Erik Bradley Imler (born June 1, 1971 in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, in practice it is an edge cit ...

) is an American soccer coach and former player. He won national championships while playing at the

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

before becoming part of the US team that competed at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

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. He is currently an assistant coach for

Stumptown AC Stumptown AC, formerly Stumptown Athletic, is an American professional soccer team that plays in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club is based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. History Following an init ...

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 ...

Youth and college

Imler grew up in Maryland, attending Bowie High School in

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous ...

. In 1989, his senior year, he was named a ''

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'' high school

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n soccer player. After high school, he attended the

where he played as a defender and defensive

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 ...

on the men's soccer team from 1989 to 1992. During his four season at Virginia, the Cavaliers took the NCAA title twice (1991 and 1992) and were co-champions once (1989). In 1992, he was the team captain as a senior. Imler was a two-time second-team All-American. While at Virginia, he majored in sports medicine. In 2000, ''SoccerAmerica'' magazine named Imler to its College Team of the Century.

Professional

In 1994, Imler played for the

Delaware Wizards The Delaware Wizards were a professional soccer club based in Wilmington and New Castle, Delaware. The team played their first game in 1993 and their last in 2000. They played in the USISL. They were considered DC United's farm team but ended ...

of USISL. In 1995, he moved to the Raleigh Flyers. In February 1996, D.C. United of

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 Cana ...

(MLS) drafted Imler in the third round (30th overall) in the

1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before 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 Sta ...

. He spent the 1996 season in central defense with United, playing in nineteen games as the team took both the 1996 MLS Cup and 1996 U.S. Open Cup titles. United released Imler in 1997 and he signed with the Worcester Wildfire of USISL. At the same time, he pursued a return to MLS and had a two-week try out with 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 ...

. On May 7, 1997, the Revs signed Imler as a Discovery Player after impressing the coaches during his trial. The Revs waived Imler on November 10, 1997. In 1998, he signed with the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

, but tore his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

during a pre-season game which led to his losing the entire 1998 season. In 1999, Imler played one game, twelve minutes total, for the

.Player register
The Battery then released him and he finished the season, and his career, with the Lehigh Valley Steam.

National and Olympic teams

Imler was a member of the U.S. team at the 1987 U-16 World Cup in Canada. He then went on to play with the U.S. U-20 national team, but was not a member of the team at any cups. In 1991, Imler was part of the U.S. gold winning soccer team at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

. He then continued to play for the U-23 national team leading up to the

. Imler started all six games as the U.S. qualified for the tournament. He was then named to the U.S. soccer team for the games. At the Olympics, the U.S. went 1-1-1 and did not qualify for the second round. On March 23, 1993, Imler earned his only

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with the U.S. national team in a 2-2 tie with

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. However, in the 43d minute, he tore ligaments in his right knee during the game and was replaced by Yari Allnutt who scored a goal. Imler never appeared again for the senior national team.

Coach

Since retiring from playing professionally, Imler has held several positions as a youth soccer coach. He was a Director of Coaching and team coach with Charlotte Soccer Academy in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. In May 2008, Imler became the head coach of the

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...

women's soccer coach. He took the team to a 17-3-3 record in his only season as head coach. He resigned on July 8, 2009. In September 2010, Imler became an assistant coach with the United States men's national under-17 soccer. In March 2021, he joined

side

as an assistant coach.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Imler, Erik 1971 births American soccer coaches American men's soccer players D.C. United players Delaware Wizards players Charleston Battery players Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Lehigh Valley Steam players Living people Major League Soccer players New England Revolution players Olympic soccer players for the United States Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in football Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Sportspeople from Bowie, Maryland Soccer players from Maryland Raleigh Express players United States men's international soccer players Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players Worcester Wildfire players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Men's association football defenders Footballers at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer coaches The Citadel Bulldogs men's soccer coaches Belmont Abbey Crusaders National Independent Soccer Association coaches College women's soccer coaches in the United States