Ryan Leib is a retired 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 ...

midfielder who played professionally in the

USL A-League 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 Di ...

Youth

Born in Pennsylvania, Leib grew up in Farmington, Maine where his father, Robert Leib, coached the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

soccer and baseball teams. Although he was an All State high school soccer player, Leib was unrecruited by college coaches. Therefore, rather than graduate after his senior year of high school, Leib decided to attend the

Kent School Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12. Kent was one of the first schools ...

Kent, Connecticut Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York (state), New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwe ...

in order to play one more year of high school sports. This brought Leib to the attention of several colleges in New England. Leib eventually chose the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

, playing on the school's soccer team from 1991 to 1994. He is second on the school's career goals list and third on the career assists list. Leib graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.

Professional

In 1995, Leib turned professional with the

Hampton Roads Mariners Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales * Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbou ...

of the USISL Pro League. In 1996, the Mariners played in the

USISL Select League 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 Di ...

. The Mariners released Leib halfway through the 1996 season. In 1997, 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 ...

of the USISL D-3 Pro League contacted Lieb about his playing for them. Leib went on to spend five seasons with the Eagles. In 1999, he was All League. In 2000, the Eagles won the D-3 Pro League championship. In 2001, Charlotte moved up to the

. In December 2001, Leib signed 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 ...

for the 2002 season.Silverbacks Sign Midfielder Ryan Leib; USL veteran joins Silverbacks’ roster
/ref> In 2003, Leib returned to the Charlotte Eagles for one game, then retired.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leib, Ryan Living people 1972 births American men's soccer players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Charlotte Eagles players Virginia Beach Mariners players Kent School alumni USL Second Division players A-League (1995–2004) players USISL Select League players Men's association football midfielders 20th-century American sportsmen