Mike Mekelburg is a retired American soccer midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 who played professionally in the USISL and National Professional Soccer League.

Youth

Mekelburg grew up in Tampa, Florida, playing for Tampa's Black Watch S.C.

Black Watch S.C.

Black Watch Soccer Club is a youth team organization located in Binghamton, New York, and is a member of the Super Y-League.-Background:Black Watch Premier is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization in New York State. The New York program originally was established by current Director of Coaching and...

  In 1993, he graduated from George D. Chamberlain High School

George D. Chamberlain High School

George D. Chamberlain High School was opened in 1956 on North Boulevard in Tampa, Florida, in the United States. The school is named in honor of George Chamberlain, who served for several years as a trustee for the Hillsborough County School System.The school newspaper, The Chieftain, is part of...

 where he played on the boy's soccer team. In 1992, the Chamberlain soccer team finished runner-up to Killian in the Florida 4A high school soccer championship. Mekelburg attended the University of South Florida

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...

, playing for the men's soccer team from 1993 to 1996. He was a 1996 First Team All American.

Professional

In December 1996, the Tampa Bay Terror

Tampa Bay Terror

The Tampa Bay Terror were an indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League . The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The team's home games were held at the Bayfront Center. The two season that the...

 selected Mekelburg in the National Professional Soccer League draft. In February 1997, the Tampa Bay Mutiny

Tampa Bay Mutiny

The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...

 picked him in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1997 MLS College Draft

1997 MLS College Draft

The 1997 Major League Soccer College Draft.On February 1 and 2, 1997, Major League Soccer held its second annual college draft in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The draft was held in conjunction with the Umbro Select College All-Star Classic. The game was played on Saturday, February 1, 1997 at...

. Mekelburg signed with the Mutiny, but injuries kept him off the field. The team waived him on June 24, 1997. In July, Dallas Sidekicks

Dallas Sidekicks

The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2004 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor...

 then chose Mekelburg in the Continental Indoor Soccer League

Continental Indoor Soccer League

The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...

 Supplemental Draft after Mekelburg had trained with them for several weeks. The Sidekicks did not sign him and Mekelburg joined the Baltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League in September 1997. In 1998, he played for the Milwaukee Rampage

Milwaukee Rampage

The Milwaukee Rampage is a defunct American soccer franchise, which played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the A-League. The Rampage folded in 2002 because of financial problems, despite winning the A-league championship that year, as well as in 1997. The Rampage was founded in 1994 as a member of the...

 in the USISL A-League. On January 28, 1999, he signed a two year contract with 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....

. On July 24, 1999, the Battery traded Mekelburg to the Raleigh Capital Express in exchange for Edmundo Rodriguez

Edmundo Rodriguez

Eddie Rodriguez is a retired Mexican soccer player. He spent most of his career in the U.S. leagues including two seasons in Major League Soccer...

.

External links

• Charleston Battery: Mike Mekelburg