Steve Klein (soccer)

Steve Klein (born May 11, 1975) is an American soccer coach and former professional player, who spent one season in Major League Soccer and eleven in the USL First Division and its predecessors. On January 20, 2010, he was ranked 24th in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.[1]

Steve Klein
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-05-11) May 11, 1975
Place of birth Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Midfield
Youth career
1993–1996 Bowling Green Falcons
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997 New England Revolution 4 (0)
1997 → Worcester Wildfire (loan) 6 (2)
1998 Nashville Metros 28 (8)
1999–2001 Hershey Wildcats 68 (13)
2002–2004 Charleston Battery 84 (8)
2005–2007 Vancouver Whitecaps 78 (9)
Managerial career
2008 Lancaster Inferno
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Player

Youth

Klein was born in Evansville, Indiana, and attended Brentwood High School in Brentwood, TN and Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he started all four years and earned first team All-American honors his senior year. He is still BGSU's all-time leading point scorer with 45 assists and 37 goals. His play led BGSU to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Championships in both his junior and senior years. In 2006, Klein was inducted in the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]

Professional

Klein was drafted by the New England Revolution in the third round of the 1997 MLS College Draft but saw limited action due to injury.[3] During the season, he played six games on loan to the Worcester Wildfire. In 1998, he spent the season with the Nashville Metros. In 1999, he moved to the Hershey Wildcats for two seasons. On December 19, 2001, he signed with the Charleston Battery, where he played for three seasons.[4][5]

In 2005, Klein made the cross-country move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he started 26 of 27 games and was second on the team in scoring with 18 pts (7 goals, 4 assists). He earned first team USL for his efforts. In the 2006 campaign, he moved into a more defensive midfield role, starting all games eligible (27) and leading the team in minutes played during the regular season. While not producing the scoring totals of 2005, his hard work in the trenches earned him second team USL honors. He helped the Whitecaps win their first USL First Division championship by beating the Rochester Raging Rhinos 3–0.

Coaching career

In 2008, Klein was the head coach of the now-defunct Lancaster Inferno in the National Premier Soccer League.

Honors

Charleston Battery

Vancouver Whitecaps

References
  1. "USL-1 Top 25 of the decade". socceramerica.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  2. BGSUsports.com - Steve Klein
  3. 1997 MLS Draft Picks
  4. Battery Signs Steve Klein Archived September 9, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Charleston Battery: Steve Klein Archived October 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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