Brian Maisonneuve

Brian Maisonneuve (born 28 June 1973 in Warren, Michigan) is an American retired soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. He spent his entire professional career with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. He was a member of the U.S. soccer teams at both the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, earning a total of thirteen caps with the U.S. national team.

Youth/College

Maisonneuve played for the Carpathia Kickers in Metro Detroit as a child and teen. He played his high school soccer at De la Salle Collegiate High School of Warren, Michigan under coach Thaier Mukhtar. He played college soccer at Indiana University from 1991 to 1994, winning the Hermann Trophy his senior season, as well as finishing his career as the Big Ten's all-time top goalscorer with 44, and helping Indiana to the NCAA Championship game.

MLS

He was allocated to the Columbus Crew for the 1996 MLS season, becoming one of two players without any pro experience on the league's initial allocation list; the other was Damian Silvera. Maisonneuve would quickly earn a starting spot with the Crew, and would hold onto it for the next 8 years. He started 83 games for the Crew between 1996 and 1999.

Before the 2000 season, he suffered a series of devastating ankle injuries, forcing him to sit out the season and threatening his career. Maisonneuve returned in 2001, however, and slotted right back into his starting role. He would remain there for the next three years, before finally losing his spot when the Crew acquired Simon Elliott prior to the 2004 season; Maisonneuve would go on to play only nine games in 2004.

By Major League Soccer's ninth year, Maisonneuve was one of only two players to have played for a single club throughout that period, and when he retired after the season, he left Cobi Jones as the lone player with that distinction. Maisonneuve scored 23 goals and 37 assists in his pro career.

Olympic and national teams

After graduating from Indiana University, Maisonneuve spent 1995 training with the U.S. Olympic Team; he later played in the 1996 Summer Olympics. During his professional career, Maisonneuve was a fringe player for the United States national team, totalling just 13 caps with the team. Despite his limited playing time, Maisonneuve did play all three of the United States' games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Career statistics

v t e United States men's football squad – 1996 Summer Olympics 1 Keller 2 McKeon 3 Walsh 4 Pope 5 Peay 6 Lalas 7 Baba 8 Kirovski 9 Wood 10 Reyna 11 Joseph 12 Pollard 13 Hejduk 14 Maisonneuve 15 Vargas 16 Smith 17 Silvera 18 Snitko Coach: Arena

v t e United States squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Friedel 2 Hejduk 3 Pope 4 Burns 5 Dooley (c) 6 Regis 7 Wegerle 8 Stewart 9 Moore 10 Ramos 11 Wynalda 12 Agoos 13 Jones 14 Preki 15 Deering 16 Sommer 17 Balboa 18 Keller 19 Maisonneuve 20 McBride 21 Reyna 22 Lalas Coach: Sampson