Michael Gspurning (; born 2 May 1981) is a retired Austrian
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
.
Born in the city of
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
in southeast Austria, Gspurning has been called up to the
Austrian national team 3 times, including 2
World Cup qualifying matches. Gspurning began his career at
Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria (German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mos ...
in the
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
and moved to
DSV Leoben
DSV Leoben is an Austrian association football club based in Leoben. It was founded in 1928. They play at the Donawitz Stadium.
History
WSV Donawitz
The club was founded on 1 February 1928 opgericht as ''Werkssportverein Donawitz'', playing i ...
after not appearing for the senior team. He played for 3 seasons at Leoben in the third-tier
Regionalliga Mitte before moving to
ASKÖ Pasching
ASKÖ Pasching was an Austrian football club based in Pasching, Upper Austria. The club in its later stages was also known under the sponsorship derived names SV PlusCity Pasching and, from 2003 until its end, FC Superfund. It is a precursor of ...
in the Bundesliga in 2004. He played 7 total games and was a substitute in
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
matches before moving to
Skoda Xanthi
Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues.
Founded in 1967, Xan ...
of
Superleague Greece
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
, where he played for 5 seasons. Gspurning was signed by
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
of
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 ...
in December 2011 and was their primary goalkeeper for two seasons, having the third-lowest
GAA of all MLS goalkeepers in his debut season.
Club career
Youth at Austria Wien and DSV Leoben
Michael Gspurning was born in
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
and began his career at age 19 after being part of the youth squads of
Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria (German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mos ...
by being promoted to the senior team in 2000, but did not make an official appearance for the senior team.
He joined third-tier
Regionalliga Mitte club
DSV Leoben
DSV Leoben is an Austrian association football club based in Leoben. It was founded in 1928. They play at the Donawitz Stadium.
History
WSV Donawitz
The club was founded on 1 February 1928 opgericht as ''Werkssportverein Donawitz'', playing i ...
in 2001 and became a regular starter for Leoben and appeared in 62 league matches over 3 seasons.
ASKÖ Pasching
Gspurning joined
ASKÖ Pasching
ASKÖ Pasching was an Austrian football club based in Pasching, Upper Austria. The club in its later stages was also known under the sponsorship derived names SV PlusCity Pasching and, from 2003 until its end, FC Superfund. It is a precursor of ...
in 2004 and was a back-up behind
Josef Schicklgruber, in the league with only 7 appearances over 3 seasons.
He was unused in the
2004–05 UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
as Pasching lost on
away goal
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
s to
Zenit St. Petersburg
Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in ...
after a 3–3
aggregate score
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
in the second qualifying round.
During the
2005–06 UEFA Cup
The 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th edition of the UEFA Cup, was won by Sevilla, beating Middlesbrough in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The ...
, Pasching lost on away goals to Zenit after a 3–3 aggregate score for the second consecutive year in the second qualifying round.
Gspurning was on the bench as the club qualified for the first round, but lost 3–0 to
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
.
Skoda Xanthi
Gspurning left Austria and signed with
Skoda Xanthi
Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues.
Founded in 1967, Xan ...
in 2007, competing with Croatian goalkeeper
Ivan Turina
Ivan Turina (3 October 1980 – 2 May 2013) was a Croatian footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Turina started his professional career with his youth club Dinamo Zagreb in 1998. Before ...
. He made his debut in a 3–0 loss to
Iraklis Thessaloniki
Gymnasticos Syllogos Iraklis ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής, en, Gymnastics Club Heracles), commonly referred to as Iraklis, is a Greek multi-sports club based in Thessaloniki. The club was founded in 1908 as "Mace ...
on 25 November 2007. Gspurning played four seasons with Skoda Xanthi and appeared in 89 league matches before leaving the club in 2011.
Seattle Sounders FC
![Michael Gspurning Sounders FC practice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Michael_Gspurning_Sounders_FC_practice.jpg)
Gspurning joined
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 ...
club
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
on 7 December 2011 as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
to become their starting goalkeeper, replacing retired
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
n veteran
Kasey Keller
Kasey C. Keller (born November 29, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played in Europe and the United States, as well as being the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. national team. He is a four-time FIFA World Cup partici ...
