Jonny Steele
Encyclopedia
Jonathan "Jonny" Steele (born February 7, 1986 in Larne
) is a Northern Irish
footballer currently playing for Carolina RailHawks in the North American Soccer League, on loan from FC Tampa Bay. He is also signed to Syracuse Silver Knights of Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011-12 indoor season.
, but never played a senior game for the side, and 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 and that fall, he joined the Kansas City Comets
of Major Indoor Soccer League
. 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.
He returned to the United States in 2005 and spent the summer with the Rochester Rhinos. 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.
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. He won the 2006 MISL Championship with the Blast, and played for the Rhinos again in the summer of 2006. 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, but was traded to the Philadelphia KiXX
in exchange for Gaston Pernia. Steele played seventeen games with the KiXX during the 2007-2008 MISL season, missing part of the season with a foot injury.
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.
On December 23, 2009, Steele signed a one year contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Steele, along with Whitecaps team mate Ricardo Sánchez
, was transferred to league rivals FC Tampa Bay on 21 July 2010.
The Carolina RailHawks, now in the second division North American Soccer League
, re-acquired Steele on a season-long loan from FC Tampa Bay on February 24, 2011.
Steele signed with Syracuse Silver Knights of Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011-12 indoor season on September 23, 2011.
national team, but has never made an appearance for the senior side.
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
) is a Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
footballer currently playing for Carolina RailHawks in the North American Soccer League, on loan from FC Tampa Bay. He is also signed to Syracuse Silver Knights of Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011-12 indoor season.
Club
Steele started his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in EnglandFootball in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
, but never played a senior game for the side, and came to the United States in 2003, for an (ultimately unsuccessful) trial with the Dallas Burn of 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...
. Instead, he signed with the Syracuse Salty Dogs
Syracuse Salty Dogs
The Syracuse Salty Dogs were a professional men's soccer team based in Syracuse, New York. The club were a member of the USL A-League, playing only two seasons from 2003-2004. The club was owned and operated by the Syracuse Pro Sports Group and played most home games at P&C Stadium...
of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
in 2004 and that fall, he joined the Kansas City Comets
Kansas City Comets
The Kansas City Comets were a professional indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979–1991, when they folded...
of Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008)
The Major Indoor Soccer League was the top professional indoor soccer league in the USA. The league was a member of both the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA. The MISL had replaced the NPSL which folded in 2001. According to MISL.net, the league has ceased operations as of May 31, 2008...
. 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.
He returned to the United States in 2005 and spent the summer with the Rochester Rhinos. As the Comets had folded at the end of the 2004-2005 season, the Baltimore Blast
Baltimore Blast (current)
Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Founded in 1992, the team plays in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
selected Steele with the 26th pick in the Dispersal Draft.
He returned home to Northern Ireland in August 2005 and had a short spell with Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
side Ballymena United, before returning to America when his short-term contract expired. He won the 2006 MISL Championship with the Blast, and played for the Rhinos again in the summer of 2006. In the spring of 2007, he signed with the expansion Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
. He was also the first pick of the expansion Orlando Sharks
Orlando Sharks
The Orlando Sharks were an American indoor soccer was based in Orlando, Florida, USA. Founded in 2007, the team played in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
in the 2007 MISL Expansion Draft, but was traded to the Philadelphia KiXX
Philadelphia KiXX
The Philadelphia KiXX were a professional indoor soccer team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1995 as an NPSL expansion franchise, they played in the Major Indoor Soccer League.The team colors were red, black, white, and blue...
in exchange for Gaston Pernia. Steele played seventeen games with the KiXX during the 2007-2008 MISL season, missing part of the season with a foot injury.
In the spring of 2008, he moved to the Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
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.
On December 23, 2009, Steele signed a one year contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Steele, along with Whitecaps team mate Ricardo Sánchez
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...
, was transferred to league rivals FC Tampa Bay on 21 July 2010.
The Carolina RailHawks, now in the second division North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League (2010)
The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...
, re-acquired Steele on a season-long loan from FC Tampa Bay on February 24, 2011.
Steele signed with Syracuse Silver Knights of Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011-12 indoor season on September 23, 2011.
International
Steele was a member of the Northern Ireland U-19Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
national team, but has never made an appearance for the senior side.
Puerto Rico Islanders
- Commissioner's CupUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
Winners (1): 2008United Soccer Leagues 2008The 2008 Season is the 22nd edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.The season kicked off on Friday, April 12 with two First Division games, as the Charleston Battery visited Miami FC and the Montreal Impact visited the Vancouver Whitecaps.-General:...