Stephen Armstrong (born 23 July 1976 in Birkenhead) is an English-born South African former footballer who spent the majority of his career with clubs in the United States.

Career

College and amateur

Armstrong was born in Birkenhead, England and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He came to the United States to attend Butler University in Indiana and finished as the school's third all-time leading scorer with 43 goals and 16 assists. During his college career Armstrong also played for the Mid-Michigan Bucks in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

Professional

Armstrong was selected in the second round – 13th overall – of the

2000 MLS SuperDraft The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds. One of the most successful draft picks was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a third round pick, who went on to hold the record ...

by D.C. United but he decided to begin his professional career in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

with Västra Frölunda instead before moving to English First Division side Watford on a free transfer in October 2000. He made three appearances for the club, all as a substitute, before being released at the end of the 2000–01 season. He eventually returned to play for D.C. United, sixteen-months after the draft. Armstrong was traded to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

for

Brandon Prideaux Brandon Prideaux (born August 18, 1976 in Seattle, Washington) is a former American professional soccer player, currently an assistant coach for the men's soccer team at the University of Washington. Prideaux spent virtually his entire professi ...

on 11 January 2002. He spent two years with the Wizards, appearing in regular season and playoff each year. Armstrong missed the 2004

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 ...

season while recovering from ACL surgery on his right knee. He joined the Columbus Crew in 2005. At the beginning of the 2006 season Armstrong signed with

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

club Charleston Battery, where he would spend the remainder of his outdoor career, and served as an assistant coach during his final season with the club. Armstrong continues to live the Charleston area, and is currently the broadcast color commentator for the Battery.

Honors

Charleston Battery

* USL Second Division Champions (1):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

* USL Second Division Regular Season Champions (1):

Personal

*2006–2007 MISL Rookie of the Year

References

External links

Charleston Battery bio
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Stephen 1976 births Living people People from Birkenhead Butler Bulldogs men's soccer players Charleston Battery players Chicago Storm (MISL) players Columbus Crew players D.C. United players Expatriate soccer players in the United States English footballers English people of Scottish descent English sportspeople of South African descent Association football forwards Major League Soccer players Flint City Bucks players Naturalised citizens of South Africa South African soccer players South African people of English descent South African people of Scottish descent Sporting Kansas City players English Football League players USL First Division players USL League Two players USL Second Division players USL Championship players Västra Frölunda IF players Watford F.C. players White South African people D.C. United draft picks English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English expatriate footballers Allsvenskan players