Mickey Kydes (born July 25, 1964 in

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

) is a retired American

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 professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League,

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

and

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 also spent three seasons in Greece and several in the semi-professional Cosmopolitan Soccer League.

Youth

Kydes played soccer at Norwalk High School from 1978 to 1981. He then attended

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

where he was a 1983 and 1985 third team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. He finished his career with 34 goals and 35 assists. He graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in marketing in 1986. Long Island University inducted Kydes into its Hall of Fame in 2005.

Professional

On June 7, 1986, the Dallas Sidekicks selected Kydes in the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. He played twenty-nine games with the Sidekicks as the team won the MISL championship before being released on July 2, 1987. That summer, he played for the U.S. soccer team at the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas c ...

. In 1988, he moved to Greece where he spent the three season playing for

Aris Thessaloniki F.C. Aris FC ( el, ΠΑΕ Άρης), commonly known as Aris Thessaloniki FC, AFC or simply Aris, is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Created in 1914 as ''Aris Thessaloniki Football Club'', th ...

of the Greek Alpha Ethniki, as well as

Beta Ethniki The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super Lea ...

clubs

Kallithea F.C. Athens Kallithea Football Club (, ''ΠΑΕ Άθενς Καλλιθέα'') is a Greek professional football club based in Kallithea, Athens, Greece, which competes in the Super League 2, the second tier of the Greek football league system. The clu ...

and

Eordaikos Eordaikos 2007 (Εορδαϊκός 2007) (former Ptolemaida-Lignitorikhi) is a football club based in Ptolemaida, Greece. History The club named Eordaikos 2007 is following the history of Eordaikos which is one of the better known football clu ...

. In 1990, he returned to the United States. He played 1991 and 1992 with

Greek American AA NY Greek American Atlas Astoria, commonly known as New York Greek American, is an American soccer team from New York City that currently plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League and in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club was formed in 194 ...

in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. In 1993, he was with the

Connecticut Wolves The Connecticut Wolves were an American soccer club that was founded by the Clifton Onolfo, the Onolfo Family, and several investors including Tony DiCicco. The Club's inaugural match was attended by 5,200 plus fans and competed in the United Socc ...

in the

. He returned to the CSL in 1994, this time with the

New York Pancyprian-Freedoms New York Pancyprian-Freedoms is an American amateur soccer team based in Astoria, New York, United States. Founded in 1974, the team plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League, a league at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The tea ...

. He returned to the USISL in 1995 with the New York Fever. On February 7, 1996, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars selected Kydes in the 11th round (109th) overall in the

1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before 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 State ...

. He played eleven games for the MetroStars during the first half of the season, then retired on June 16, 1996. In 1997, he returned to play two games for the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofst ...

of the

. He currently owns Mickey Kydes Soccer Enterprises, which provides professional coaching support and planning services to youth soccer clubs, and operates Mickey Kydes Soccer Camps and is president o
Beachside Soccer Club of CT
a premier soccer program for elite youth players. He coaches the u17s. Kydes started Beachside, which is non-profit, in 1994 and it has grown into one of the more successful clubs of its kind in the Northeastern U.S. In 2008, Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame inducted Kydes.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kydes, Mickey 1982 births Living people American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Greece Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Greek American AA players Athens Kallithea F.C. players Connecticut Wolves players Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds men's soccer players Long Island Rough Riders players New York Pancyprian-Freedoms players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players New York Fever players USISL players Cosmopolitan Soccer League players Soccer players from Connecticut American soccer players Men's association football midfielders Expatriate footballers in Greece Norwalk High School (Connecticut) alumni Sportspeople from Norwalk, Connecticut