Steve Ralbovsky is a Yugoslav-American former

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. He was the 1975

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

winner as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year. He then had an extensive professional career including time in 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 ...

and the American Soccer League II and III.

High school and college

Born in Yugoslavia, Ralbovsky moved to the United States in 1970. He played soccer at

DeWitt Clinton High School DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...

in New York City. His excellent play led to his receiving the Public School Athletic League Iron Horse Pegasus Award in 1971–1972 for soccer. After graduating from high school, he attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, where he starred on the school's men's soccer team. He played both defender and defensive

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. During his four seasons with the Bears (1972–1975), Brown dominated the

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had been the team to beat in years past, but beginning in 1972, Brown reeled off five straight Ivy League championships. In 1973 and 1975, the team made it to the

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Final Four, losing both times in the semi-finals. In 1973, they lost to St. Louis University and in 1975 to the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

. Ralbovsky garnered numerous individual awards during his time at Brown. He was selected as All

in 1974 and 1975. In 1975, he was named as a first team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, ironically enough as a forward; the NCAA Tournament Defensive MVP and the

recipient as the year's outstanding collegiate soccer player. He was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional

When Ralbovsky finished his four years at Brown, both the

and the de facto second division American Soccer League (ASL) vied for his services. The Los Angeles Skyhawks of the ASL managed to lure him to the lower league with a higher compensation package than the NASL's

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 North American Soccer League season, 1974 ...

offered him. Both the Skyhawks of the ASL and the Aztecs of the NASL had selected Ralbovsky with the number one pick in the leagues’ respective college drafts. Ralbovsky had an immediate impact on the Skyhawks as they ran away with the 1976 ALS championship, defeating the

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2–1 in the title game. It was in that game when, with the score tied at 1, Ralbovsky was tripped from behind in the penalty area while on a breakaway – the resulting penalty kick was converted to give the Skyhawks the title. Ralbovsky was named joint Rookie of the Year with John Roeslein of the

New Jersey Americans New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. While Ralbovsky's play with the Skyhawks brought him to the attention of the national team, he didn't stick around to play a second season in Los Angeles. Instead, he jumped leagues to NASL where he joined the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from ...

for the 1977 season. Once again he played only a single season with his team before moving again, this time to the Colorado Caribous, also of the NASL, for the 1978 season. He moved yet again after only a single season, this time his last move, to the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

, where he rejoined his former Skyhawk manager, Ron Newman. He played with the Strikers for three years, 1979–1981, as a left back. In 1979, he played only 11 games. However, in 1980 and 1981, he became an integral part of the Strikers back line, playing 28 and 22 games per season. In 1980, the Strikers made it to the NASL championship game before losing to the

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by a score of 3–0. In 1981, the Strikers again went deep in the playoffs before losing again to the Cosmos, this time in the semifinal game. After the 1981 season, Ralbovsky returned to the American Soccer League, this time for good. In 1983, he played for the league champion

Jacksonville Tea Men The Jacksonville Tea Men was a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four years in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

which had jumped leagues from the NASL after the 1982 season. However, this was the last year for the American Soccer League as it folded at the end of the season and the Tea Men played in the

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in 1984. Ralbovsky then spent several years as a construction foreman and played for and coached Sloga of the amateur Gold Coast League. In 1988, Ralbovsky played one season

in the third American Soccer League.1988 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
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National team

That year, Ralbvosky also made his debut with the U.S. national team. He earned his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

when he came on as a substitute in an October 3, 1976, scoreless tie with Mexico. He went on to play fifteen times with the national team, taking part in most of the team's games in 1977 and 1978.

References

External links

NASL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralbovsky, Steve 1953 births All-American college men's soccer players American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Brown Bears men's soccer players Chicago Sting (NASL) players Caribous of Colorado players DeWitt Clinton High School alumni Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Hermann Trophy men's winners Jacksonville Tea Men players Living people Los Angeles Skyhawks players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players United States men's international soccer players Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from the Bronx Soccer players from New York City 20th-century American sportsmen