Mike Mekelburg

Mike Mekelburg (born February 20, 1975) is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the USISL and National Professional Soccer League.

Mike Mekelburg

Personal information
Full name	Michael Mekelburg, Jr.
Date of birth	(1975-02-20) February 20, 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	United States
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Black Watch SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1996	USF Bulls
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997	Tampa Bay Mutiny	0	(0)
1997–1998	Baltimore Spirit (indoor)	3	(0)
1998	Milwaukee Rampage	17	(4)
1999	Charleston Battery	19	(1)
1999	Raleigh Capital Express	10	(1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Youth

Mekelburg grew up in Tampa, Florida, playing for Tampa's Black Watch S.C.^[1] In 1993, he graduated from George D. Chamberlain High School where he played on the boys' soccer team.^[2][3] 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, playing for the men's soccer team from 1993 to 1996. He was a 1996 First Team All American.^[4]

Professional

In December 1996, the Tampa Bay Terror selected Mekelburg in the National Professional Soccer League draft.^[5] In February 1997, the Tampa Bay Mutiny picked him in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1997 MLS College Draft. Mekelburg signed with the Mutiny, but injuries kept him off the field. The team waived him on June 24, 1997. In July, Dallas Sidekicks then chose Mekelburg in the Continental Indoor Soccer League 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.^[6] In 1998, he played for the Milwaukee Rampage in the USISL A-League. On January 28, 1999, he signed a two-year contract with the Charleston Battery.^[7] On July 24, 1999, the Battery traded Mekelburg to the Raleigh Capital Express in exchange for Edmundo Rodriguez.^[8]