IRVINE, Calif. --- The soccer world is always turning. As the sun sets on one season, it rises on the next. The World Cup brought a new fire to Americans looking to continue burning with their new-found love. A flame that is growing brighter and brighter is that of Anteater soccer.

Major League Soccer has begun the second half of their season, and 'Eater alum Brad Evans enters the proving grounds for his newly-anointed captaincy for the leaders of the MLS, Seattle Sounders FC. The three-time Big West Player of the Year is in his eighth season in the MLS, sixth with the Sounders, and amongst all the notable, U.S. national players the likes of Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin, Evans is their captain. He has ascended the all-time rankings after joining the club in its inaugural season in the league standing fourth all-time in matches played and third all-time with 22 goals and 24 assists.

Evans (@brad_evans3) himself was one of the final 30 training for a spot on the U.S. national roster to represent in Brazil at the World Cup. He earned a spot on the starting XI as a defender during World Cup qualifying, and made an immediate impact with a crucial, stoppage-time goal in Jamaica to help the Americans sew up a spot in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. His omission from the final roster was disheartening, but the 29-year-old returns to the class of the MLS with a new goal in mind, and continues to strive toward an appearance on the next World Cup roster.

He opened up to Matt Gaschk of Soundersfc.com saying, "For me, obviously it's a tough decision to swallow. I put a lot of effort into that team. I bled for that team, and that's what I do for any team that I'm on, so it's a hard pill to swallow," he said. "At the end of the day, it's a decision that can't be revoked. Now it's time to move to the Sounders. With the support that I've gotten from the fans and my team, right now there is no other team I'd want to be with."

In Evans' wake, the 'Eaters have slowly begun to inundate the professional soccer ranks, and the presence can now be felt in the top tier at the MLS level. With the investment of a first round pick, the Chicago Fire added Marco Franco in this year's SuperDraft giving the 'Eaters the potential for a second player in the league for years to come. Franco (@shmushmarco) has run with the reserve squad to this point, and is still awaiting his MLS debut.

UCI has enjoyed hearing it's named called on multiple occasions at the MLS SuperDraft, but Franco's notoriety could be the catalyst. Lest we not forget the drove of Anteaters that still patrol the professional ranks outside the MLS that undoubtedly could make the jump into the top level. Seven 'Eaters have found a home for the 2014 season with clubs in the North American Soccer League or USL-Pro leagues. It might not sound like Major League Soccer, but in some instances it is. Recently, the MLS has promoted clubs such has Orlando City FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC that were once USL-Pro and NASL entities. Even current franchises such as the Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers originated from these two levels so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the MLS could raise up more and more franchises bringing players from those levels with them.

In the NASL resides Amani Walker, a veteran in this his fourth season as a professional. Walker began with the Minnesota Stars FC before moving on to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL. Walker's 2013 season was cut short due to injury, but he has returned to the pitch after a lengthy rehab.

Alongside Walker in the NASL is Miguel Ibarra. He is excelled in his third season in the league with the Minnesota United FC, formerly the Minnesota Stars FC for whom he began his life after UCI soccer literally alongside Walker. Ibarra (@Migue10Ibarra) has found a home in the Midwest with 56 total appearances during that time scoring six goals including a playoff game-winner as a rookie to put Minnesota over the top against Puerto Rico. MNUFC finds itself atop the NASL standings after the spring season with a 6-2-1 record earning them an automatic berth in the four-team playoff round following the regular season. Ibarra has made a solid contribution thus far with four goals in 11 matches, 10 as a starter.

Alongside Ibarra is keeper Andrew Fontein. Fontein set multiple records while at UCI, and has bounced between Tampa Bay and now Minnesota looking for some solid footing in the NASL. Following these clubs is as easy as looking up their twitter or watching live streams. Their travels do not bring them to Southern California with the nearest clubs being San Antonio and Edmonton.

In the USL-Pro league we find four more 'Eaters in Jimmy Turner, Enrique Cardenas, Christopher Santana, and Tarek Morad. Turner (@jtwiki6) is now in his second season with the revamped OC Blues FC which has found a new home field conveniently at located at Anteater Stadium for the 2014 season.

Joining Turner on the Blues is Cardenas (@keeeykeh) who slid all over the map between being a draft prospect and taking part in multiple combines in addition to being a trialist for a number of squads before fitting in with the OC Blues. He and fellow midfielder Christopher Santana arrived in due time. Each has seen their share of action with Santana (@chinobombino) who scored twice in his first action to earn a spot on the USL-Pro Team of the Week.

Morad (@tmorad92) joins the brand new franchise, OKC Energy FC. He trekked around the country as a trialist for multiple teams before landing in Oklahoma City. He has been a staple on the backline starting a majority of the team's matches.

These squads are neck-and-neck in the middle of the standings. The players are a little more accessible to their SoCal fans as well. Besides the OC Blues, other franchises can be found in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Sacramento.

The other option that comes into play for many of the 'Eaters is to play overseas. It has been the road less travelled, but with the ascension of the Anteater soccer programs, one Anteater has reversed the trend and started their career in the U.S. Irving Garcia, an Anteater for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, was a fourth round draft pick of the New York Red Bulls in 2010. He found some action during the U.S. Open Cup rounds including earning a start and assist. His stay in New York, however, lasted until 2011, but he managed to find a landing place in Guatemala with Antigua GFC. From there he returned to the U.S. to play alongside Turner with the then-Los Angeles Blues, and now he is back on the international circuit; this time in Spain in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Catalonia houses the city of Barcelona and Garcia's newest club, Unio Esportiva (UE) La Jonquera. He has found a place in and out of the starting lineup with the club that resides in the fifth regional division, Primera Catalana.

The 2014 soccer year will undoubtedly have plenty to talk about. UC Irvine soccer encourages all of its fans to follow along with each player throughout the professional ranks as the program certainly will through their channels of Twitter (@UCImsoc) and Facebook (Facebook.com/UCImsoc). Keep up with the latest news on each and feel free to connect and provide your own insight.

Below is the full list of players and their affiliates:

Anteater                              Club                                                                 League
Enrique Cardenas                OC Blues FC                                                     USL-Pro
Brad Evans                          Seattle Sounders FC                                         MLS
Andrew Fontein                   Minnesota United FC                                         NASL
Marco Franco                       Chicago Fire                                                      MLS
Irving Garcia                        UE La Jonquera                                                Primera Catalana (Spain)
Miguel Ibarra                       Minnesota United FC                                         NASL
Tarek Morad                        OKC Energy FC                                                  USL-Pro
Christopher Santana           OC Blues FC                                                      USL-Pro
Jimmy Turner                       OC Blues FC                                                       USL-Pro
Amani Walker                      Tampa Bay Rowdies                                           NASL