Kevin Alston

How Acquired: Selected by the Revolution in the first round (10th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft

2014: Limited to just 11 regular-season appearances, Alston still set career-highs with a goal and three assists. In his first start of the season, on April 12, he scored the first goal of his MLS career, tallying the game-winner in the 68th minute of a 2-0 home win over Houston. That goal came in his 123rd regular-season game in MLS, setting a new club record for most games played before scoring his first goal. In his next start, Alston earned a penalty that led to a Lee Nguyen goal and then was sent off in the 90th minute for a handball on the goalline, preventing a goal and helping the Revs earn a 1-1 draw with Chicago after the ensuing penalty kick was saved by Bobby Shuttleworth. He added his first assist of the season three months later on July 30, setting up Nguyen’s game-winning goal in the 3-0 win over Colorado, a win that snapped the Revs eight-game losing streak. He followed that with assists in road wins over Sporting Kansas City (September 26) and Houston (October 16). He missed time at four different stretches during the season because of various hamstring injuries, but was healthy for the postseason and appeared in four of the Revs’ five games, starting the second leg of both the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Columbus and the Conference Championship against New York.

2013: Diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in early April, Alston returned to the field in late July and was recognized as the 2013 MLS WORKS Comeback Player of the Year. He finished the season with nine appearances, including six starts. Started the team’s first four matches before learning of his CML diagnosis following the March 30 match vs. FC Dallas. Missed the next three months while receiving treatment, but returned to the training field in early July. Came off the Disabled List on July 15 and was part of the 18-man roster for first time since March 30 at Colorado on July 17. Made his first appearance since his diagnosis with CML at D.C. United on July 27, coming on as a second-half substitute and made his first start two weeks later in a 3-0 road loss to Sporting Kansas City. He made two more substitute appearances on the season before starting the regular-season finale at Columbus on October 27, only to suffer a hamstring injury in the first half, forcing him to miss the both legs of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Sporting Kansas City.

2012: Started all 31 games that he appeared in, playing a team-high 2,623 minutes at both left back and right back. He tallied his only assist of the season on March 31 against the LA Galaxy, setting up Chris Tierney’s first-half strike. He was forced to exit that game at halftime with a hamstring injury which then forced him to miss the Revs’ next game (at FC Dallas on April 5), ending his personal-best and then team-leading 37-game consecutive appearances streak that dated back to early in the 2011 season. Alston made his 100th start and 100th appearance for the Revs in a 2-1 loss away to Philadelphia on July 29. He played the final eight games of the season at left back after playing the entirety of his career to that point at right back.

2011: Appeared in and started a team-high and career-high 33 appearances at right back, leading the team with 2,954 minutes played, setting a then-club record for minutes played in a season. He played in every game that season with the exception of the season opener against the LA Galaxy on March 20, because of a left hamstring strain. He recorded his only assist of the season on July 23, setting up a Benny Feilhaber goal in 2-2 draw away to Colorado. Alston also started in the Revs’ friendly against Manchester United on July 13.

2010: A 2010 MLS All-Star who was voted the Revs’ 2010 Defender of the Year by the team’s media, Alston appeared in and started 22 games at right back, tallying one assist. That came on a throw-in that resulted in Chris Tierney’s game-tying goal against Seattle on September 4. In addition to his 22 MLS appearances, Alston also started four games in SuperLiga, in which he scored the first goal of his professional career, tallying in the second half of the Final against Monarcas Morelia.

2009: Made 26 league appearances – all starts at right back – during his rookie season with the Revs while also appearing twice in SuperLiga and starting both of the club’s MLS Cup Playoff games against Chicago. He made his season debut as the Revs’ starting right back in the season opener at San Jose on March 21. Alston recorded one assist in the regular season, setting up Kheli Dube’s game-winning goal in the 1-0 win at Houston on July 25. Alston added an assist in SuperLiga, setting up a Jeff Larentowicz goal against Santos Laguna on June 21. He was booked just twice during his rookie season and twice drew fouls that led directly to opposing players being sent off, with Chad Barrett (August 1 vs. Toronto FC) and Emmanuel Ekpo (October 10 vs. Columbus) each being red carded for fouls on Alston.

U.S. NATIONAL TEAM
Alston is yet to earn his first cap with the U.S. National Team but was twice called into camp under Bob Bradley. His first call-up came in January 2010, but he suffered a hamstring injury early on and was unable to fully participate. A month later, Alston was called back in for a friendly against El Salvador, but he re-aggravated the hamstring injury in training with the Revs the day before the start of camp and was forced to withdraw. Prior to joining the Revs, he represented the U.S. at the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru, where he played alongside current New England teammate Jeremy Hall. He played three games in that competition, including the quarterfinal loss to Netherlands. He was a member of U.S. Soccer’s Residency Program and the Under-17 National Team from September 2003 through his enrollment at Indiana in January 2006. In 2007, he represented the U.S. at the Pan Am Games in Brazil.

COLLEGE
A two-time All-Big Ten selection (2007, 2008) and a 2008 NSCAA All-Great Lakes region selection, Alston played three years at Indiana before leaving ahead of his senior season to sign a Generation adidas contract with MLS. He appeared in 64 games during his three seasons with the Hoosiers, starting 61 times, scoring five goals and adding two assists. He helped Indiana reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons in Bloomington, including a quarterfinal appearance as a junior in 2008 when the Indiana backline recorded 10 shutouts on the season, including eight against top-25 teams. With Alston on the squad, Indiana qualified for three consecutive Big Ten championships, winning the title as a freshman in 2006.