Mike Slivinski (born October 31, 1974) is a former U.S.

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.

Youth and college

Slivinski, a native of

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, ...

, grew up immersed in that city's soccer culture. Beginning playing when he was five, Slivinski became a member of the Scott Gallagher soccer club. Slivinski attended Francis Howell North High School where he was the 1992–1993 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Missouri. Slivinski attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

where he was a member of the men's soccer team from 1993 to 1996. A forward with blazing speed and electrifying creativity, Slivinski's college career was shattered when he suffered a torn ACL. Though he recovered from the injury after a year's hiatus, he was never the same. In 1994, Slivinski was unable to play for the Cavaliers as he was academically ineligible.
/sup> He received an academic suspension for the 1994 season and was not in school that semester.

Professional career

On March 14, 1998

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

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 ...

(MLS) signed Slivinski as a discovery player. That season he saw time in nineteen games, but had difficulty finding playing time the next two seasons. As a result, United loaned him to MLS Pro-40,

Hampton Roads Mariners Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

Northern Virginia Royals Northern Virginia FC (formerly Northern Virginia Royals and Evergreen FC) is an American soccer club from Leesburg, Virginia competing in USL League Two, USL W League, Eastern Premier Soccer League and the Major Arena Soccer League 3. The club ...

Maryland Mania Maryland Mania was a soccer club based in Baltimore Maryland that competed in the A-League for one year, in 1999. The Mania's original home was UMBC Stadium in Catonsville, but they club relocated to Anne Arundel Community College midway through ...

and

San Diego Flash San Diego Flash was an American soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1998, the team returned to competitive play in 2011 and most recently played in the Southern Conference of the West Division of the National P ...

. United waived him on June 30, 2000, after he played only two games that season. Slivinski signed with the

Milwaukee Rampage The Milwaukee Rampage are a former defunct professional American soccer team, that was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which played in the A-League. History Founded in 1993 by Milwaukee area businessmen Dan Doucette and Jim Hock, the Rampage play ...

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

for the 2001 season. He played eight games and scored one goal.

National team

Slivinski was selected for the U.S. team at the

1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the fourth edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Florence, Montecatini Terme, Viareggio, Massa, Carrara, and Livorno in Italy between 16 August and 31 August 1991. Players born after 1 August 1 ...

. The U.S. went 3–0 in the first round, but fell to Qatar in

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

s in the second round. Slivinski earned one cap with the U.S. national team. On September 14, 1991, he started in a 1–0 victory over

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. He was 16 years and 10 months old, a record for the youngest player capped by the U.S., a record since eclipsed by Freddy Adu.

References

External links

Slivinski profile

American Futbol Academy – St. Peters, Mo.
(Mike Slivinski, President and Technical Director) {{DEFAULTSORT:Slivinski, Mike 1974 births Living people Soccer players from St. Louis United States men's international soccer players Milwaukee Rampage players San Diego Flash players Virginia Beach Mariners players Major League Soccer players D.C. United players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players American men's soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players United States men's youth international soccer players MLS Pro-40 players Northern Virginia FC players Maryland Mania players Men's association football midfielders