Rob Ryerson is a retired U.S. soccer

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played professionally, both indoor and outdoor soccer, for at least seven years. He last coached the

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's soccer The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's soccer team represents Mount St. Mary's University participating in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated w ...

program before it disbanded in 2012.

Player

Youth

Rob Ryerson, along with his brother

Rich Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense taste, flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling **Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated ...

, attended

Oakland Mills High School Oakland Mills High School was established in 1973 as one of the first high schools to serve the planned developed new U.S. town of Columbia, Maryland area, established by James Rouse and his Rouse Company in 1967 in Howard County, midway between ...

where he played for the school's boys soccer team. He was selected as the Howard County "Player of the Year". He was also a high school All-American his senior year. Ryerson played four seasons of collegiate soccer while attending the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

(UNLV). He was All Far West in 1983, 1984 and 1985. He was also the 1985 All Big West Player of the Year. He was a third team NSCAA All-American in 1984 and 1985 and a

Soccer America Magazine ''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the US, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California. History and profile The magazine was founded by Clay Be ...

first team All American in 1985. He holds the top two positions on the Big West season scoring record list with 21 goals (9 assists) in 1985 and 20 goals (7 assists) in 1984. He also scored 16 goals in 1983. He attained his degree and graduated from UNLV in 1988.

Professional

After leaving UNLV, Ryerson played the 1986 season with the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads we ...

of the

Western Soccer Alliance Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer All ...

. He was 5th on the alliance's goals list with six. In June 1986, the San Diego Sockers selected Ryerson in the first round of the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. He began the season on the Sockers' reserve team, but returned to UNLV to complete his undergraduate degree. Then in February 1987, he signed with the

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with t ...

. The Sockers contested it and the league nullified the contract and awarded Ryerson's rights to the Sockers only to have the Sockers immediately waive Ryerson who then signed with the Blast. He never played a first team game with Baltimore before being released in October 1987. In the summer of 1987, Ryerson signed with the independent

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor soccer, indoor home matches at the neigh ...

. In December 1987, Ryerson signed with the

Maryland Bays The Maryland Bays were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988.They were based in Catonsville, Maryland, and played their games at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. The team joined the Amer ...

of the American Soccer League. He was a 1988 ASL All Star and a member of the 1990 APSL championship Bays. In the fall of 1988, Ryerson signed with the

Fort Wayne Flames The Fort Wayne Flames were an indoor soccer club based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association, playing home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum from 1986–1989. History The team was foun ...

of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

under coach and former Blast teammate Dave MacKenzie. Ryerson appeared in the final 26 games of the season, scored 6 goals and added 5 assists for 11 points. In 1992, he played 1 game for a total of 6 minutes with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. In 1994, he played with the

Washington Warthogs The Washington Warthogs were a professional indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) from 1994 to 1997. They played their home games in the USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland, an arena they shared with the Washington Bulle ...

of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice Pr ...

. In 1996, he became an assistant coach with the Warthogs.

National team

In 1988, he played his only full international match with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ...

. He scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on June 14.

Coach

In May 1991, Ryerson became an assistant coach with

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral ...

. In 1993 and 1994, he served as an assistant with the

UNLV Rebels The UNLV Rebels are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision for college football) as a member of the Mountain West Co ...

soccer team. In 1995, he became the head coach of the

DeMatha High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Ca ...

boys' soccer team. He also served as an assistant coach with the

. In 1997, he became the head coach of the

Baton Rouge Bombers The Baton Rouge Bombers were an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Bombers played in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League during both of the league's seasons from 1997 to 1998. They played their home games in ...

of the

Eastern Indoor Soccer League The Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) was an American professional regional indoor soccer league. The league featured teams from the Southeastern United States. The regular seasons were played from May to August with post-season play in Septem ...

.''Ryerson to coach BR pro soccer team'' The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.) - Thursday, March 13, 1997 He led the Bombers to the championship game, losing to the Lafayette Swampcats, and earning Coach of the Year honors. The EISL only lasted two seasons, folding in 1998. Ryerson then began collegiate coaching. Ryerson is the head coach of

Mount Saint Mary's University Mount St. Mary's University (The Mount) is a private Roman Catholic university in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It includes the largest Catholic seminary in the United States. The undergraduate programs are divided between the College of Liberal Arts ...

soccer team since 2000. Ryerson was head coach of the 2004 Maryland Boys U/17 ODP. He was selected to the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and the school retired his jersey number (10). In 2006, he was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryerson, Rob Living people People from Laurel, Maryland Soccer players from Maryland American soccer coaches American soccer players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players American Professional Soccer League players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Continental Indoor Soccer League coaches Continental Indoor Soccer League players Eastern Indoor Soccer League coaches Fort Wayne Flames players Maryland Bays players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Nomads Soccer Club players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's soccer coaches United States men's international soccer players Washington Diplomats (1988–1990) players Washington Warthogs players Western Soccer Alliance players UNLV Rebels men's soccer players 1964 births Men's association football forwards