Danny Szetela
Encyclopedia
Daniel "Danny" Szetela is a former American
soccer player.
Bradenton Academy, graduating in May 2004. He then signed with Major League Soccer
. His desire to play for his hometown club, the MetroStars
, went unfulfilled. Because he signed with MLS after the annual draft had taken place, his rights were made available to teams in a weighted lottery, with Columbus Crew ending up with his rights. Joining in mid-season, Szetela appeared in eight regular season and two playoff games, while recording a solitary assist. In 2005, Szetela struggled to get on the field with the Crew. During 2006, he was beset by injury troubles and only saw four games for Columbus.
On August 31, 2007, Szetela was signed by Racing de Santander
, in the Spanish Primera División
. Szetela made his official debut with the Spanish club on November 14, in a scoreless draw against Málaga CF
in the Copa del Rey
. On January 29, 2008, Szetela was loaned out to Serie B
side Brescia Calcio
until June 30, 2008, with the option to purchase at the end. Szetela made his debut for Brescia Calcio
on February 9, playing the last five minutes in a 4-2 comeback victory and made ten appearances total in Serie B
.
Szetela extended his loan to Brescia Calcio
through June 2009 on July 18, 2008. He scored his first goal for Brescia, his first professional goal in league play, on October 18, 2008, against Triestina. He returned to Spain
on July 13, 2009. However, the Spanish side decided against renewing his contract.
Szetela opted not to continue a career in Europe and returned to the States and signed a contract with Major League Soccer
. His contract was picked up by D.C. United
, who were second in the allocation placements to sign returning U.S. international players.
On 20 March 2010 D.C. United released the midfielder who is now a free agent.
. The second-youngest player on the United States
roster, he started all four American games, scoring two goals. In 2005, he was called up to the U.S. U-20 national team
for the 2005 2005 World Youth Championship
in the Netherlands
. He played two games in that tournament. On June 30, 2007, Szetela scored the opening goal in the United States' match against South Korea in the U-20 World Cup
. Three days later he recorded two goals in a winning effort over Poland
, the country of both his parents.
Szetela made his debut for the USA
on October 17, 2007, as a late-match substitute against Switzerland
, and set up Michael Bradley
's game-winning goal. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the national team, and provided their first win over Switzerland in seven matches. For a while, Szetela, who has a Polish passport and speaks Polish, was hesitating, as his parents wanted him to play for Poland. However, after former coach of Polish national team, Pawel Janas
, stated publicly that "in Poland we have 200 players like Szetela," he decided to play for the U.S. In July 2008, Szetela was named to the U.S. team that competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
who has chosen to play for the Italy national football team
.
Szetela, along with his two brothers, was arrested on February 11, 2011 after been involved in a bar room brawl in Boonton, New Jersey
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player.
Club
In 2002, Szetela entered USSF'sUnited States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
Bradenton Academy, graduating in May 2004. He then signed with Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. His desire to play for his hometown club, the MetroStars
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...
, went unfulfilled. Because he signed with MLS after the annual draft had taken place, his rights were made available to teams in a weighted lottery, with Columbus Crew ending up with his rights. Joining in mid-season, Szetela appeared in eight regular season and two playoff games, while recording a solitary assist. In 2005, Szetela struggled to get on the field with the Crew. During 2006, he was beset by injury troubles and only saw four games for Columbus.
On August 31, 2007, Szetela was signed by Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
, in the Spanish Primera División
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. Szetela made his official debut with the Spanish club on November 14, in a scoreless draw against Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
. On January 29, 2008, Szetela was loaned out to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
side Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
until June 30, 2008, with the option to purchase at the end. Szetela made his debut for Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
on February 9, playing the last five minutes in a 4-2 comeback victory and made ten appearances total in Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
.
Szetela extended his loan to Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
through June 2009 on July 18, 2008. He scored his first goal for Brescia, his first professional goal in league play, on October 18, 2008, against Triestina. He returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on July 13, 2009. However, the Spanish side decided against renewing his contract.
Szetela opted not to continue a career in Europe and returned to the States and signed a contract with Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. His contract was picked up by D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, who were second in the allocation placements to sign returning U.S. international players.
On 20 March 2010 D.C. United released the midfielder who is now a free agent.
International
In 2003, Szetela burst onto the world's stage during the Under-17 World Cup in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The second-youngest player on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
roster, he started all four American games, scoring two goals. In 2005, he was called up to the U.S. U-20 national team
United States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 soccer team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.The...
for the 2005 2005 World Youth Championship
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He played two games in that tournament. On June 30, 2007, Szetela scored the opening goal in the United States' match against South Korea in the U-20 World Cup
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth...
. Three days later he recorded two goals in a winning effort over Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, the country of both his parents.
Szetela made his debut for the USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
on October 17, 2007, as a late-match substitute against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, and set up Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley (soccer)
Michael Bradley is an American soccer player who currently plays as a central midfielder for Chievo Verona in Serie A and the United States national team, which was formerly coached by his father Bob Bradley.-Early life:...
's game-winning goal. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the national team, and provided their first win over Switzerland in seven matches. For a while, Szetela, who has a Polish passport and speaks Polish, was hesitating, as his parents wanted him to play for Poland. However, after former coach of Polish national team, Pawel Janas
Pawel Janas
-Club:He began his playing career for the Włókniarz Pabianice team in 1965, but later left the club in 1973.-National team:From 1976 to 1984, he won 53 international caps for Poland...
, stated publicly that "in Poland we have 200 players like Szetela," he decided to play for the U.S. In July 2008, Szetela was named to the U.S. team that competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Personal
Szetela's early career was marked by adversity, including losing his father, and moving far from home at a young age. Also, Szetela was childhood friends with Giuseppe RossiGiuseppe Rossi
Giuseppe Rossi is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Villarreal CF and the Italian national team.- Early life :...
who has chosen to play for the Italy national football team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
.
Szetela, along with his two brothers, was arrested on February 11, 2011 after been involved in a bar room brawl in Boonton, New Jersey
Boonton, New Jersey
Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey that was chartered in 1867. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 8,347. The town was originally called "Boone-Towne" in 1761 in honor of the Colonial Governor Thomas Boone....
.