Rick Iversen is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

and

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

Youth

In 1987, Iversen, in his only season with the

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) syste ...

men’s soccer team, went to the final of the 1987 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. He then transferred to

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

. In December 1988, Iversen scored the game-winning goal to put CSUN into the

NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship is the annual tournament held by the NCAA to determine the top men's Division II college soccer program in the United States. It has been played annually since 1972; prior to then, all teams competed ...

final where they fell to Florida Tech. He was the 1988 NCAA Division II Defensive MVP. In addition to playing collegiate soccer, Iversen also spent two seasons with the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads we ...

in the

Western Soccer Alliance Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer All ...

(1986-1987). In 1988, he played for the

Los Angeles Heat Los Angeles Heat joined the Western Soccer Alliance in 1986. They joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the WSL merged with the American Soccer League, then folded in 1990. The club played in Torrance, California at West Hi ...

Professional

On April 26, 1989, Iversen turned professional with the

Victoria Vistas The Victoria Vistas were a professional soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. The Vistas joined the CSL for the 1989 season and folded after the 1990 season. Victoria All-star team ...

of the Canadian Soccer League. In 1990, he moved to Europe to play for AaB Aalborg. Iversen was back in the United States in 1991 to play for the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soc ...

of the

. In 1992, he returned to California where he would spend the rest of his career. He began by joining the

San Francisco Bay Blackhawks San Francisco Bay Blackhawks were a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League (WSL). The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and the United States Inter ...

.1992 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
/ref> In 1994, he played for the Silicon Valley Firebirds in the

. In 1996, Iversen signed with the San Jose Clash of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

. He never played for the Clash, but went on loan to the

Reno Rattlers The Reno Rattlers were an American soccer team based in Reno, Nevada from 1994 to 1998. The club began in the USISL and moved to the USL Second Division in 1995. The team moved up to the USISL Select League in 1996, but returned to the Pro League ...

. On October 2, 1996, the Clash waived Iversen. In 1997 and 1998, Iversen finished his career with the

California Jaguars California Jaguars were an American soccer team that played in Salinas, California at the Salinas Sports Complex. They joined the USISL in 1995 as the Monterey Bay Jaguars, but changed the name a year later. They played in the A-League in 199 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iversen, Rick Living people AaB Fodbold players American soccer players American expatriate soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Cal State Northridge Matadors men's soccer players California Jaguars players Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players Los Angeles Heat players Miami Freedom players Reno Rattlers players San Diego State Aztecs men's soccer players Nomads Soccer Club players San Francisco Bay Blackhawks players USISL players Willamette Valley Firebirds players Victoria Vistas players Western Soccer Alliance players Association football defenders Year of birth missing (living people)