David Bingham Bio
David Matthew Bingham is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC. Born and raised in Northern California, Bingham turned professional in 2011 after a standout college career with the California Golden Bears. Over more than a decade in Major League Soccer, he has represented the San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy, and Portland Timbers, and has also featured for the United States men’s national team.
Standing 188 centimeters tall, Bingham is known for his shot-stopping consistency, command of the penalty area, and ability to organize a back line. His career has included loan stints abroad, a notable scoring moment from a goalkeeper clearance, and a senior international debut that ended in a clean sheet.
Early Life and Background
David Matthew Bingham was born on October 19, 1989, in Castro Valley, California, to his parents Greg and Lisa Bingham. He grew up in the East Bay suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region with deep roots in Northern California youth soccer. From a young age, Bingham was drawn to the goalkeeper position, drawn to the responsibility and visibility that come with the role.
Bingham played his youth soccer for Mustang United, a club based out of Danville, California. In 2007, his Mustang United side reached the Super-Y League National Championships, an early signal of his competitive pedigree. He also represented the Super-Y national team in both 2006 and 2007, and during his senior year of high school he recorded 13 shutouts and posted a 0.60 goals against average. His performances earned him selection to both the Bay Area All-Area team and the All Tri-Valley first team.
Path to Soccer
Bingham’s development continued at the collegiate level with the California Golden Bears, the men’s soccer program at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent the 2008 season primarily as a backup to goalkeeper Stefan Frei while adjusting to the pace and physicality of NCAA Division I competition. By 2009, he had established himself as the starter, earning All-Pac-10 second team honors and posting a 0.95 goals against average across the season.
In 2010, Bingham led the Golden Bears to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where California eventually fell to the Akron Zips on penalties. After his junior year, he decided to leave college early and enter the professional ranks. That path led him to the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, where he signed a Generation Adidas contract and was allocated to the San Jose Earthquakes via a weighted lottery on January 26, 2011. The Earthquakes were the club he had supported as a boy, making the assignment a fitting launch point for his professional career.
David Bingham Career
Early Career (2011-2014)
Bingham’s first years as a professional were shaped by loans and learning opportunities. After turning out for the Earthquakes in preseason, he scored a memorable goal on July 13, 2011, when his 90-yard clearance against West Bromwich Albion in a friendly at Buck Shaw Stadium carried directly into the net. He also spent time on loan with the San Antonio Scorpions in the lower divisions, before a stint in 2014 with Norwegian club Strømmen IF that broadened his tactical outlook.
These early moves gave Bingham valuable minutes in different playing environments and helped him refine his distribution and shot-stopping under varied conditions. He returned to the Earthquakes with a clearer sense of the professional standards required to hold down a starting role in MLS.
San Jose Earthquakes Breakthrough (2015-2017)
Bingham emerged as the starting goalkeeper for the San Jose Earthquakes during the 2015 season, a breakthrough that marked his arrival as a frontline MLS netminder. He held the starting role through the 2016 and 2017 campaigns, anchoring the team’s back line and earning recognition for his consistency between the posts.
On February 5, 2016, Bingham received his first senior cap for the United States national team in a friendly against Canada, playing the full match and keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory. That international debut confirmed his status as one of the most dependable American goalkeepers of his generation. After three full seasons as San Jose’s starter, he was traded to the LA Galaxy on December 18, 2017.
LA Galaxy Era (2018-2020)
Bingham joined the LA Galaxy ahead of the 2018 season, stepping into one of the most visible goalkeeping positions in Major League Soccer. He served as the Galaxy’s first-choice goalkeeper through the 2020 campaign, contributing to the club’s defensive structure across three competitive seasons.
During his time in Los Angeles, he continued to be recognized as a reliable shot-stopper and an experienced voice in the locker room. After the 2020 season, however, he entered a year without a club, a period that would eventually lead to his next opportunity in the Pacific Northwest.
Portland Timbers Era (2022-2023)
On January 13, 2022, after spending the 2021 season without a team, Bingham signed a two-year deal with the Portland Timbers. He joined a contending roster aiming to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs and brought veteran leadership to the goalkeeping group.
