Max Kerkvliet
Maximillian Timothy Kerkvliet (born October 1, 2005) is an Dutch-American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake and MLS Next Pro club Real Monarchs. He holds a dual citizenship with the United States and the Netherlands.[1] Kerkvliet was drafted 21st overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft after a standout freshman season at the University of Connecticut.
Early Life and Youth Career
Early Life
Kerkvliet was born on October 1st, 2005, in London, England.[2] He spent three years in London before moving to Houston, Texas for three years. He later lived in Doha, Qatar for four years where he attended the American School of Doha. He moved back to Houston in 2015, where he spent his middle and high school years attending The Village School.
Youth Club Career
Kerkvliet served as club team captain for four seasons. In 2023, he was selected for the Capelli Sport USA Boys All-Star team. He also competed in the ECNL and was named to the 2022-2023 ECNL All-Conference team as a goalkeeper.[3]
The Village School
During his high school career, Kerkvliet earned recognition as the 2022-23 Houston First Team All-Private School Goalkeeper of the Year. He was part of the 2022 TAPPS State Championship team and served as club team captain for four seasons.
College and Professional Career
College Career
Kerkvliet enrolled at the University of Connecticut in 2023 and redshirted his first season in Fall 2023, not seeing game action.[3] In his redshirt freshman season (Fall 2024), Kerkvliet became UConn's starting goalkeeper, appearing in all 18 games. He posted exceptional statistics that placed him among the nation's elite freshman goalkeepers (see Statistics and Honors section). During the season, Kerkvliet helped UConn maintain one of the nation's best defensive records. In early October 2024, he kept UConn without conceding a goal for 376 consecutive minutes of play.[4] He made several crucial saves throughout the season, including a penalty kick save against Vermont in the 61st minute of an October match.[4] UConn's Fall 2024 season ended with a 2–0 loss to No.25 Providence College in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals, where Kerkvliet made five saves.
Professional Career
MLS SuperDraft
On December 20, 2024, Kerkvliet was selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake. RSL acquired the draft pick from the Colombus Crew for $75,000 in General Allocation Money.[5][5] This marked the first time UConn had two first-round picks in the MLS SuperDraft since 2017 and the most draft picks UConn has had in the MLS SuperDraft since 2014, with teammates Mikah Thomas selected 9th overall by Charlotte FC and Kieran Chandler selected 43rd overall by Minnesota United.[6][7] See 2025 MLS SuperDraft for more.
His contract runs through December 31, 2026, with club options for 2027 and 2028.[8] On February 17, 2025, RSL announced that Kerkvliet had signed an MLS contract, making him eligible for the 2025 season.[9] He was assigned jersey number 24.
Real Monarchs
Kerkvliet officially joined the Monarchs on March 15, 2025, and was part of the roster unveiled ahead of the team's fourth season in MLS Next Pro.[10] Kerkvliet made his professional debut on March 15, 2025, in Real Monarchs' season opener away at Portland Timbers 2 which ended in a 3–2 victory for Real Monarchs, with Kerkvliet making several key saves.[11] Despite the successful debut, Kerkvliet's early professional career had a setback in the Monarchs' home opener on March 23, 2025, against Colorado Rapids 2 at America First Field. Kerkvliet's home debut was cut short in the 30th minute when he was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle as the last defender, reducing Real Monarchs to ten men for the remaining 60 minutes.[12] Despite the Difficult start, Kerkvliet established himself as the Monarchs' primary goalkeeper throughout the 2025 season. He appeared in 12 matches for the Monarchs during the 2025 MLS Next Pro Campaign.[1] His performances included several notable displays, such as a crucial crossbar save from a free kick in the 87th minute during a 3–2 victory over Whitecaps FC 2 on June 29, 2025.[13] Throughout the season, Kerkvliet worked under Real Monarchs Head Coach Mark Lowry and trained alongside RSL's goalkeeper coach Mirza Harambasic, whom he had spoken to during the lead-up to the MLS SuperDraft.[9]
Statistics and Honors
Statistics
2024 Season (UConn)
- Started all 18 games[3]
- 8 clean sheets (most among any Division I freshman goalkeeper)
- Conceded 13 goals[3]
- 0.772 goals against average (ranked 10th nationally)[3]
- Made 57 saves[3]
- 0.814 save percentage (ranked 8th among all Division I goalkeepers)[3]
Honors
2024:
- BIG EAST All-Conference Third Team[3][7]
- BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (three times)[3][7]
- BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (once)[3]
- BIG EAST Honor Roll (once)[3]
- Top Drawer Soccer Mid-Season Top 100 Freshman List (ranked 6th)[3]
2023
- Houston First Team All-Private School Goalkeeper of the Year (2022–2023)[3]
- ECNL All-Conference Goalkeeper (2022–2023)[3]
- Capelli Sport USA Boys All-Star team selection[3]
2022
- TAPPS State Champion[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Max Kerkvliet - Player profile 2026". www.transfermarkt.us. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ rsl. "Max Kerkvliet | Real Salt Lake". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 "Max Kerkvliet - Men's Soccer". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "MSOC Suffers First Loss of Season at Vermont". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Preece, Brian (2024-12-20). "Real Salt Lake Adds Four In MLS SuperDraft First Round". KSL Sports. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ MNUFC2. "Minnesota United Sign MNUFC2 Defender Kieran Chandler to MLS Contract". MNUFC2. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Three Huskies taken in 2025 MLS SuperDraft". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ Spotrac. "Max Kerkvliet | MLS Contracts & Salaries". spotrac.com. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 rsl. "Real Salt Lake Adds DF Zack Farnsworth, GK Max Kerkvliet to 2025 MLS Roster | Real Salt Lake". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ rsl. "Real Monarchs Unveil its 2025 Roster | RSL Monarchs". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ rsl. "Real Monarchs Kickoff 2025 With A Win On The Road Against Portland | RSL Monarchs". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ rsl. "9-Man Real Monarchs Tie Colorado Rapids 2 in a Night of Firsts | RSL Monarchs". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ rsl. "Real Monarchs Triumph Over Whitecaps FC 2 in Away Clash | RSL Monarchs". rsl. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
Category:MLS Next Pro players Category:Real Salt Lake players Category:UConn Huskies men's soccer players Category:University of Connecticut alumni Category:American men's soccer players Category:Major League Soccer players Category:Real Monarchs players Category:Real Salt Lake draft picks Category:Sportspeople from Houston
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