Steve Shak
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| Steve Shak | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steve Shak | |
| Date of birth | February 8, 1978 | |
| Place of birth | Cerritos, CA, United States | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Charlotte Eagles | |
| Number | 21 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2004 2004-06 2007- |
MetroStars Colorado Rapids Minnesota Thunder Bodens BK Virginia Beach Mariners Charlotte Eagles |
32 (1) 6 (0) - (-) - (-) 63 (6) 12 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Steve Shak (born February 8, 1978 in Cerritos, California) is an American soccer defender, who currently plays for the Charlotte Eagles in the USL Second Division, and is considered one of the worst draft picks ever in the history of Major League Soccer.
[edit] College
Shak played college soccer at UCLA where he started out as a walk-on and became a starter, helping the Bruins to the College Cup in 1997. He also played for the U.S. on the Under-23 level. With the MetroStars coming off the worst season in MLS history in 1999, they were given the first pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. Despite Shak being projected to go in the third or fourth round, and such highly-rated prospects as Nick Garcia, Carlos Bocanegra, and Danny Califf on the board, the Metros drafted Steve. The team's head coach, Octavio Zambrano, coached Shak on youth teams.
[edit] MLS
Shak spent a forgettable year and a half with a MetroStars, playing on defense as well as midfield, scoring a goal and an assist. Late in the 2001 season, he was traded to the Colorado Rapids for Ross Paule. He was gone from MLS after playing a solitary minute in 2002. Meanwhile, many of the players drafted after him, including the three mentioned above, and also Bobby Convey, Sasha Victorine, Peter Vagenas, and others, have gone to considerable success, winning MLS Cups or playing for the U.S. national team. Shak did get close to the national squad but took a different path, as in 2005, he was a replacement player for a brief period during the U.S. national team labor dispute.
[edit] USL
Since then, Shak has been a mainstay in the United Soccer Leagues, playing for both the Minnesota Thunder and the Virginia Beach Mariners. When the Mariners folded in early 2007, Shak switched to the Charlotte Eagles. He made his debut for them on 20 April, 2007, scoring one goal in a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace Baltimore.
