Michael Windischmann (born December 6, 1965, in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

) is an American retired soccer defender who played in both the Major Indoor Soccer League and the American Soccer League. He earned fifty

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 Ja ...

with the U.S. national team and was the captain of the U.S. team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Youth

Although born in Germany, Windischmann's family moved to the United States when he was an infant. He attended Thomas Edison High School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He began playing soccer when he was six years old and developed as a player, not in the school system, but playing for local New York City clubs. These included Blau-Weiss Gottschee, S.C. Gjoa and Queens United. He played college soccer at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

. In 1986, Adelphi University inducted Windischmann into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional

After graduating from

/sup> in 1986, Windischmann chose an alternate career from most of his peers. At the time, the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) was the destination of choice for collegiate soccer players. Windischmann decided instead to play for the Brooklyn Italians of Cosmopolitan Soccer League, New York City's Cosmopolitan League. He played two seasons with the Italians before joining the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Strings of ...

of MISL. His single season with the Lazers ran the 1988 to 1989 season when the team folded at the end of the season. Windischmann then moved to the

Albany Capitals The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League. The club played in Albany, New York. Afte ...

of the American Soccer League for another single season. At the end of the 1990 season, Windischmann retired from professional soccer.

National team

Windischmann played for the U.S. at the U-16 World Cup. Windischmann earned his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

with the senior national team in 1984. He also played for the U.S. at the 1985 World University Games. Two years later, in 1987, he again played at the World University Games. That year, he was also on the U.S. team at the 1987 Pan American Games. The U.S. went 1-1-1 and did not make the second round. The three years of 1988 to 1990 saw his international career reach its height. It began with the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

where Windischmann was a member of the U.S. team. Windischmann considers one of his all-time career highlights, scoring a goal in a 1–1 tie with

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Despite this excellent result, the U.S. finished the first round at 1-1-1 and did not qualify for the second round. Windischmann saw more personal success the next year when he was chosen as the 1989 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He was also named as the captain for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification games. Windischmann's greatest achievement came when he captained the U.S. team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This was the first time the U.S. had made it to the World Cup since 1950. By the time Windischmann retired in 1990, he held the national-team record for the most consecutive games played (36) and started (33). Windischmann also played for the U.S. at the 1989 and 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championship which finished third and second respectively. He earned 24

and scored 4 goals for the

United States national futsal team The United States national futsal team represents the United States at international competitions. It is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and affiliated with CONCACAF. The U.S. Futsal Federation was founded in 1981 and the first ...

between 1986 and 1992. In 2004, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Coaching

He currently teaches and coaches at the Susan B. Anthony Academy, New York.

References

External links

*
USSoccerPlayers.com bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Windischmann, Mike 1965 births Living people 1990 FIFA World Cup players Adelphi University alumni Adelphi Panthers men's soccer players Albany Capitals players American men's futsal players American soccer players American Professional Soccer League players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Blau-Weiss Gottschee players Brooklyn Italians players Footballers at the 1988 Summer Olympics German emigrants to the United States Footballers from Nuremberg Los Angeles Lazers players National Soccer Hall of Fame members Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Olympic soccer players of the United States Footballers at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for the United States United States men's international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Association football defenders