Wyatt Meyer Bio
Wyatt Thomas Meyer (born November 12, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender or midfielder for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, Meyer came through the youth and college ranks in Northern California before being selected in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. After spending his rookie professional season with Nashville SC, he joined Sporting Kansas City ahead of the 2026 campaign, signing a one-season deal with club options.
Early Life and Background
Wyatt Thomas Meyer was born on November 12, 2001, in Berkeley, California, and grew up in the same city where he would later attend college. He is the son of Jennifer Thomas and Rich Meyer. His mother, Jennifer Thomas, played soccer for the University of California, Berkeley, and later served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears women’s program. His father, Rich Meyer, also played collegiate soccer and lacrosse, giving the family a deep athletic pedigree that shaped Wyatt’s earliest exposure to the sport.
Meyer played youth soccer for the Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club before joining the ACC Mavericks, a competitive youth setup he represented from 2012 to 2020. He attended St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, balancing a demanding academic load with travel soccer. The combination of club play, high school competition, and a soccer-focused household helped him develop the positional versatility that has defined his career as both a central defender and defensive midfielder.
Path to Soccer
Following his time with the ACC Mavericks, Meyer enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley in 2020 and joined the California Golden Bears men’s soccer program. He played four seasons for the Bears from 2021 to 2024, making 58 appearances, scoring four goals, and adding six assists while lining up mostly as a central defender and defensive midfielder. He earned Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll recognition twice and served as team captain during his final two collegiate seasons.
After the fall 2022 season, Meyer was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team, and a year later he started all 18 matches and was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Golden Bears history to win the award. In 2023, he was also named a First Team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators, only the third men’s soccer player in Cal history to receive that distinction. The same winter, Nashville SC selected Meyer with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He returned to Berkeley for a senior season, limited to eight matches by injury, and graduated with a degree in English and a minor in history before turning professional.
Wyatt Meyer Career
Early Career (2023)
Meyer’s first taste of senior-level soccer came in 2023 with Project 51O, the USL League Two reserve affiliate of USL Championship club Oakland Roots. He appeared in four matches for the team during that summer, using the developmental league to sharpen his game before his final collegiate year. The Project 51O stint, combined with an invitation to the fourth annual MLS College Showcase in December 2023, helped position him as a first-round SuperDraft prospect.
His play at Cal and in USL League Two also drew individual recognition beyond the Pac-12 awards, including selection to the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team. Those performances cemented his stock as a versatile, tactically aware defender ready for the professional ranks.
Nashville SC Breakthrough (2025)
After participating in Nashville SC’s pre-season camp ahead of the 2025 season, Meyer signed his first professional contract with the club on February 21, 2025. He made his professional debut the following day, playing the full 90 minutes in a scoreless draw against the New England Revolution on February 22. The early-season opportunity reflected the trust Nashville placed in a first-round pick who had waited a year to launch his pro career.
Meyer’s first professional goal came on May 21, 2025, when he scored the winner in a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup victory over Orlando City. He went on to make six league appearances for Nashville that season, including three starts, and added two starts in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as Nashville advanced to and ultimately won the U.S. Open Cup in October 2025. His progress was interrupted in August 2025 by a foot injury, and after the season Nashville declined to extend his contract.
Sporting Kansas City Era (2026–Present)
On February 3, 2026, Meyer signed a one-season contract with Sporting Kansas City, with the club holding a team option for the next two seasons. The move offered the defender a fresh start after his rookie year in Nashville, with the chance to compete for regular minutes in a new system. He was assigned jersey number 28 and listed as a defender and midfielder, a positional flexibility that has followed him from college.
His arrival in Kansas City came on the back of a championship-winning Open Cup run and six months of senior-level experience, even if injury limited his overall appearances. Meyer now enters the next chapter of his career looking to translate his NCAA pedigree, his Pac-12 accolades, and his brief but productive debut season into a larger role with Sporting Kansas City.
Driving Style and Strengths
Meyer is best understood as a left-footed central defender who can also step into a defensive midfield role, offering coaches tactical flexibility in both a back four and a back three. His college résumé of 58 appearances, four goals, and six assists shows a player comfortable on the ball, willing to step forward, and capable of contributing from set pieces. Two seasons as team captain at Cal also point to leadership qualities that teams value in a young defender.
Notable Events and Milestones
Meyer’s signature moments so far include his first professional goal in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup win over Orlando City, his role in Nashville SC’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup title run, and his groundbreaking Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023, a first in California Golden Bears history. He was also just the third men’s soccer player at Cal to be named a First Team Academic All-American.
Wyatt Meyer Career Wins
Wyatt Meyer’s most prominent team trophy to date is the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with Nashville SC, the club’s run to the title capping a memorable debut professional season. While he did not feature in every round, his two Open Cup starts helped Nashville advance to the quarterfinals and beyond. Beyond that team silverware, his individual accolades include Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team, All-Pac-12 Second Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team, Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll, and First Team Academic All-American honors.
MLS and U.S. Open Cup Highlights
Meyer’s Major League Soccer résumé is still in its earliest chapters, with six league appearances, including three starts, during the 2025 season with Nashville SC. His first professional goal came in U.S. Open Cup play, and his two Open Cup starts were part of Nashville’s run to the 2025 title. As of early 2026, he has yet to record an MLS regular-season goal, but his Open Cup winner suggests the scoring instincts are there.
Other Wins and Performances
Meyer’s USL League Two appearances with Project 51O in 2023 marked his introduction to senior-level soccer, and his invitation to the MLS College Showcase that same December helped him break into the first-round SuperDraft conversation. At the college level, his Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award and All-Pac-12 First Team selection stand as the headline individual honors.
Wyatt Meyer Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Wyatt Meyer comes from a deeply soccer-rooted family in Berkeley. His mother, Jennifer Thomas, played soccer at the University of California, Berkeley, and later served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears women’s program. His father, Rich Meyer, also played collegiate soccer and lacrosse, and the family encouraged Wyatt to play for the Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club and the ACC Mavericks from a young age.
Personal Life
Meyer’s personal life has been closely tied to his education and the Bay Area. He majored in English with a minor in history at UC Berkeley, reflecting an academic path that earned him two Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll selections and a First Team Academic All-American award in 2023. He graduated from Berkeley after his senior season before fully launching his professional soccer career in 2025.
2025 Season Performance
Meyer’s 2025 campaign was a debut season marked by early opportunity, a memorable first goal, and a championship finish in the U.S. Open Cup. After signing with Nashville SC in February, he played the full match in his professional debut against the New England Revolution and went on to make six MLS appearances, including three starts. His season also included two U.S. Open Cup starts, including the match in which he scored the winning goal against Orlando City.
A foot injury in August 2025 cut into his minutes down the stretch, but the campaign still ended on a high as Nashville lifted the U.S. Open Cup in October 2025 with Meyer part of the squad. The blend of first-team exposure, a first professional goal, and a senior-team trophy gave Meyer meaningful momentum heading into his next move, even as Nashville opted not to extend his contract after the season.