Steve Klein (soccer)


Steve Klein is an American soccer coach and former professional player, who spent one season in Major League Soccer and eleven in the USL First Division and its predecessors. On January 20, 2010, he was ranked 24th in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.

Player

Youth

Klein was born in Evansville, Indiana, and attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he started all four years and earned first team All-American honors his senior year. He is still BGSU's all-time leading point scorer with 45 assists and 37 goals. His play led BGSU to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Championships in both his junior and senior years. In 2006, Klein was inducted in the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional

Klein was drafted by the New England Revolution in the third round of the 1997 MLS College Draft but saw limited action due to injury. During the season, he played six games on loan to the Worcester Wildfire. In 1998, he spent the season with the Nashville Metros. In 1999, he moved to the Hershey Wildcats for two seasons. On December 19, 2001, he signed with the Charleston Battery, where he played for three seasons.
In 2005, Klein made the cross-country move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he started 26 of 27 games and was second on the team in scoring with 18 pts. He earned first team USL for his efforts. In the 2006 campaign, he moved into a more defensive midfield role, starting all games eligible and leading the team in minutes played during the regular season. While not producing the scoring totals of 2005, his hard work in the trenches earned him second team USL honors. He helped the Whitecaps win their first USL First Division championship by beating the Rochester Raging Rhinos 3–0.

Coaching career

In 2008, Klein was the head coach of the now-defunct Lancaster Inferno in the National Premier Soccer League.

Honors

Charleston Battery