Dustin Bixler (born December 21, 1982, in

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Mechanicsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the ...

) is a former American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who spent his entire career with

Harrisburg City Islanders Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the ...

Career

College

Bixler attended Red Land High School and was a four-year starter at

Lock Haven University Commonwealth University-Lock Haven (LHU) is a public university in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The main campus covers and the branch campus in Clearfield co ...

, playing 71 career games and earning All-Conference honors in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He was also named to the Division II All-Northeast Region First Team in 2003 and 2004, and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player and the Conference's Athlete of the Year after his senior season.

Professional

Bixler turned professional when he signed with

of the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

in 2005. He made his professional debut on May 5, 2007, as a substitute in a 4–3 win over the

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles is an American amateur soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at the ...

. He was named to the 2008 All-League Second Team, was MVP of the 2007 USL-2 Championship Match, and is Harrisburg's all-time leader in starts and minutes played. On February 2, 2010, Harrisburg City announced the re-signing of Bixler for the 2010 season. Bixler scored his first professional goal on his 88th appearance for Harrisburg, a 2–1 victory over the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

on May 22, 2010. He re-signed with the club on March 11, 2011. On September 7, 2012, Bixler announced his retirement from professional soccer after eight seasons, all with Harrisburg City.

Coaching

Bixler is also the head coach of the Cedar Crest High School boys varsity soccer team.

References

External links

Harrisburg City Islanders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bixler, Dustin 1982 births Living people American men's soccer players Penn FC players USL Second Division players USL Championship players Sportspeople from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Men's association football defenders