C.J. Brown (born June 15, 1975 in Eugene, Oregon) is an American soccer defender, who currently plays for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.
| C.J. Brown | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | C.J. Brown | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chicago Fire | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 May 2006 | |||
After playing college soccer at San Jose State University, Brown was ignored by MLS, and played with USISL's now-defunct San Francisco Bay Seals between 1995 and 1997. After the Seals made an improbable run to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals in 1997, he was drafted first overall in the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft by Chicago. Brown immediately stepped into the Fire's starting lineup, and has been there ever since.
In his eight years in the league, Brown has played in 192 regular season games (second behind Jesse Marsch for best in team history). He has also appeared in 24 playoff games, helping the Fire to the MLS Cup in 1998. Never a big scorer, Brown has scored only three MLS goals in his career (two in the regular season and one in the playoffs). He won the U.S. Open Cup in 1998, 2000, and 2003.
After emerging from soccer obscurity, Brown amassed 15 caps with the United States national team, his first coming on November 6, 1998 against Australia. He played in the US's third-place finish at the 1999 Confederations Cup.