HOW ACQUIRED: Signed on March 4, 2014
A veteran outside back and five-time U.S. Open Cup champion, Riley was acquired during the 2014 preseason to add needed leadership and depth to the Galaxy’s back four.
MLS EXPERIENCE
2014: Signed by the LA Galaxy in the preseason, Riley made a total of four appearances for the Galaxy in all competitions before suffering a tear in his left meniscus that required him to undergo surgery on March 27. Riley is expected to miss six months.
2013: Acquired by D.C. United from Chivas USA on February 14, 2013 for a 2015 Supplemental Draft pick, Riley made 21 appearances for D.C. during the 2013 season, 19 of those starts. During his tenure with D.C. United, Riley tallied a single assist for the club that finished at the bottom of the MLS regular season standings. The veteran outside back was a key component in United’s U.S. Open Cup campaign as D.C. won their third U.S. Open Cup trophy by defeating Real Salt Lake in the final. The triumph was Riley’s fifth victory in the competition.
2012: Riley appeared in 32 games for Chivas USA, starting all 32. The defender logged 2,880 minutes – tying only Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy for most minutes played – and recorded two assists and 10 shots. Riley’s first assist came during a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on 5/16. He notched his second assist against Seattle Sounders FC in a 1-1 draw on 5/26.
2011: Riley started and played 29 games for Seattle Sounders FC, logging over 2,500 minutes. Sounders FC won 18 games on the year, and Riley contributed to the score sheet on two occasions. The defender assisted on a goal against the Columbus Crew on 8/27, a game Seattle went on to win 6-2. Riley also notched an assist in a 3-0 win on 4/30 over Toronto FC. Riley was acquired from Chivas USA during the 2011 Expansion Draft on 11/23 in a trade with the Montreal Impact.
2010: Riley appeared in and started 27 games on the season. Riley scored the lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on 10/23, netting the second goal of his career. The defender also recorded three assists, coming in draws with Real Salt Lake (2-2) and Dallas (1-1), respectively, as well as one in a loss to the New England Revolution (1-3).
2009: Appearing in 28 games and starting 27, Riley registered a season high four assists. The dynamic defender logged 2334 minutes during a year Seattle finished third in the Western Conference.
2008: Riley played one season with the San Jose Earthquakes, seeing the Earthquakes finish last in the Western conference with 8 wins, 13 loses, and 9 ties on the season. The newly acquired defender started 23 of 24 games in which he appeared, assisted on two goals and logged over 2,000 minutes with San Jose.
2007: In his third season with the New England Revolution, Riley appeared in 27 games, starting 22, propelling the Revolution to its third MLS Cup finals appearance in as many seasons. Riley also helped the Revolution win its first major trophy—the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The defender had no assists or goals on the year.
2006: Helping New England reach the MLS Cup finals for the second year in a row, Riley appeared in and started 20 games, logging over 1,700 minutes. Although Riley did not contribute to any score sheets on the year, he did help the Revolution to win the North American SuperLiga. New England, again, finished second in the Eastern conference with 48 points.
2005: A rookie, Riley made an appearance in 23 games (12 starts). His inaugural MLS campaign saw him tally one goal and three assists, logging 1,292 minutes for New England. His lone strike against the New York MetroStars secured the Revolution a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Riley did not contribute to postseason play, but the Revolution finished the regular season with the second-best record in MLS, and later lost in the Cup finals to the Los Angeles Galaxy. James Riley was selected in the second round 2005 SuperDraft by the New England Revolution as the 21st overall pick on 1/14/2005.
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
2004: Riley’s senior campaign saw a top-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the third round of the NCAA tournament. The senior defender registered four assists on the year and appeared in 20 games, starting all 20. Riley and two teammates would move on to Major League Soccer.
2003: As a junior, Riley played and started 20 games for Wake Forest. He tallied one goal and two assists. The defender’s season would end in the second round of the NCAA tournament when Wake fell to the University of Virginia 2-0.
2002: Riley, registering four points on the year, assisted on four goals for the Demon Deacons. Clemson cut Wake’s run short in the Sweet-16, ending Riley’s sophomore collegiate campaign.
2001: As a freshman, Riley made an immediate impact at Wake Forest University. With two goals and six assists, the freshman defender finished the season with 10 points. His two strikes came in a 3-1 win over George Mason University on 9/2/01 and during an 8-1 shellacking of University of North Carolina, Charlotte on 10/10/01. Wake would go on to lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
HONORS
Prost Amerika’s Sounders FC Player of the Year: 2009 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month: October 2010