- Steve Trittschuh
Infobox Football biography
playername= Steve Trittschuh
fullname =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1965|4|24|mf=y
cityofbirth = Granite City, IL
countryofbirth =United States
height = height|ft=6|in=0
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber =
position = Defender
youthyears = 1983-1986
youthclubs =Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
years = 1987-1988
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993
1993-1994
1994 1995
1996-1999
1999-2001
clubs =St. Louis Steamers "(indoor)"Tampa Bay Rowdies
Sparta PragueTampa Bay Rowdies
SVV DordrechtTampa Bay Rowdies St. Louis Ambush "(indoor)"Fort Lauderdale Strikers Montreal Impact Colorado Rapids Tampa Bay Mutiny
caps(goals) =
23 (2)
23 (7)
98 (11)
64 0(7)
nationalyears = 1987–1995
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 38 0(2)
manageryears = 2001-
managerclubs =Colorado Rapids "(assistant)"
pcupdate = 31 May 2006
ntupdate = 22 June 2006Steve Trittschuh (born
April 24 ,1965 ) is a retired United Statessoccer defender.Youth and college
Trittschuh is a native of
Granite City, Illinois . He played atGranite City High School for the North Steelers under former U.S. national coachBob Kehoe . He earned All State honors his junior and senior year and was a Parade Magazine All American as a senior. Coming out of high school, he was heavily recruited by several top schools, but selectedSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville which he attended on a full ride soccer scholarship.He played for four years for SIU-E, scoring 12 goals and assisting 11 others. He earned second team
All American honors his junior year and first team his senior year.Early professional
After graduating from college in 1986, Trittschuh's soccer career mirrored so many other players' of that era. It was a series of constant moves from one team to another in search of any opportunity to eke out a living playing the game they loved. Trittschuh's career began with the
indoor soccer St. Louis Steamers of theMajor Indoor Soccer League (MISL). That only lasted a year before he moved to theTampa Bay Rowdies of the American Professional Soccer Leaque (APSL).Move to Europe
In 1990, his career took an unexpected turn. Trittschuh played a single game for the
United States men's national soccer team at the1990 FIFA World Cup in a 5-1 loss to Czechoslovakia. While the national team was thrashed, Trittschuh caught the attention of the Czechoslovakia's assistant coach, the head coach of Czech powerhouse club Sparta Prague. They offered Trittschuh a contract, which he happily accepted. At the time the Soviet Union and its eastern bloc allies, including Czechoslovakia were transitioning from communism to democracy. This brought an exceptional level of turmoil which also affected professional soccer in the region. As a result, eastern teams were searching for talent to replace players who were moving to play in Western Europe.While Trittschuh played only a single season for Sparta Prague, he helped them win their league championship. He also became the first U.S. player to play in the European Championship Cup.
At the end of the season, he returned to the Rowdies for a single season before heading back to Europe; this time to Dutch club SVV Dordrecht. As he recounts it, he was in competition with two Finnish players for a spot on the club and he won. He became a regular starter for the team, but towards the end of the season the club ran out of money and stopped paying Trittschuh so he returned to the U.S.
Return to the U.S.
In the spring of 1993, he rejoined Tampa Bay. However, at the end of the 1993 APSL season, he left the Rowdies for the last time to sign with the
St. Louis Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). That year he earned another championship when the Ambush took the NPSL crown.Trittschuh's days moving had not ended yet and at the end of the season, he moved to the
Fort Lauderdale Strikers of theAmerican Professional Soccer League (APSL). He moved again the next year to theMontreal Impact , also of the APSL.MLS
In 1995, the new U.S. soccer league,
Major League Soccer (MLS) approached Trittschuh about joining the league. He agreed but had to buy out the final year of his contract with the Impact, for $10,000. When he left the Impact, he finished his APSL (nowUSL First Division ) as a 5 time all star.In 1996, Trittschuh joined the new
Colorado Rapids . In 1997, the team reached the 1997 MLS Cup, falling to 2-1 toD.C. United . He had a solid three seasons with the Rapids playing in the sweeper position. At the beginning of the 1999 season, Rapids coachGlenn Myernick movedMarcelo Balboa into the sweeper position. As a result, through the first 8 games of the 1999 season, Trittschuh never left the bench. On June 14, 1999, the Rapids traded Trittschuh to theTampa Bay Mutiny for midfielder/forward Guillermo Jara. Trittschuh would go on to play 64 regular and post-season games for the Mutiny. In 2001, he retired from active playing and was hired by the Colorado Rapids as an assistant coach.National team
Trittschuh also had a long and successful national team career. In 1987, he was selected to play for the U.S. national team. He made his national team debut against Egypt at the 1987 Presidents Cup. He also played for the national team at the
1987 Pan American Games .In 1988, he was a member of the U.S. team which went 1-1-1 at the
Seoul Olympics . As previously mentioned, he was a member of the U.S. team at the1990 FIFA World Cup . He was also a member of the1991 Gold Cup championship team. In 1995, he played his last game with the national team, against Saudi Arabia.
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