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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Trittschuh | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1965-04-24)April 24, 1965 (age 60) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Granite City, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1986 | SIU Edwardsville Cougars | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | St. Louis Steamers(indoor) | 37 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Busch Seniors | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Sparta Prague | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 23 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | SVV Dordrecht | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 23 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | St. Louis Ambush (indoor) | 31 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Montreal Impact | 22 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Tampa Bay Terror (indoor) | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Colorado Rapids | 98 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 64 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 317 | (39) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1995 | United States | 37 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | SIU Edwardsville Cougars (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Colorado Rapids (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Saint Louis FC | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Stephen "Steve" Trittschuh (born April 24, 1965) is an Americansoccer coach and former player who most recently served as head coach ofUSL Championship sideSaint Louis FC. As a player, he played as adefender in theMajor Indoor Soccer League,American Professional Soccer League andMajor League Soccer. He also earned thirty-eightcaps with theUnited States men's national soccer team including one game at the1990 FIFA World Cup.
Trittschuh is a native ofGranite City, Illinois. He played at Granite City High School North for the Steelers under former U.S. national coachBob Kehoe. He earned All State honors his junior and senior year and was a Parade Magazine All American as a senior. Coming out of high school, he was heavily recruited by several top schools, but selectedSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville which he attended on a full ride soccer scholarship. He played for four years for SIUE, scoring 12 goals and assisting 11 others. He earned second-teamAll-American honors his junior year and first team his senior year. He was a 2011 inductee into theSIUE Athletic Hall of Fame.[1]
In 1987, theSt. Louis Steamers selected Trittschuh in the second round of theMajor Indoor Soccer League draft. He played one season with the Steamers, then filed for free agency in April 1987 when the Steamers ceased operations.[2]
That summer, he played for theU.S. national team as it prepared for and then played at the1988 Summer Olympics.[3] In October 1988, theUnited States Soccer Federation signed American players to the national team. Trittschuh was among fourteen players signed by the USSF.[4]
From the spring of 1988 through the spring of 1989, Trittschuh played for the amateur Busch Seniors of St. Louis when not playing for the Olympic or national teams.
On May 4, 1989, he signed on loan with theTampa Bay Rowdies of theAmerican Soccer League.[5][6] He continued with the Rowdies as the team played in the newly formedAmerican Professional Soccer League.[7]
In 1990, his career took an unexpected turn. Trittschuh played a single game for theUnited States men's national soccer team at the1990 FIFA World Cup in a 5–1 loss toCzechoslovakia. While the national team was thrashed, Trittschuh caught the attention of the Czechoslovakia's assistant coach, the head coach of Czech powerhouse clubSparta Prague. Sparta Prague offered Trittschuh a contract, which he accepted. At the time the Soviet Union and its eastern bloc allies, including Czechoslovakia were transitioning from communism to democracy. This brought an exceptional level of turmoil which also affected professional soccer in the region. As a result, eastern teams were searching for talent to replace players who were moving to play in Western Europe.[8] Trittschuh was one of just three foreign players in theCzechoslovak First League in the 1990–91 season, alongside ZambianTimothy Mwitwa, who also played for Sparta Prague, andAleksandr Bokiy of the USSR, who played forSigma Olomouc.[9] While Trittschuh played only a single season for Sparta Prague, he helped them win their league championship. He also became the first U.S. player to play in theEuropean Cup.[9]
At the end of the season, he returned to the Rowdies for two seasons.[10][11]
In the fall of 1992, Trittschuh signed with Dutch clubSVV Dordrecht. As he recounts it, he was in competition with two Finnish players for a spot on the club and he won. He became a regular starter for the team, but towards the end of the season the club ran out of money and stopped paying Trittschuh, so he returned to the U.S.
In the spring of 1993, he rejoined the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
On April 6, 1994, he moved to theFort Lauderdale Strikers of theAmerican Professional Soccer League.[12]
On November 30, 1994, he signed with theSt. Louis Ambush of theNational Professional Soccer League (NPSL).[13][14] That year he earned another championship when the Ambush took the NPSL crown.
In 1995, he moved to theMontreal Impact of the APSL. In 1995, the new U.S. soccer league,Major League Soccer (MLS) approached Trittschuh about joining the league. He agreed but had to buy out the final year of his contract with the Impact, for $10,000. When he left the Impact, he finished his APSL (nowUSL First Division) as a 5 time all star.
In November 1995, he joined theTampa Bay Terror of the NPSL.[15]
In 1996, Trittschuh joined the newColorado Rapids. In 1997, the team reached the1997 MLS Cup, falling to 2–1 toD.C. United. He had a solid three seasons with the Rapids playing in the sweeper position. At the beginning of the 1999 season, Rapids coachGlenn Myernick movedMarcelo Balboa into the sweeper position. As a result, through the first 8 games of the 1999 season, Trittschuh never left the bench.
On June 14, 1999, the Rapids traded Trittschuh to theTampa Bay Mutiny for midfielder/forward Guillermo Jara.[16] Trittschuh would go on to play 64 regular and post-season games for the Mutiny.
In 2001, he retired from active playing and was hired by the Colorado Rapids as an assistant coach, serving for four years and leading the reserve team to the 2006 MLS reserve title.
As of 2013, he is the technical director of Denver's Colorado Storm youth team.[17]
Trittschuh also had a long and successful national team career. In 1987, he was selected to play for theU.S. national team. He made his national team debut against Egypt at the1987 President's Cup. He also played for the national team at the1987 Pan American Games.
In 1988, he was a member of the U.S. team which went 1–1–1 at theSeoul Olympics. As previously mentioned, he was a member of the U.S. team at the1990 FIFA World Cup and played the full 90 minutes in their opening game against Czechoslovakia.[18] He was also a member of the1991 Gold Cup championship team. In 1995, he played his last game with the national team, againstSaudi Arabia.
In 1989, Trittschuh served as an assistant coach with theSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville men's soccer team.[19] In 2003, he became an assistant coach with theColorado Rapids.
He was named head coach ofUSL'sColorado Springs Switchbacks FC in advance of their inaugural 2015 season.[20]
In January 2020, Trittschuh was named head coach ofSaint Louis FC.[21]
United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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