| José Alegría | |
| Birth Date: | 5 October 1980 |
| Birth Place: | Lima, Peru |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthclubs1: | Alianza Lima |
| Youthclubs2: | Washington Diplomats |
| Years1: | 2001–2003 |
| Clubs1: | D.C. United |
| Caps1: | 38 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
José Alegría (born 5 October 1980) is a Peruvian former footballer.
He holds the MLS record for fastest red card in league history, earning one in 18 seconds during a match on 13 June 2001.[1]
Born in Lima, he moved to the United States when he was 12 and grew up in Springfield, Virginia.[2] [3]
He was initially signed by D.C. United directly out of high school in 1998.[4] However, after participating in their spring training, he was forced to return to Peru in order to obtain a work visa.[3] The process was delayed because he overstayed his initial tourist visa limit and he missed both the 1999 and 2000 seasons as a result.[5] While waiting in Peru, Alegría trained with Alianza Lima, the country's most successful team,[5] and played in the second division.[3]
He joined D.C. United in October 2001 and made 38 league appearances across three seasons with the team, registering one goal and three assists before he was waived in early 2004.[2]