Most longtime Major League Soccer and United States National Team fans are well aware of the name Steve Ralston. But the younger generation of soccer fans in America may be unaware of what the Earthquakes assistant coach meant to the development of the league and the sport as a whole in our country.
The 18th-overall selection in the 1996 MLS College Draft, the first of its kind, Ralston joined the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny out of Florida International University. He started 31 games during the 1996 season, tallying seven goals and two assists en route to earning the first-ever MLS Rookie of the Year Award and helping his side lift the Supporters’ Shield. To date, only two Rookie of the Year Award winners have ever been drafted lower (Mike Duhaney – 87th in 1997; Jonathan Bornstein – 37th in 2006).
Ralston racked up 34 goals and 62 assists in six seasons with Tampa Bay before the club folded. He then joined New England in 2002 and made an immediate impact, recording a league-high 19 assists in his debut season for the club. In total, Ralston registered 35 goals and 73 assists in 201 appearances for the Revs before announcing his retirement from the league in 2010. In his eight full seasons with New England, the club reached MLS Cup four times (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007).
Upon his retiring from MLS, the Revolution put out the following statement:
“Steve Ralston has been a tremendous player, leader and ambassador for the New England Revolution since he arrived in 2002. In eight years with us, Steve has been a central figure in lifting the team to new heights of success. While we wish we were welcoming him back on Monday when the rest of the team arrives for the start of preseason, we want to thank Steve for all of his contributions and effort on our behalf – both on the field and off the field – and wish him and his family nothing but the best in all of his future endeavors.”
Among all non-goalkeepers in MLS history, Ralston ranks first in games started (372) and minutes played (33,143), second in assists (135) and game-winning assists (41), third in games played (378) and fifth in corner kicks (703). He was a seven-time MLS All-Star and three-time Best XI selection and became the first player in league history to win the MLS Fair Play Award three times. His teams failed to reach the postseason in just four of his 14 professional seasons.
The native of St. Louis, Missouri also made 36 appearances for the U.S. National Team, scoring four goals.
Ralston immediately went from playing to coaching, joining head coach Dominic Kinnear in Houston in 2010. He helped the Dynamo reach MLS Cup in 2011 and 2012, before moving out west to San Jose in 2015.
