Ryan Meara
Meara in 2009
Personal information
Full name Ryan Meara
Date of birth (1990-11-15) November 15, 1990
Place of birth Crestwood, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 New York Red Bulls
Number 18
Youth career
2004–2007 Fordham Prep
2007–2008 Reading
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Fordham Rams 74 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009 Long Island Rough Riders 10 (0)
2010–2011 Jersey Express 28 (0)
2012– New York Red Bulls 36 (0)
2015 → New York City FC (loan) 1 (0)
2016–2019 New York Red Bulls II 30 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 13, 2022

Ryan Meara (born November 15, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.

Career

College and amateur

Meara was raised in Yonkers, New York and attended Fordham Preparatory School before enrolling at Fordham University in 2008. He also trained with Reading of England with their youth academies in July 2007 and February 2008. While at Fordham he made 74 appearances and had 31 clean sheets. His 31 shutouts are a school record. In total, Meara owned nine Fordham University goal keeper records including career games in goal, minutes played, goal against average in a career (0.87) and a single season (0.65 in 2011) and save percentage in a single season (.862 in 2011). In 2010 Meara was named team captain for the Rams. Meara was named All-Atlantic Ten three times before earning conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011.[2]

During the 2009 season, Meara also played for the Long Island Rough Riders of the USL Premier Development League. In 2010, he joined Jersey Express and was voted the league's goalkeeper of the year as he recorded 8 clean sheets in 12 appearances during the 2010 PDL season.[3] In two years with Jersey Express, he made 28 appearances for the club.

Professional

Meara was drafted 31st overall by New York Red Bulls in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and signed with the club on February 6, 2012.[4] On March 11, Meara started his first game against FC Dallas.[5] On April 28, he recorded his first professional shutout against the New England Revolution.[6] Meara started the first 18 games of the season and emerged as a leading candidate for the MLS Rookie of the Year Award.[7] However, on July 8 he sustained a hip injury during a game which required surgery and ended his season.[8]

On December 11, 2014, New York Red Bulls announced that Meara would be loaned to New York City FC for the 2015 season.[9] After suffering a torn meniscus in preseason training, Meara would make his first start for NYCFC on April 24, 2015. It was his first Major League Soccer appearance after a hip injury ended his rookie season on July 8, 2012, a span of 1,020 days.

Meara returned to the Red Bulls at the conclusion of the 2015 season. On March 26, the New York Red Bulls announced that they had loaned Meara and six other first team players to New York Red Bulls II for their home opener.[10] He went on to make his first appearance for New York Red Bulls II on March 26, appearing as a starter in a 2–2 draw against Toronto FC II.[11] After helping lead New York to the USL regular season title, Meara helped the club advance to the 2016 USL Cup Final by making two saves in a penalty shootout as top-seeded NYRBII defeated second-seeded Louisville City FC 4–3 in the shootout of the Eastern Conference Final.[12] On October 23, 2016, Meara captained New York in a 5–1 victory over Swope Park Rangers in the 2016 USL Cup Final.[13]

On June 14, 2017, Meara led New York to a 1–0 victory over league rival and former club New York City FC in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.[14] On July 13, 2017, Meara in his role as keeper for New York in the Cup led his team to a 1–0 victory over New England Revolution, advancing to the semifinals of the Open Cup.[15]

On May 10, 2022, Meara recorded a shutout for New York in a 3-0 victory over DC United, helping the club advance to Round of 16 in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup.[16] Almost a year to the date, on May 9, 2023, Meara recorded another shutout for New York in 1-0 victory over rival DC United, helping his side advance to the Round of 16 of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.[17]

International

Meara, who qualified for Irish citizenship through his grandparents, was named to the Republic of Ireland U-21 team on April 30, 2012.[18] However, the Red Bulls did not permit him to train with Ireland, despite the call-up would not require him to miss any MLS games.[19]

In June 2014, Ireland's senior team used Red Bulls' training facilities before a friendly match against Portugal, and Meara joined the Irish for a practice session. Ireland coach Martin O'Neill said he would "keep an eye on things".[20]

Honors

Club

New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls II

Individual

  • Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame[21]

Career statistics

As of match played October 13, 2022[22]
Club Season League Domestic cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Long Island Rough Riders 2009[23] PDL 100———100
Jersey Express 2010[23] PDL 120———120
2011[23] 160———160
Total 280000000280
New York Red Bulls 2012 MLS 18020—00200
2013 0020—0020
2014 00104[lower-alpha 1]00050
2016 00101[lower-alpha 1]00020
2017 0050—0050
2018 3010—0040
2019 1010—0020
2020 130——1[lower-alpha 2]0140
2021 0000—0000
2022 1020—0030
2023 0020—0020
Total 3601705010590
New York City FC (loan) 2015 MLS 100000—10
New York Red Bulls II (loan) 2016 USL 210——4[lower-alpha 3] 0250
2017 30———30
2018 40———40
2019 20———20
Total 300000040340
Career total 105017050501320
  1. 1 2 Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in USL Championship Playoffs

References

  1. ↑ "Ryan Meara". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  2. ↑ Fordham University Sports profile Archived September 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Meara named PDL's top keeper Archived July 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Red Bulls sign Ryan Meara
  5. ↑ Ryan Meara debuts for Red Bulls.
  6. ↑ Meara records first Red Bulls shutout.
  7. ↑ 2012 Rookie rankings
  8. ↑ Meara undergoes hip surgery
  9. ↑ Meara loaned to NYCFC
  10. ↑ "New York Red Bulls Loan Seven Players to NYRB II". Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Allen Leads Red Bulls II Rally in 2-2 Draw". USLSoccer.com.
  12. ↑ "Meara, NYRBII Bound for USL Cup Final". uslsoccer.com.
  13. ↑ "Allen's Hat Trick Leads Red Bulls II to USL Cup". uslsoccer.com. October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Red Bulls Knock NYCFC out of U.S. Open Cup". newyorkredbulls.com.
  15. ↑ "Red Bulls Defeat 10-men New England, 1-0". newyorkredbulls.com.
  16. ↑ "Red Bulls Roll to 3-0 Victory, Advance to Open Cup Round of 16". www.newyorkredbulls.com.
  17. ↑ "Red Bulls Advance in US Open Cup with 1-0 Victory". www.newyorkredbulls.com.
  18. ↑ "Kick Off: Meara pledges international future to Ireland?". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Red Bulls keep Meara in US for European U-21 championship qualifier". sportingnews.com. Sporting News. May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  20. ↑ McDonnell, Daniel (June 10, 2014). "New York 'keeper Ryan Meara back on Irish radar after training call". Irish Independent. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Ryan Meara to be Inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in October | New York Red Bulls".
  22. ↑ Ryan Meara at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 "Ryan Meara | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
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