Michael Novotny (born March 17, 1996) is an American professional

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 ...

player who plays 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 ...

for

Chicago House AC Chicago House Athletic Club is an American professional men's soccer club owned by Laurence Girard and led by CEO Peter Wilt. The club is based in Chicago, Illinois. They began play in August 2021, competing in the National Independent Soccer ...

in the

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

Career

College

Novotny played four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

between 2014 and 2017, where he made 65 appearances for the Panthers. During his time at Eastern Illinois, Novotny earned accolades such as Second Team All-Summit League in 2015 and 2016, and First Team All-Summit League and Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017.

AFC Ann Arbor

Following college, Novotny played with

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

side

AFC Ann Arbor AFC Ann Arbor is an American soccer club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that currently plays in USL League Two. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2016 to 2019. History AFC Ann Arbor was started by a group of Ann Arbor ...

, where he made 8 regular season appearances, keeping 6 clean sheets to help the club to top the Great Lakes Conference. At the conclusion of the season, Novotny was named the club's Most Valuable Defensive Player for 2018.

Stöde IF

Novotny moved to Swedish third division side Stöde IF in August 2018 for the remainder of their season.

Hartford Athletic

In January 2019, Novotny joined

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

side

Hartford Athletic Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut. History On June 8, 2021, Ha ...

ahead of their inaugural season. He didn't make an appearance for the club during 2019, but renewed his contract to return to the club for 2020. He made his debut on September 26, 2020, appearing as a 73rd-minute substitute during a 1–0 win over

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

following Parfait Mandanda's sending off. He got his first start with team four days later in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia Union II, saving a penalty kick in the 78th minute.

Chicago House AC

On June 4, 2021, it was announced that Novotny had signed with first-year

team

, becoming the first goalkeeper signed by the club.

References

External links

Eastern Illinois University bioHartford Athletic bioUSL Championship bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novotny, Mike Living people 1996 births AFC Ann Arbor players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden American men's soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers Eastern Illinois Panthers men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Hartford Athletic players National Premier Soccer League players People from St. Charles, Illinois Soccer players from Illinois USL Championship players