Sam Junqua

Samuel Junqua (born November 9, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.

Career Youth and college Junqua attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played college soccer for four years between 2015 and 2018, making 68 appearances and tallying 3 assists. He was named to the 2018 All-Pac-12 third team.

While in college, Junqua played in the PDL with FC Golden State Force and San Francisco Glens.

Professional career

Houston Dynamo On January 11, 2019, Junqua was drafted 8th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by the Houston Dynamo and was signed by the club on January 22, 2019. Junqua made his Dynamo debut on June 18, getting the start in a 3–2 loss to Minnesota United in a U.S. Open Cup match. He made his first appearance in a continental competition and his second overall appearance with the Dynamo on July 24, coming on as a sub in a Leagues Cup match with Club America.

Junqua spent most of the 2019 season on loan with the Dynamo's USL Championship affiliate Rio Grande Valley FC. He made his first appearance for the Toros on March 16, playing the full 90 in a 2–0 loss to Fresno FC. He would go on to make 17 appearances with RGVFC in his first pro season. It was a poor season for Houston as a team, finishing last in the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs again.

Junqua missed the first 8 games of the 2021 season after suffering a concussion in the final preseason match. He made his first appearance of the season on June 19, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against LAFC. On July 3, Junqua picked up his first career MLS assist in a 1–1 draw with FC Cincinnati.

Junqua made 15 MLS appearances, 4 of them starts, and had an assist during the 2022 season as the Dynamo finished 13th in the conference, missing out on the playoffs. In the Open Cup, Junqua started all 3 games for Houston. On April 19, in their first cup game of the season, Junqua scored 3 minutes into stoppage time to give the Dynamo a 2–1 win over RGVFC. In the next round, he set up Sebastián Ferreira in the 82nd minute for a 1–0 win over San Antonio FC.

FC Dallas On February 23, 2023, Junqua signed with FC Dallas after the club acquired his rights from Houston in exchange for $75,000 of GAM.

Real Salt Lake On December 23, 2024, Real Salt Lake acquired Junqua from FC Dallas and up to $500k in GAM in exchange for Anderson Julio.

Career statistics