Bobby Burling (full name: Robert Charles Burling; born October 15, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He spent 11 seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS), appearing for Chivas USA, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Colorado Rapids.
Early Life and College Career
Burling was born in Clear Lake City, Texas. He played college soccer at Loyola Marymount University from 2003 to 2006 and also played for the Colorado Springs Blizzard in the USL Premier Development League in 2004.
Professional Career
Burling was drafted in the 4th round (45th overall) by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft but was not offered a contract. He instead signed with Chivas USA three months later, making over twenty appearances for the club.
On September 11, 2009, Burling was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He was left exposed by San Jose in the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft and was selected by the expansion Montreal Impact, but he never signed with them. His rights were traded back to Chivas USA in July 2012, and he officially signed with the club on August 17, 2012.
Following the 2014 season, Chivas USA was contracted by MLS. Burling was not selected in the 2014 MLS Dispersal Draft but was later selected by the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Waiver Draft in December 2014. He played for the Rapids from 2015 through 2017, after which he was not retained for the 2018 season.
Over his MLS career, Burling played in 169 matches (151 starts) and logged 13,684 minutes.
Post-Playing Career
After retiring from professional soccer, Burling became a Sales Representative for Stryker Sports Medicine in the Denver metropolitan area.
