All Whites forward Elliot Collier becomes third Kiwi signing for San Diego Loyals

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All Whites forward Elliot Collier has signed with USL Championship club San Diego Loyals, becoming the third New Zealander on their roster for the 2023 season.

Hamilton-born Collier (27) has an impressive career record in the United States, joining the Loyals from last season’s USL Championship title winners San Antonio.

San Diego were runners-up to San Antonio in the Western Conference of the competition which ranks a tier below Major League Soccer.

Before joining San Antonio, Collier spent four seasons with Chicago Fire FC after he was drafted in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.

In four seasons with Chicago, Collier played 54 matches and also spent time on loan in the USL Championship with Indy Eleven (2018) and Memphis 901 FC (2019), scoring the first hat trick in Memphis’ history.

Main photo: Elliot Collier … moves from San Antonio to San Diego.

SD Loyal head coach Nate Miller said: “We have followed Elliot’s career for a long time

“He is a very versatile player with a lot of key attributes we want to add to our squad. Elliot is an excellent fit — he is a playmaker, has great instincts in the box, and is committed to the defensive side of his game. We are excited to integrate him into our team.”

Collier has played twice for New Zealand, featuring against Republic of Ireland and Lithuania in 2019.

The Kiwi trio at San Diego Loyals

Teammates at San Diego will be Aucklanders Nikko Boxall and Kyle Adams.

Boxall (30), who is also an All White, joined the Loyals in 2022 after a decade of playing overseas, in the United States, Germany and Finland.

The defender began his career with Central United and Auckland City.

Defender Adams (26) began with Western Springs and played three years of US College football with the San Diego State Aztecs till he started a professional career that has taken him to US clubs FC Tucson, SoCal Surf, Rio Grande Valley, Houston Dynamo and the Real Monarchs.

He joined the Loyals in 2022 and has become a regular starter.

He has played for New Zealand’s U-17 and U-20 teams.

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