,
having been targeted since October by General Manager
Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer (born February 7, 1966) is an American businessman and majority owner of Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. He is also one of the minority owners of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, and a former minority o ...
.
He joined the training camp for his new club in Arizona on 30 January.
Gspurning made his Seattle debut during 2–1 win over
Santos Laguna
Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...
in a
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
quarterfinal fixture on 8 March 2012, having been delayed by an accident causing traffic.
During the return leg on 15 March the Sounders lost 6–1 and were eliminated from the Champions League on a 3–7 aggregate score.
Gspurning made his MLS league debut on 17 March in a 3–1 win over
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, conceding a strike from
Ryan Johnson that would later win MLS Goal of the Week.
The Sounders won 2–0 over
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
the following week and gave Gspurning his first MLS career shutout.
Gspurning was substituted at halftime of a May 2 game against the
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
because of an injury to his right hip.
He was replaced by
Bryan Meredith
Bryan Meredith (born August 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.
Early life
Raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Meredith attended top public program Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and achieved the ...
as the Sounders went on to win 2–0.
Gspurning returned on 6 June, after missing 6 MLS games and being replaced by Meredith and
Andrew Weber
Andrew Weber (born August 9, 1983) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Sporting Arizona FC.
Career
Youth and College
Weber played college soccer at the University of New Mexico where he holds UNM's career records for games ...
.
He trained through mid-July to return and started in goal during a 2–1 win over 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 ...
on 28 July.
Gspurning earned his first shutout since his injury against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 4–0 win in August,
lost in the
U.S. Open Cup Final against
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...
in a penalty shootout, having his save on
Paulo Nagamura
Paulo Roberto Corradi Nagamura (; born March 2, 1983) is a Brazilian former professional footballer and coach who most recently served as head coach of MLS club Houston Dynamo. He spent most of his playing career in MLS, where he won two MLS ...
re-taken after a 1–1 draw.
Gspurning played 2 matches in the
2012–13 Champions League
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
, winning 3–1 over
Caledonia AIA
Morvant Caledonia United (formerly known as Caledonia AIA) is a professional football team in Trinidad and Tobago's top-level TT Pro League. It is based in Morvant; its home stadium is Hasely Crawford Stadium.
History
The Caledonia AIA Football ...
in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
in late August,
and winning 3–2 over Honduran club
Marathón after earning a yellow card and conceding 4 penalties over the 2 games.
He earned an assist on
Fredy Montero
Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz (born 26 July 1987), known as Fredy Montero (, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. He is Seattle's all-time top scorer in official club co ...
's goal against the
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
on September 15 off of a punt,
and later started all four
MLS Cup Playoffs
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams qualif ...
games for the Sounders before they were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the LA Galaxy.
Gspurning finished 2012 with 21 regular season games, conceding 15 goals for a 0.73
GAA, the third lowest in MLS history.
In 2013 season, Gspurning continued to be the club's first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the season, making three consecutive clean sheets against Chivas USA, the New England Revolution and the Colorado Rapids. However, on 14 July Gspurning injured his arm in a match against the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
after
Steven Lenhart
Steven Lenhart (born August 28, 1986) is a former American soccer player.
Career
College and amateur
Lenhart grew up in Yorba Linda, California, and attended Esperanza High School. He attended Point Loma Nazarene University for one year befor ...
caught him with a late challenge, and was substituted as Seattle lost 1-0.
After missing three weeks, he made his return to training and stated the collision could have been "avoidable", although he refused to blame Lenhart. After being on the bench against Toronto two days earlier, Gspurning made his return in goal on 17 August, as Seattle lost 3-1 to the Houston Dynamo.
After conceding nine goals in two matches in early October, Gspurning was dropped for two matches in favour of
Marcus Hahnemann
Marcus Stephen Hahnemann (born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and ...
. In the last game of the season, Gspurning made his return in a 1-1 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
In the
MLS Cup Playoffs
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams qualif ...
, Gspurning featured in the first four matches, until he was sent off late in the
West Conference Knockout round, in a 2-0 win over Colorado Rapids. The club were eliminated from the MLS playoffs in the next round after failing to win either leg, losing 2-1 and 3-2 respectively, against the Portland Timbers. Gspurning was suspended for the first leg of the series, but returned for the second.
