Eric Espinoza

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Eric Espinoza
Personal information
Full name Eric Espinoza
Date of birth (1996-11-20) November 20, 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth San Jose, California, United States
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Midfielder / Forward
Youth career
2003–2012 Santa Clara Sporting
2012–2013 CV Gunners
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Whitworth Pirates 78 (8)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Spokane Shadow 22 (7)
2018 Real Union De Irun B
2019–2020 FCA Darmstadt 18 (6)
2021 MCSC Jaguars
2023– Niendorfer TSV 8 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 2025

Eric Espinoza (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Niendorfer TSV in Germany. He previously competed in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), and played college soccer at Whitworth University, where he won three consecutive Northwest Conference championships.

Early life

Espinoza grew up in San Jose, California, and played youth soccer with Santa Clara Sporting Academy for nine years. He also competed for CV Gunners, helping the team win the California Youth Soccer Association State Cup in 2013.[1]

High school

Espinoza attended Archbishop Mitty High School, where he captained the team to three consecutive West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) titles (2012–2014) and a Central Coast Section (CCS) championship in 2013.[2][3] The Monarchs finished the 2012–13 season ranked No. 15 nationally in the FAB 50 poll.[4] In his senior season, Espinoza recorded eight goals and eight assists,[5] earning WCAL Midfielder of the Year and selection to the San Jose Mercury News All-Area First Team.[6]


College career

Espinoza attended Whitworth University from 2014 to 2017, where he played for the Whitworth Pirates men's soccer team.

In his freshman season in 2014, Espinoza scored the game-winning goal in the final regular season match against Whitman College to help Whitworth clinch the Northwest Conference title.[7] He also scored in the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 32 against Berry College.[8] The Pirates were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Christopher Newport University.[9] Following the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, Espinoza was named to the INW Best XI.[10]


In his sophomore season in 2015, Espinoza scored in the final regular season game to help Whitworth clinch the Northwest Conference title for the second consecutive year.[11] The Pirates achieved a #3 national ranking in Division III that season, tied for the highest in program history.[12] They also earned the #1 West Region ranking in Division III.[13]


In his junior season in 2016, Espinoza helped lead Whitworth to its third consecutive Northwest Conference title.[14] He was also selected to the All-Region Team.[15]

In his senior season in 2017, Espinoza was a unanimous selection to the All-Northwest Conference First Team after finishing the year with three goals and five assists.[16] He was one of the Pirates’ two captains that season.[16] In 2020, he was named to the Whitworth University Men’s Soccer Team of the Decade.[17]

Semi-professional career

During the 2017 NPSL season, Espinoza scored on the final day of the regular season for Spokane Shadow, helping secure a victory.[18] He was selected to participate in the NPSL Showcase to gain professional opportunities.[19][20]

In 2018, he scored two goals and provided an assist in Spokane Shadow's final game to clinch the NPSL Northwest Conference title.[21]

In 2021, he played for Monterey County MCSC Jaguars in the UPSL, contributing to the team’s Wild West Division championship in the spring season.[22]

Professional career

In 2020, Espinoza joined FCA 04 Darmstadt in Germany, contributing six goals and seven assists in 18 games as the team led the league before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]

In 2023, Espinoza joined Niendorfer TSV in Germany and scored on his debut. His coach described him as the "game changer," noting that he was involved in nearly every attacking move for the Niendorf team.[24]

Honours

  • CV Gunners
    • California Youth State Cup: 2013
  • Archbishop Mitty High School
    • WCAL: 2012, 2013, 2014
    • CCS: 2013
  • Whitworth University
    • Northwest Conference: 2014, 2015, 2016
  • NWC All-Conference First Team: 2017[25]
    • Team of the Decade selection
  • Spokane Shadow
    • NPSL Northwest Conference: 2018
  • FCA Darmstadt
    • Verbandsliga Hesse: 2020

References

  1. ↑ "Gunners set sights high after winning State Cup". San Jose Mercury News. June 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ Reeves, Glenn (March 2, 2013). "CCS boys soccer championships: Mitty defeats Lincoln 2-0". San Jose Mercury News.
  3. ↑ Reeves, Glenn (January 29, 2014). "As home stretch nears, Archbishop Mitty looks strongest in boys soccer". San Jose Mercury News.
  4. ↑ "2013 Boys Soccer Preview: Mitty looks to defend CCS crown". Prep2Prep. December 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Eric Espinoza, Archbishop Mitty". MaxPreps. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ Durkin, Jimmy (March 26, 2014). "Best of the winter: Serra's Nick Schnabel is Mercury News boys soccer player of year". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Whitworth Men's Soccer Wins NWC Championship". Whitworth Pirates. November 8, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Berry College vs. Whitworth". Berry Vikings. November 15, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ "NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Records 2014". NCAA. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ "INW Best XI Week 12: Freshmen Espinoza". INW Soccer. November 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Whitworth Men's Soccer Beats Whitman and Takes First in NWC". The Whitworthian. 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Whitworth Men's Soccer Team Earns No. 3 Ranking". Spokesman-Review. October 6, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Whitworth Men's Soccer Team Continues Highest Stand". Spokesman-Review. October 8, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Men's Soccer Wins Third Consecutive NWC Title". Whitworth Pirates. October 30, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "ASC All-Region Teams 2016". ASC Sports. December 2, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Goodwin, Andrew (November 9, 2017). "Seven Pirates Earn All-Conference Honors". Whitworth University. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Locally: Spokane's Neil Hansen inducted into the NHRPA Hall of Fame". The Spokesman-Review. October 11, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  18. ↑ Rodriguez, Edward (July 8, 2017). "Roundup: Spokane Shadow pick up big win in final game". Spokesman-Review.
  19. ↑ "Shadows' Espinoza headed to NPSL showcase for pro opportunities". Spokane Sounders. 13 January 2018.
  20. ↑ "Espinoza named to NPSL showcase". National Premier Soccer League. 4 January 2018.
  21. ↑ "Unbeaten Spokane SC Shadow Sweep PDX FC; Clinch NPSL Northwest Conference Title". National Premier Soccer League. 26 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "MariOna's 30-yard run earns Project 51O a draw in UPSL debut". Soccer Bay Area. August 30, 2021.
  23. ↑ Reeves, Glenn (June 30, 2020). "$30,000 raised for downtown San Jose businesses damaged in protests". San Jose Mercury News.
  24. ↑ Hamburg, Fussifreunde (March 26, 2014). "Eine amerikanische Überraschungswaffe mit Jetlag als Game Changer". FussiFreunde. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  25. ↑ Goodwin, Andrew (November 9, 2017). "Seven Pirates Earn All-Conference Honors". Whitworth University. Retrieved September 6, 2025.

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