James Riley (born October 27, 1982) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender and is currently the head coach for USL League Two club Ballard FC.

Riley previously spent eleven seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the New England Revolution (2005–2007), San Jose Earthquakes (2008), Seattle Sounders FC (2009–2011), Chivas USA (2012), D.C. United (2013), LA Galaxy (2014), and the Colorado Rapids (2015).

[1] Riley played college soccer at Wake Forest University, and in the USL Premier Development League with both Carolina Dynamo and his hometown team, Colorado Springs Blizzard.

[2] New England Revolution drafted Riley in the second round of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, and he acquitted himself well in his rookie season, playing various positions and scoring a goal.

During the 2015 season, Riley made 17 appearances in all competitions, scoring a lone goal on May 8, 2015, against former club San Jose in the third minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1–1 draw.