This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Todd Dunivant

This is Part Five in a series of players that make up the 2010 Los Angeles Galaxy.


On the pitch of Qwest Field on a Saturday afternoon, a player donning the #2 dives like a dolphin and finishes in spectacular form and style. The date: May 8, 2010. The opponent: the Seattle Sounder FC.

In Major League Soccer, there are players that are able to make the jump to other league overseas, and there are those who are content to playing their trade in one league and make a success of it.

The Los Angeles Galaxy's Todd Dunivant is one of those players who fit the mold of the latter.

You see, he may not be one Edson Buddle or Landon Donovan or Donovan Ricketts, but his defensive presence has made him a well-known face to don the strip of Los Angeles-be it green and gold or blue and gold.

No doubt, Dunivant has plied his trade with a number of clubs in the league, but there is only one team that Dunivant has played for more than any other, more than any other in the MLS. That team is the Galaxy.

Todd Dunivant was born on December 26, 1980 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Located five miles west by northwest of the State Capitol in Denver, Wheat Ridge's history goes back to 1859, when it was founded as a farming community. One of the city's major attractions is the Baugh Cabin, one of the city's original log cabins.

Dunivant began his playing career with the Stanford Cardinal from 1999 to 2002. In 2000, he earned All Pac-10 honors as a sophomore for setting a school record assists by a defender (nine). Later on in his career with the Cardinal, he registered six goals and seven assists as a junior to go with two goals and eleven assists in his final year.
DUnivant led Stanford to the NCAA College Cup, when they lost 1-0 to UCLA. For his heroics, Dunivant was named a first-team All American in 2002 while earning All Pac-10 first team honors in 2001 and 2002.

Supplementing his time with the Cardinal was his time playing a defensive role for the Boulder Rapids Reserve of the Premier Development League. The experience playing for the farm team of the Colorado Rapids paid off. In 2003, Dunivant was selected sixth overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS SuperDraft.

As a member of the 2003 Quakes, he was started all thirty of the team's matches en route to the MLS Cup with Landon Donovan. Dunivant finished the season as one of just nine players in the league to start all 30 games and played more minutes (2,778) than any other non-goalkeeper in the league.

The following season, a quad injury during the preseason prevented him from becoming a major factor, and Dunivant only managed to start 16 matches. Eventually he was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy after starting 46 matches for the Earthquakes.

In 2005, a rejuvenated Dunivant started every match in defense for the G's as they achieved the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup double. In 2006, he was traded to the New York Red Bulls, and made 13 appearances to go with two goals.

With Toronto FC entering MLS, the Reds acquired Dunivant in late June 2007. From 2007-2009, he started 27 matches with 18 taking place in his first year.

Dunivant would then be traded back to the Galaxy before the 2009 MLS season. Starting 25 matches for the club that year, Dunivant was named LA's U.S. Soccer Foundation/MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year.

As a member of the national team, Dunivant collected a couple of caps. His most recent appearance was in a 3-2 victory over Japan on February 10, 2006 in San Francisco, Calif.

This year, the Galaxy's #2 is one of 11 reasons why the Galaxy are number on in the standings as of this article date. It goes to show you that you don't have to go far to go far. Todd Dunivant has come a long way as a defender in Major League Soccer, and his journey is not done yet.