At the conclusion of 2013 season, the club declined options to re-sign Gspurning, marking the end of his time with the club.
PAOK
After leaving Seattle Sounders, Gspurning moved back to Greece by joining
PAOK on a six-month deal with an option for a two-year extension. However, Gspurning's career in Greece wasn't off with a good start when he was a second choice goalkeeper behind
Panagiotis Glykos and made one appearance in the last game of the season against
Levadiakos
Levadiakos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Λεβαδειακός) is a Greek professional football club that plays in the Super League Greece. Based in Livadeia, Greece, the club was promoted to the Alpha Ethniki, forerunner of the Super League, afte ...
, which they lost 3-2. After just one appearance, Gspurning left PAOK when the club decided not extend his contract.
Platanias
On 12 September 2014, Gspurning was the last transfer for the Greek side
Platanias
Platanias (Greek: Πλατανιάς) is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about west from the city of Chania and east of Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platania ...
, playing in the Super League. After the first half of the season, Gspurning left Platanias when the club decided not extend his contract.
FC Schalke & Reserves
On 1 February 2015, goalie Michael Gspurning has another new home. The 33-year-old has signed as an overage player with Schalke 04's U23 team where he's expected to be a mentor. On 1 July 2015, Michael Gspurning signed a one-year professional contract, as a result of his exceptional year with the reserves. ''""Michael Gspurning has given a good account of himself over the past six months, both on the occasions he trained with the first team and with the U23s, where his performances contributed significantly to the team staying in the Regionalliga," '' says Manager
Horst Heldt
Horst Heldt (born 9 December 1969) is a German football executive and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the former general manager of 1. FC Köln.
Playing career
Heldt was born in Königswinter. He played at 1. FC Köln from 199 ...
.
International career
Gspurning made his international debut for the
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team (german: Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußba ...
at the age of 27 in a
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
on 19 November 2008, playing 90 minutes in a 4–2 defeat at
Ernst-Happel-Stadion
Ernst-Happel-Stadion (), known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It wa ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Gspurning played his first
World Cup qualifier against
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
on 1 April 2009 in a 2–1 victory in
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
.
He played his most recent game against
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
on 6 June 2009 in a 1–0 loss in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
Gspurning has not received a call from the Austrian national team since 2009.
Style of play
''Sounder at Heart'' described Gspurning as "He's big, he's tall, he's nothing else like the man he replaced."
Personal life
Gspurning is married and lives with his wife, young daughter, and new born son.
He speaks
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
from playing in various leagues.
He was described as easygoing and a "jokester" by back-up goalkeeper
Bryan Meredith
Bryan Meredith (born August 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.
Early life
Raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Meredith attended top public program Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and achieved the ...
and was eager to join the Seattle Sounders.
He earned the nickname "
Cerberus
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the mo ...
" during his time at Greek club
Skoda Xanthi
Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues.
Founded in 1967, Xan ...
,
Media career
After his contract with PAOK expired in August 2014 and he became a free agent, Gspurning returned to Austria. He almost immediately picked up work as an
expert analyst and pundit for TV channels
Sky Austria and
Servus TV
ServusTV is a TV station based in Wals-Siezenheim in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg.
Its name is derived from the popular greeting servus common in many parts of Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. Together with the mag ...
, commentating on the
Austrian Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...
and the
International Champions Cup
The International Champions Cup (ICC) was an annual club association football exhibition competition. In 2020, it was abolished due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Format
The format has changed in each competition. Subsequent tournaments have had diffe ...
as well as the
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
respectively.
Career statistics
Club
International
International appearances
References
External links
*
Seattle Sounders FC bio*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gspurning, Michael
1981 births
Living people
Footballers from Graz
Association football goalkeepers
Austrian footballers
Austria international footballers
Austrian expatriate footballers
FK Austria Wien players
Xanthi F.C. players
Seattle Sounders FC players
PAOK FC players
FC Schalke 04 II players
1. FC Union Berlin players
Expatriate footballers in Greece
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Super League Greece players
Major League Soccer players
1. FC Union Berlin non-playing staff
Association football goalkeeping coaches