Early life, college and amateur Soares was born in
Solana Beach, California. He attended
Torrey Pines High School where he was the captain for his junior and senior seasons, and won the 2005 Division 1 CIF Championship. He played
college soccer at the
University of California, Berkeley. As the
Cal co-captain in 2010, Soares was named a
National Soccer Coaches Association of America First Team All American, Pac-10 Player of the Year, Goal.com Player of the Year. Soares entered college at California as an attacking player, but head coach
Kevin Grimes converted him to a central defender because of his size and strength. However, he still managed to score five goals in his final collegiate season while anchoring a stingy Bear defense; during this campaign, he was named a semifinalist for the 2010
Hermann Trophy. In 2010 Soares made one appearance for
Orange County Blue Star in the
USL Premier Development League.
Professional Soares was chosen by
New England Revolution as the sixth overall pick in the
2011 MLS SuperDraft. He made his Revolution debut in the
2011 New England Revolution season opener on March 20, 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy. In his rookie campaign Soares made 28 appearances (all starts). He was subsequently named New England Revolution defender of the Year for 2011. In the
2012 New England Revolution season, Soares made 30 appearances (all starts), recording two goals. Soares started and played the entire
2014 MLS Cup. He garnered press coverage in the match for helping seemingly-injured
LA Galaxy keeper
Jaime Penedo to his feet before immediately tossing him back on the ground. Soares was voted "Player's Player" and Defender of the Year for New England in 2014. In February 2015, Soares was presented as the newest addition to the Norwegian
Tippeligaen club
Viking FK. On July 26, 2016, Soares signed a two-year contract with
AGF. In November 2016, he retired from professional football, due to a serious head injury. ==Personal life==