Michael Burke (soccer player)
Encyclopedia
Michael Burke American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soccer player who retired last year. Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers
The Richmond Kickers are an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...

 in the third divisionUSL Pro
USL Pro
The USL Professional Division, commonly known as USL Pro , is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011....

 league.

College and Amateur

Burke attended Loyola University Maryland, playing two seasons of college soccer. In 1997, he left college early to pursue a professional career, spending time training with Deportivo Cali
Deportivo Cali
Asociación Deportivo Cali is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, Colombia. Mostly known for its football team, it also sponsors basketball, volleyball and swimming...

 in Colombia and Nottingham Forest in England.

Professional

Burke began his professional career in 1998 when he signed with the Jacksonville Cyclones
Jacksonville Cyclones
The Jacksonville Cyclones are a now-defunct USL A-League soccer team, based in Jacksonville, Florida, that formed in 1995. The team folded in 1999 shortly after the death of their manager Dennis Viollet, the former Manchester United and England striker....

 of the A-league
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...

. Late in the season, Michael Burke asked to be released to pursue other teams. After Burke sat out for a week of training, the club agreed to trade him to the Charleston Battery
Charleston Battery
Charleston Battery is an American professional soccer team based in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....

 and Burke was named the 1998 USL A-League Rookie of the Year.

Burke was drafted in the fourth round (41st overall) in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft
2000 MLS SuperDraft
The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:...

 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...

. He played seven games for United before being released on June 2, 2000. He then signed with the Dallas Burn on June 15, and played two games in Dallas before being released on June 30.

Burke signed with the Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers
The Richmond Kickers are an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...

 the next day and has remained with that team since then, playing over 200 games and scoring over 25 goals during his tenure. Burke earned Supporter’s Choice MVP honors in 2005,2006,2007,2008, and 2009. He garnered the MVP award of the USL2 Championship game in 2006, was the USL2 Most Valuable Player and was named Kickers' captain in 2007, was a USL-2 MVP Finalist in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and All-League First Team midfielder in 2006-09, and led the Kickers to his second USL2 championship in 2009.

Burke signed a contract on January 12, 2011 to serve as both player and assistant coach for Richmond, now playing in the third division USL Pro
USL Pro
The USL Professional Division, commonly known as USL Pro , is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011....

 league.

Honors

  • 1998 USL 1 Rookie of the Year
  • 1999 Charleston Battery Supporters Choice MVP
  • 2005 USL 1 Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP
  • 2006 USL 2 Champion, USL 2 MVP Finalist, USL All League First Team, Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP, Richmond Kickers Players Choice MVP, USL 2 Championship Game MVP
  • 2007 USL 2 MVP Finalist, USL 2 All League First Team, Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP, USL 2 Assist Leader
  • 2008 USL 2 MVP, USL 2 All League First team, USL 2 Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP, USL 2 Richmond Kickers Players Choice MVP, USL 2 Assist Leader
  • 2009 USL 2 Champion, USL 2 All League First Team, Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP
  • 2010 USL 2 Finalist, USL 2 All Leeague 2nd Team, Richmond Kickers Supporters Choice MVP (6 time in a row)

External links

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