Mike Magee (soccer)
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | forward/midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Red Bull New York | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
Mike Magee (born September 2, 1984 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American soccer forward/midfielder who currently plays for Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer.
Club career
Magee's entry into MLS does not parallel many other players; after graduating from USSF's Bradenton Academy, he tried his luck in Europe, trying out for a number of teams, including Ajax Amsterdam. Unable to get a contract, he came back to the US and entered the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, where the MetroStars traded the previous year's third overall selection, Brad Davis, to acquire Magee with the fourth overall pick.
With Metro coach Bob Bradley familiar with Magee from his youth soccer days, the youngster quickly stepped into the Metro lineup, and played every game of the 2003 season except the meaningless finale. He became the youngest player in team history to start a game and score a goal (both marks since bettered by Eddie Gaven). He scored seven goals, nearing the rookie record, which included a couple of dramatic game-winning and game-tying ones.
When the MetroStars signed a trio of foreign strikers before the 2004 season, Magee struggled for playing time early on. But he soon found a new niche as an attacking midfielder, as his skill on the ball, leadership, precise passing, and overall intelligence make him an important part of the Metro team. Magee ended up with three goals on the season, one of them in the 90th minute to give the Metros a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. He scored five in 2005, adding five assists. Magee followed that with three goals in an injury-filled 2006. Magee's injury woes continued in 2007 as he was limited to 7 league matches. The 2008 season saw Magee receive significant playing time as an attacking midfielder, but it was apparent that he was not fully recovered from his injuries. Too bad. He was then moved to his natural forward position and has had a resurgence as he scored in 3 consecutive matches, helping the club to three straight wins.
International career
Magee spent time with various US youth national Teams. He played in the 2003 World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, scoring the game-winner against Paraguay.
Career statistics
[1] Template:Football player statistics 1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2003||rowspan="3"|MetroStars||rowspan="3"|Major League Soccer||29||7|||5||0|||2||0|||||| |- |2004||22||3|||1||0|||0||0||||| |- |2005||29||5|||1||0|||0||0|||| |- |2006||rowspan="3"|Red Bull New York||rowspan="3"|Major League Soccer||17||3|||1||0|||1||0|||| |- |2007||7||0|||0||0|||0||0|||| |- |2008||18||4|||1||0|||0||0|||| Template:Football player statistics 3122||22|||9||0|||3||0|||||||| Template:Football player statistics 5122||22|||9||0|||3||0||||||134||22|| |}