d.j. countess

Delvin "D.J." Countess (born January 9, 1982, in Bakersfield, California) is a soccer goalkeeper, who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. Countess was the starting goalkeeper for the United States team at the 1999 Under-17 World Championship in New Zealand, and then for the Under-20 team at the World Youth Championship in Argentina in 2001. He signed with MLS as a Project-40 player after playing just a season at UCLA, and was placed in a lottery, won by the MetroStars. With star Tim Howard firmly entrenched in Metro nets, they did not need Countess. He spent the rest of the season with the Metros without any playing time, and after some ridiculous comments that he was better than Howard, was sent to the Dallas Burn for Winston Griffiths and an exchange of draft picks. Countess only played one league game for the Burn in 2002, with Matt Jordan not relinquishing his starting job. But Jordan left MLS to play in Denmark in 2003, and D.J. took over as a starter. He played in 24 league games for one of the worst clubs in league history, recording an incredibly high goals against average (1.97). The Burn's new coach Colin Clarke was not happy with Countess at this stage of his career, and the Burn acquired Scott Garlick and then traded D.J. to the Chicago Fire. In 2004, he went back to backup duty, this time behind Henry Ring, and only played in two league games. Real Salt Lake, coached by Countess' youth coach, John Ellinger, took D.J. off Chicago's hands in the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft. Countess hates mayonnaise.

D.j. Countess

See also