Union sign Philly native Chris Albright

Chester, Pa. – The Philadelphia Union have signed veteran defender and Philadelphia native Chris Albright, the club announced today.

A product of Penn Charter High School and FC Delco, Albright’s 13-year professional career has spanned four MLS teams, including MLS Cup wins with D.C. United in 1999 and the LA Galaxy in 2002 and 2005.  Per MLS and Club policy, terms of the agreement will not be disclosed.

A three-time MLS All-Star, Albright began his career as a forward with D.C. United before becoming one of the best right backs in the League. He earned MLS Best XI honors in 2005 and helped the Galaxy to a U.S. Open Cup Championship that same year. He also helped lead the New England Revolution to a SuperLiga title in 2008.

Originally allocated to the Miami Fusion as a Project-40 Player in 1999, Albright was traded to D.C. United on July 17 before ever making an appearance. He made his MLS debut eight days later on July 25 at New England and went on to appear in eight games with United as the team captured the 1999 MLS Cup. Albright played in 48 more games for the Black and Red before being traded to the LA Galaxy in 2002.
After a brief stint in LA’s midfield, Head Coach Bruce Arena moved Albright to right back, where he flourished, garnering MLS Best XI honors in 2005 and three straight MLS All-Star appearances in 2004, ’05 and ‘06. He appeared in 116 league matches, scoring seven goals, and was the club’s Defender of the Year in 2006.

In 2008, Albright was traded to New England, appearing in 26 league matches.  He suffered a season-ending injury during the 2009 season that limited him to only one appearance. In 2010, the Revs traded Albright to the New York Red Bulls, where he again took over the starting right back role and helped the team capture the regular season Eastern Conference title. In 2011, Albright started in six of eight games, missing time due to injury.

Albright attended collegiate powerhouse Virginia for two seasons (1997-98), before leaving after his sophomore year to pursue a professional career. He earned NSCAA first-team All-America honors as a sophomore in 1998 when he scored 20 goals in 23 games, and also helped lead Virginia to the 1997 ACC Tournament championship and the NCAA College Cup championship game.

He has earned 22 career caps with the U.S. National Team, making his debut with the senior national team on September 8, 1999. A member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team in Sydney, Albright started in all six of the U.S.’ matches at the Olympics, scoring two goals, and helping the team reach the medal round for the first time. He appeared in a career-high seven games in 2005 and was also named to Bruce Arena’s squad for the 2006 World Cup.

The Union begin the 2012 MLS regular season in Portland on March 12 before heading home to re-open PPL Park on March 18 against the Colorado Rapids.