Bingham featured for Portland across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, contributing his usual steady presence in goal. When his contract expired at the end of 2023, he once again reached free agency and began to weigh the next step in his career.
Charlotte FC Era (2024-Present)
On January 30, 2024, Bingham signed as a free agent with Charlotte FC, joining the league’s relatively young expansion side in North Carolina. The move gave Charlotte an experienced MLS veteran between the posts and gave Bingham a fresh platform to extend his career into the later stages of his thirties.
Throughout 2024, he provided organizational stability and shot-stopping reliability for Charlotte FC, helping to set the tone for the club’s continued growth in Major League Soccer. His presence in the locker room has also helped mentor younger goalkeepers on the Charlotte roster.
Playing Style and Strengths
Bingham’s game is built around positioning, calmness under pressure, and reliable shot-stopping from both close range and distance. He is comfortable organizing his back line, communicating across the penalty area, and distributing the ball with both feet to start attacking moves. His height of 188 centimeters gives him a strong physical presence in claiming crosses and dominating his six-yard box, while his professional experience allows him to manage high-pressure moments with composure.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most unusual moments of Bingham’s career came on July 13, 2011, when a 90-yard clearance against West Bromwich Albion at Buck Shaw Stadium found the back of the net for a rare goalkeeper goal. Another landmark arrived on February 5, 2016, when he kept a clean sheet on his United States national team debut against Canada. His trade to the LA Galaxy in December 2017 and his free-agent moves to Portland in 2022 and Charlotte in 2024 also stand out as defining transitions of his MLS journey.
David Bingham Career Wins
Across more than a decade in Major League Soccer, David Bingham has built a résumé defined by consistent starting duties and high-level reliability rather than headline trophy counts. His club journey spans San Jose, LA Galaxy, Portland, and now Charlotte FC, complemented by loan experience in Norway and senior international duty with the United States.
MLS Career Highlights
Bingham has served as a starting MLS goalkeeper for the San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, and Charlotte FC, accumulating hundreds of senior appearances across those stints. He made his senior international debut with the United States on February 5, 2016, and has continued to be regarded as a respected veteran presence in the league. Detailed win totals across his full career were not fully verified and are therefore omitted from tabular form in this profile.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond MLS, Bingham represented the Super-Y national team in 2006 and 2007 and helped his youth side Mustang United reach the Super-Y League National Championships in 2007. At the college level, he earned All-Pac-10 second team honors in 2009 and led the California Golden Bears to the 2010 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, performances that paved the way for his Generation Adidas deal and entry into the professional ranks.
David Bingham Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
David Matthew Bingham is the son of Greg Bingham and Lisa Bingham, who raised him in Castro Valley, California. He has one sister, Kimberly Bingham, who followed a similar sporting path as a goalkeeper. Kimberly played collegiate soccer at Arizona State University and went on to represent the United States Women’s National Soccer Team, giving the Bingham family a notable dual legacy between the posts at both the men’s and women’s international levels.
Personal Life
Bingham has largely kept his personal life out of the public eye, with limited confirmed details regarding relationships or children. His professional journey has taken him from the Bay Area to Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, and now the Carolinas, and he has generally been described in press coverage as a focused, family-oriented athlete who credits his parents and sister for grounding him throughout his career.
2025 Season Outlook
Entering the 2025 Major League Soccer campaign, David Bingham remains Charlotte FC’s starting goalkeeper and one of the senior voices in the squad. With a year of familiarity in the Charlotte system behind him, he is expected to play a central role in setting defensive standards and mentoring the club’s emerging defensive talent.
Charlotte FC will be aiming to climb the Eastern Conference standings and push firmly into playoff contention, and Bingham’s consistency between the posts will be central to that ambition. His partnership with the back line and his communication in goal are likely to be key talking points throughout the season.
At 35, Bingham is in the veteran stage of his career, but his fitness record and professionalism suggest he can continue to perform at a high level. If 2025 unfolds as expected, he will have the chance to add another productive chapter to a professional journey that began in Castro Valley more than a decade ago.