Mathieu Simon Laurent (born February 28, 1996) is a Canadian professional soccer player who most recently played as a defender for USL Championship club Birmingham Legion.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mathieu Simon Laurent | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-02-28) February 28, 1996 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Markham, Ontario, Canada[citation needed] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vaughan Azzurri | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | UAB Blazers | 66 | (2) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | K–W United | 17 | (1) |
| 2018 | Birmingham Hammers | 12 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Birmingham Legion | 25 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 2013 | Canada U17 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 October 2020 | |||
Laurent attended high school at École Publique Renaissance, whilst playing club soccer with League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri.[3][4][5]
In 2014, Laurent attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham to play college soccer. Laurent redshirted his sophomore season, but went on to make 66 appearances for the Blazers, scoring two goals and tallying a single assist. In 2014, he was named All-Conference USA Freshman Team and to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. 2016 saw him earn NSCAA Division I Scholar All-South Region Team honors, and was Conference USA Second Team in 2017. Laurent also served as team captain for three consecutive seasons.[3]
While at college, Laurent also competed in the USL PDL, spending 2016 and 2017 with K-W United FC, making eighteen appearances and scoring a single goal.[6][7] In 2018, Laurent played with Birmingham Hammers, scoring three goals in twelve regular season games.[8]
On January 28, 2019, it was announced that Laurent had signed with USL Championship side Birmingham Legion ahead of their inaugural season.[9] He initially joined the club after being invited to open combine.[10] He made his professional debut on March 31, 2019, starting in a 3–2 win over Louisville City, scoring an own goal.[11] Following the 2019 season, it was announced that Laurent would sign a new contract with Birmingham ahead of the 2020 season.[12] Later in the season on August 6, 2020, it was announced that Laurent had torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the season.[13]