Jonny Steele

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For the Scottish footballer and manager, see Johnny Steele.
Jonny Steele
Jonny Steele
Personal information
Full name Jonathan Steele
Date of birth (1986-02-07) 7 February 1986 (age 27)
Place of birth Larne, Northern Ireland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club New York Red Bulls
Number 22
Youth career
2002–2004 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2004 Syracuse Salty Dogs 9 (1)
2004–2005 Kansas City Comets (indoor) 13 (8)
2005–2006 Rochester Raging Rhinos 18 (1)
2005–2007 Baltimore Blast (indoor) 39 (13)
2006 Ballymena United 5 (0)
2007 Carolina RailHawks 19 (0)
2007–2008 Philadelphia KiXX (indoor) 17 (7)
2008–2009 Puerto Rico Islanders 49 (6)
2010 Vancouver Whitecaps 13 (0)
2010–2011 FC Tampa Bay 10 (1)
2011 → Carolina RailHawks (loan) 22 (0)
2011 Syracuse Silver Knights (indoor) 1 (0)
2012 Real Salt Lake 28 (2)
2013– New York Red Bulls 9 (1)
National team‡
2005–2006 Northern Ireland U19
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:06, 28 April 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 6, 2012

Jonathan "Jonny" Steele (born 7 February 1986 in Larne) is an active Northern Irish footballer who plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Steele was raised in a Catholic family along with three brothers in the predominantly Protestant town of Larne, about 25 miles outside of Belfast. Steele often experienced religious violence and persecution resulting from The Troubles, including being attacked outside of a video rental store. Because of this violence, Steele's mother pleaded with him to leave home and the best opportunity to play football came from Wolverhampton Wanderers. After two years of not being able to make a break through with Wolverhampton, Steele was released after the 2002-2003 season. At the age of 18, he then decided to try to earn a contract elsewhere in Europe or with Major League Soccer of the United States of America instead of returning home to Northern Ireland.[1]

Club [edit]

England [edit]

Steele started his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England between 2002-2004. Although he featured for the youth and reserve sides, never played a game for the senior team.[2]

United States [edit]

Steele came to the United States in 2003, for an ultimately unsuccessful trial with the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer. Instead, he signed with the Syracuse Salty Dogs of the USL First Division in 2004.[3] and that fall, he joined the Kansas City Comets of Major Indoor Soccer League.[4] He played thirteen games before the Comets placed him on the inactive roster to allow him to compete with the Northern Ireland U-19 national team.[5] He returned to the United States in 2005 and spent the summer with the Rochester Rhinos.[6] As the Comets had folded at the end of the 2004-2005 season, the Baltimore Blast selected Steele with the 26th pick in the Dispersal Draft.[2]

Return Home [edit]

Steele warming up with the RailHawks in 2007

He returned home to Northern Ireland in August 2005 and had a short spell with Irish League side Ballymena United, before returning to America when his short-term contract expired.[2]

Return to the United States [edit]

He won the 2006 MISL Championship with the Blast, and played for the Rhinos again in the summer of 2006.[7] In the spring of 2007, he signed with the expansion Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division. He was also the first pick of the expansion Orlando Sharks in the 2007 MISL Expansion Draft,[8] but was traded to the Philadelphia KiXX in exchange for Gaston Pernia.[9] Steele played seventeen games with the KiXX during the 2007-2008 MISL season, missing part of the season with a foot injury.[10]

In the spring of 2008, he moved to the Puerto Rico Islanders of USL-1. He was a key part of a team which took the USL-1 championship and was named the 2008 USL-1 MVP.[11]

On 23 December 2009, Steele signed a one year contract with Vancouver Whitecaps.[12] Steele, along with Whitecaps teammate Ricardo Sánchez, was transferred to league rivals FC Tampa Bay on 21 July 2010.[13]

Carolina RailHawks, now in the second division North American Soccer League, re-acquired Steele on a season-long loan from FC Tampa Bay on 24 February 2011.[14]

Steele signed with Syracuse Silver Knights of Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011-12 indoor season on 23 September 2011.[15] He was released from the team mid-season.[16]

Major League Soccer [edit]

