Matthew (Matt) John McKeon (born September 24, 1974) is an American retired
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
who played seven seasons in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
. He earned two caps with the
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF.
The U.S. team ha ...
and was a member of the
1996 U.S. Olympic soccer team.
Youth
McKeon was born in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. McKeon graduated from
De Smet Jesuit High School
De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for boys located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
The school began classes in the fall of 1967. It was named in honor of the p ...
where he was a
Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player his senior season. He was also the 1992 Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year. A product of
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...
, where he was a 1994 and 1995
First Team All-American. In 1996, the
Missouri Athletic Club
The Missouri Athletic Club (often referred to as the MAC), founded in 1903, is a private city and athletic club with two locations. The Downtown Clubhouse is in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA and the West Clubhouse is located in the St. L ...
awarded him the
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players.
History
In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...
.
McKeon is one of 22 college players to be part of the
40-40 club, having both 40 goals and 40 assists in their college career.
Professional
On March 4, 1996, McKeon was the first pick in the
1996 MLS College Draft, going to the
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...
. He was known as a tough defender, and led the league in fouls committed during the 1997 season. The Wizards traded him to the
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
for
Chris Henderson
Christopher Henderson (born December 11, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team and part of the U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. At the time of his ...
in November 1998.
A year later, the Rapids traded him and
Peter Vermes
Peter Joseph Vermes (; born November 21, 1966) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. As of 2022, Vermes is currently the longest-tenured head c ...
to the Wizards for
Scott Vermillion, an
allocation
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, and an exchange of draft picks. McKeon was a "
salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
casualty" in the 02/03 offseason, being cut from the team despite strong play. In seven seasons in MLS, McKeon scored 13 goals and 19 assists in league play.
International
McKeon earned two
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
with the
United States national team, both at the
1999 Confederations Cup, his first coming on July 30 against
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. He also played at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
McKeon currently is the boys youth director of soccer and coaches several teams fo
Sporting JB Marine Soccer Clubin St. Louis.
References
External links
MLS: Matt McKeon
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeon, Matt
1974 births
Living people
All-American men's college soccer players
American soccer players
Soccer players from St. Louis
Saint Louis University alumni
Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer players
Major League Soccer first-overall draft picks
Major League Soccer players
Sporting Kansas City players
Colorado Rapids players
United States men's international soccer players
Olympic soccer players of the United States
Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players
Major League Soccer All-Stars
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's under-23 international soccer players
Sporting Kansas City draft picks
Association football midfielders