Steve Ralston (born June 14, 1974) is an American retired
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 and manager who played as a
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 ...
. He spent most of his playing career in
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 ...
with the
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.
The ...
and the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
, retiring in 2010 as the league's all-time career leader in assists (135), appearances (378), starts (372), and minutes played (33,143). He also held the U.S. record for professional appearances (412) in 2010. He served as assistant manager at several teams, including the
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
and
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
, including a brief stint as the interim head coach at the Earthquakes in 2018.
Club career
Ralston was drafted 18th overall in the
1996 MLS College Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer College Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
History
As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at the s ...
by the
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.
The ...
out of
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...
, and proceeded to become the first MLS player to win the
Rookie of the Year Award
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
. Ralston played for the Mutiny for six years, leaving only after the team was contracted in 2002. He was Tampa Bay's all-time leader in games played (177) and points (130). he then joined the New England Revolution. In his first year with the Revolution, Ralston led the league in assists with 19. In thirteen years in the league, he scored 76 goals and had 135 assists in 378 regular season matches, and added three goals and five assists in 30 playoff matches. He also served as captain for several seasons with New England.
Soon after leaving New England, Ralston became the first ever signing of new
USSF Division 2
The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...
club
AC St. Louis
AC St. Louis was an American professional association football, soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF ...
. Ralston was one of the team's starting midfielders, and an assistant coach to head coach
Claude Anelka
Claude Anelka (born 12 March 1968) is a French football manager, who is currently the Director of Coaching at Little Haiti FC, and former player.
Early life
Anelka was born in Saint-Pierre, Martinique on 12 March 1968.
Playing career
Anelka pl ...
.
After
AC St. Louis
AC St. Louis was an American professional association football, soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF ...
ran in to financial difficulties, Ralston agreed to leave by mutual consent and immediately joined up with his former club
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
.
In Ralston's first appearance back with the New England Revolution, he suffered a left elbow dislocation. In July 2010, he announced his retirement.
International career
Ralston appeared for the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
36 times over an 11-year span and scored 4 international goals. His first cap came on January 17, 1997 against
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
. His last was for the squad that won the
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from ...
. He was never selected to a World Cup roster.
Ralston had a break out year for the [United States national team in 2005 by earning 15 caps. He scored the game-winning goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Mexico on September 3, 2005. The victory for the United States clinched qualification in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Due to a later injury, he was only listed as an alternate for the United States at the World Cup.
Coaching career
After his signing with
AC St. Louis
AC St. Louis was an American professional association football, soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF ...
was named as the new assistant coach of the club. In July 2010, Raltson took an assistant coaching job at the
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
with his former teammate
Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear (born July 26, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former player. On January 18, 2022, he was named an assistant coach by FC Cincinnati, his first coaching role since serving as the interim head coach of the LA Galaxy.
As a ...
from the
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.
The ...
. On January 6, 2015, the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
announced Ralston would join Kinnear in San Jose and once again serve as his assistant coach.
Quakes name Ralston, Russell, Hanley assistant coaches
/ref>
References
External links
*
Houston Dynamo staff profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralston, Steve
1974 births
Living people
American soccer players
Soccer players from St. Louis
FIU Panthers men's soccer players
United States men's international soccer players
CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players
Major League Soccer players
Major League Soccer All-Stars
Tampa Bay Mutiny players
New England Revolution players
AC St. Louis players
USSF Division 2 Professional League players
2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Tampa Bay Mutiny draft picks
Houston Dynamo FC non-playing staff
San Jose Earthquakes non-playing staff
Association football midfielders