On 23 February 2012 Steele tweeted that he had joined Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer,[17] a club from which he spurned a contract offer two years earlier in favor of joining the Vancouver Whitecaps.[18] The signing was official on February 24, 2012.[19] During his first season with the club, Steele made 28 appearances, including 11 starts, tallying two assists and scoring two goals[20] including a stoppage-time game winner against Toronto FC on April 28, 2012.[21]

Steele's option was declined by Salt Lake on December 3, 2012 as part of a salary cap issue, along with the trade and release of six other players, including starters Jamison Olave, Fabian Espindola, and Will Johnson.[19]

After being released by RSL, Steele trained with Cliftonville F.C. of the IFA Premiership and was reportedly days away from signing for an unnamed League 2 club before being contacted by New York Red Bull's head coach Mike Petke.[22] Steele signed with the Major League Soccer club on February 20, 2013 and solidified his spot in the starting line-up.[22][23] Steele scored his first goal for the Red Bulls on April 20, 2013 in a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution. In the same match, Steele tallied his second assist of the season on a goal by Thiery Henry.[24]

International [edit]

Steele represented Northern Ireland from the Under-15 to the Under-19 level but has never appeared for the senior side. In 2001, he was part of the Under-16 side that competed in the Victory Shield tournament against the other British nations. Steele earned three caps for the Under-19 side in the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship against Germany, Serbia and Montenegro, and Greece in Group A. The tournament was held in his native Northern Ireland but the hosts did not advance past the group stage.[2] Steele was also a member of the U19 squad that competed in the 2005 Milk Cup and scored a goal against the United States during a 4-2 loss in the final.[22]

In April 2013, following Steele's impressive performances with New York, Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill stated that he was monitoring Steele's progress and that he could receive his first call up as early as the next squad selection.[25]

Honors [edit]

Puerto Rico Islanders [edit]

Individual [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Fuller, Marcus (February 14, 2005). "Man of Steele:Comets midfielder's character was forged in midst of religious strife of Northern Ireland". Kansas City Star. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Jonathan Steele Profile". Vancouver Whitecaps. Retrieved 7 November 2012. 
  3. ^ 2004 Syracuse Salty Dogs
  4. ^ 2004-2005 MISL Stats
  5. ^ MAJOR INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE FINAL OFFICIAL REPORT - 2004-2005
  6. ^ 2005 Rochester Rhinos
  7. ^ 2006 Rochester Rhinos
  8. ^ Orlando Sharks Draft League Standouts
  9. ^ SHARKS TRADE FOR ALL-STAR DEFENDER GASTON PERNIA
  10. ^ MAJOR INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE DAILY REPORT
  11. ^ Top USL-1 honors announced
  12. ^ Whitecaps Sign Jonny Steele And Greg Janicki
  13. ^ http://www.fctampabay.com/article/rowdies-acquire-whitecaps-fc-midfielders
  14. ^ "Jonny Steele Returns to Railhawks". Our Sports Central. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  15. ^ "Steele Signed By Silver Knights". Major Indoor Soccer League. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  16. ^ "Silver Knights Transactions". Major Indoor Soccer League. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  17. ^ http://twitter.com/#!/jonnysteele22[not in citation given]
  18. ^ Lewis, Michael (March 8, 2012). "Real Salt Lake: Jonny Steele has traveled a long road to". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  19. ^ a b "RSL declines contract options on 4 players". Real Salt Lake. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  20. ^ "Jonny Steele Profile". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 8 November 2012. 
  21. ^ "Recap: Late RSL goal condemns TFC to 7th straight loss". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 8 November 2012. 
  22. ^ a b c Foster, Nial. "Jonny Steele in the limelight in Major League Soccer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  23. ^ "Red Bulls Sign Midfielder Jonny Steele". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved 24 April 2013. 
  24. ^ Panizo, Franco. "New York Red Bulls 4, New England Revolution 1 | MLS match recap". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 21 April 2013. 
  25. ^ "NI manager Michael O'Neill aware of Jonny Steele's progress". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 April 2013. 

External links [edit]

New York Red Bulls – current squad
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