Mike Ambersley (born February 14, 1983) is an American former professional

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 played as a striker. The last club he played for was

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wide ...

in the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

Career

College and amateur

Ambersley attended

De Smet Jesuit High School De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school began classes in the fall of 1967. It was named in honor of the Belgian Je ...

where he was a NSCAA and

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers nationwide in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a read ...

High School All American soccer player and the 2000 Missouri Player of the Year. He attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

where he played soccer from 2001 to 2005. He played for the Under 20 U.S. National Team from 2001 to 2002. Ambersley was on the roster during trips to Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain. He suffered a back injury his sophomore year and redshirted the 2003 season. In 2002, he played for the

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. ...

of the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

during the collegiate off season. Ambersley started 82 of 86 games during his college career at Indiana where he scored 18 goals and 20 assists. He played in two Final Fours while at Indiana scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists in 4 games. Ambersley scored the game winning penalty kick in the 2004 National Championship game.

Professional

On January 20, 2006,

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

selected Ambersley in the 4th round (43rd overall) in the

2006 MLS SuperDraft The 2006 MLS SuperDraft, held in Philadelphia on January 20, 2006, was the seventh incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft. The first selection originally belonged to Chivas USA, but they traded it to the MetroSt ...

. He never played a game with Dallas before being released at the end of April 2006. On March 8, 2006, the Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League selected Ambersley in the third round of the 2006 MISL College Draft. However, he did not sign with the Storm. Instead, he joined the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

. On November 28, 2007, signed a three-year contract with the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of USL-1. He injured his knee during the pre-season and lost the entire season. The Silverbacks withdrew from the league at the end of the season and Ambersley returned to Rochester for the 2009 season. In March 2010, Ambersley joined

AC St. Louis AC St. Louis was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF D2 Pro League, the ...

of the

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

. He scored 9 goals in league play and 11 overall. 2 of those goals coming in the US Open Cup, both of which were game winners. After the demise of AC St. Louis, Ambersley signed with

FC Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

on January 4, 2011. He spent the entire 2011 season with Tampa Bay and led the team in every major statistical category while being named to the NASL Best XI Team. On October 4, 2011, the club picked up his 2012 season option. Ambersley signed a contract extension with Tampa Bay through the 2014 season in February 2012. On August 1, 2013, Ambersley was traded to

Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...

in exchange for forward

Etienne Barbara Etienne Barbara (born 10 June 1982) is a Maltese former footballer and manager. Club career Malta Barbara started his career as a youth player with Qormi. After having been spotted by scouts following some impressive displays, he earned a move ...

. On January 22, 2014, Ambersley signed with to new NASL franchise

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2014, b ...

. On January 13, 2015, Ambersley became the first ever signing for new

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

franchise

. On January 13, 2017, Ambersley announced his retirement from professional soccer.

Honors

Tampa Bay Rowdies

: ** Champion (1): 2012 ** NASL Best XI: 2011

Indiana University

* NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship (1):

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

References

External links

Rochester Rhinos bio

Atlanta Silverbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambersley, Mike 1983 births Living people American men's soccer players AC St. Louis players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Chicago Fire U-23 players FC Dallas players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Men's association football midfielders Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer players Indy Eleven players Minnesota United FC (2010–2016) players Saint Louis FC players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Rochester New York FC players Soccer players from St. Louis St. Louis Strikers players USL League Two players USL Championship players USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players United States men's under-20 international soccer players FC Dallas draft picks