Michael Salazar

Michael Dwane Salazar Jr. (born 15 November 1992) is an American–Belizean professional footballer who plays as a forward for National Independent Soccer Association club Los Angeles Force. Born in the United States, he plays for the Belize national team.

Club career College and amateur Salazar began his collegiate career at California Baptist University. In his freshman year in 2011, Salazar made a total of 20 appearances, starting seven of them, and finished tied for the team lead with 11 goals and was the team leader with 28 points. His strong performances saw him named the Pacific West Conference freshman of the year and named to the All-PacWest second team. He also led the Lancers to a Pacific West Conference championship and helped the Lancers finish with the most wins in program history. To top if off, Salazar helped Cal Baptist win the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship, with Salazar scoring twice in the final. In his sophomore year, Salazar made 19 appearances and finished with six goals and led the team with six assists. He was once again named to the All PacWest Second Team. The Lancers their second straight national NCCAA title with Salazar picking up 2 assists in the final. After two seasons at California Baptist, Salazar transferred to UC Riverside on 10 June 2013.

In Salazar's first match with the Highlanders, he scored 3 goals and picked up 1 assist. He would lead the team with 6 goals and was named to the All Big-West First Team. In 2015, Salazar scored 6 goals, this time good enough for the second most on the team, and was once again named to the All Big-West First Team. Salazar scored 3 goals in 4 appearances for PSA Elite during the 2015 US Open Cup, earning him the 2015 Lower Division Player of Tournament award.

Montreal Impact Salazar was selected in the second round (24th overall) of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by CF Montréal. He attracted favorable attention when he scored a goal for the Impact during a pre-season friendly match against D.C. United. He signed his first MLS contract on March 1, 2016. Salazar started the season by making 2 starts with Montreal's USL affiliate FC Montreal. Salazar made his MLS and Impact debut on 7 May 2016 when he came on as a substitute in a 4–4 draw with the Columbus Crew On 1 June he scored his first professional goal in a 4–2 loss to Toronto FC in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals.

On 2 May 2017 Salazar was loaned to the Impact's USL affiliate Ottawa Fury FC after only making 2 substitute appearances in the Impact's first 9 matches. In the Fury's first game of the 2018 season, Salazar picked up an assist in a 1–4 defeat to the Charlotte Independence. After making 4 appearances for Ottawa, Salazar suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Salazar was released by Montreal at the end of their 2018 season.

In early 2019, Salazar went on trial with USL Championship club Birmingham Legion FC and scored a goal for them in a 3–1 victory in a friendly against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on 13 February 2019 However, he was not offered a contract with the Legion.

Rio Grande Valley FC On 14 March 2019, Rio Grande Valley FC Toros announced that Salazar has signed with the club for the 2019 USL Championship season. He made his Toros debut on 16 March, coming on as a sub in a 2–0 loss to Fresno FC. He scored his first goal for RGVFC on 13 April in a 2–1 win over Oklahoma City Energy FC. On 24 April Salazar came on as a sub and scored 3 goals to help give the Toros a 4–4 draw with LA Galaxy II. Salazar scored again against LA Galaxy II on 18 May to help RGVFC secure a 2–2 draw. In the Toros next match, Salazar would score a brace against San Antonio FC to help give RGVFC a 3–1 win. Salazar scored against Real Monarchs on 8 June in a Toros 3–5 loss.

Houston Dynamo On 10 June 2019, Salazar signed with RGVFC's parent MLS club the Houston Dynamo. He made his Dynamo debut on 11 June, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over Austin Bold in the US Open Cup. Salazar made his first league appearance for the Dynamo on 22 June, coming on as a sub in a 4–0 loss to the Portland Timbers. On 29 June, he made his first start for Houston in a 2–1 defeat to the New England Revolution.

For 2020, Salazar remained with the Dynamo, but only made one appearance all year, a 13-minute substitute appearance against Sporting Kansas City in a 4–0 loss.

His contract option was declined by Houston following their 2020 season.

Memphis 901 On 12 April 2021, Salazar signed with USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC. He made his debut for Memphis on 15 May, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss to the Birmingham Legion. Salazar scored his first goal for Memphis on 5 June in a 2–1 win over Indy Eleven. He ended the regular season with 32 appearances, 6 goals, and 2 assists, helping Memphis finish 3rd in the Central Division and qualify for the playoffs.

Miami FC On 3 January 2023, Salazar signed with USL Championship side Miami FC for their 2023 season.

International career On 11 June 2013, Salazar made his international debut for Belize in a 0–0 draw against Guatemala. Two weeks later, he was named to their 23-man roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Salazar would appear in all 3 of Belize's games at the 2013 Gold Cup and all 5 of their games at the 2017 Copa Centroamericana.

Club

International

Scores and results list Belize's goal tally first.