2019). "In the midst of a strong 2019, Cannon eyes rematch vs. Mexico". American Soccer Now. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
23. Showell, Alex (February 21, 2019). "USMNT has a right back battle brewing". SB Nation. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
24. "The United States' Plethora of Right Backs". Breaking the Lines. June 13, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
25. "USA 3–2 Mexico". U.S. Soccer. June 6, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
26. "United States vs. Costa Rica - June 9 2021 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Perform Group. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
27. "USA 1–0 Mexico". U.S. Soccer. August 1, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
28. Carlisle, Jeff (November 9, 2022). "USMNT 2022 World Cup roster led by Pulisic, McKennie; Pepi, Steffen miss out". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
29. "How a Nobel Prize winner led Reggie Cannon to breakout success in Dallas". ESPN.com. August 15, 2019.
30. Macur, Juliet (March 3, 2021). "The First Black Woman to Coach in Pro Baseball Thanks Her Mom for the Job". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
31. "'We felt it was divine timing': How FC Dallas star Reggie Cannon made a coronavirus wedding work". Dallas News. May 23, 2020.
32. Gaydos, Ryan (August 13, 2020). "FC Dallas' Reggie Cannon blasts fans for booing as players knelt for national anthem: 'I think it was disgusting'". Fox News. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
33. Carlisle, Jeff (August 14, 2020). "FC Dallas condemns death threats against Reggie Cannon". ESPN. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
34. Unwin, Will (March 3, 2021). "Reggie Cannon: 'My safety in America was compromised for pointing out injustice'". Retrieved June 23, 2023.
35. Reggie Cannon at Soccerway. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
36. "Reggie Cannon". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
37. "United States beats Mexico in Gold Cup final on late Miles Robinson header". ESPN. August 1, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
38. "Christian Pulisic, Ethan Horvath lead U.S. over Mexico in Nations League final". ESPN. June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.

External links

• UCLA bio
• Reggie Cannon at Major League Soccer
• Reggie Cannon at Soccerbase
• Reggie Cannon at Soccerway