Toni Siikala is a retired Finnish

football (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 ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

who played in both the United States and Finland. He played professionally in the

USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...

and National Professional Soccer League. Siikala played his first career season at men's level in 1989 with

Sepsi-78 Sepsi-78 is a Finnish association football club from Seinäjoki. The club was founded in 1978 after bankruptcy of its predecessor, Seinäjoen Palloseura (SePS). The first teams of Sepsi-78 and TP-Seinäjoki merged into Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho ...

in Finland. In 1990–92, Siikala played for

TP-Seinäjoki TP-Seinäjoki is a football club based in Seinäjoki, Finland. It was established in 1955 as Törnävän Pallo-55 (TP-55). The name was changed in 1994.Campbell University Campbell University is a private Christian university in Buies Creek, North Carolina, United States. Campbell's main campus in Buies Creek is home to its College of Arts & Sciences, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Divinity School, Scho ...

where he was a 1993 Second Team and 1995 First Team All American soccer player. He was one of 12 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy nominees as the top college player in the nation in 1995. Siikala scored 68 goals and added 21 assists in his 60-game collegiate career despite losing significant number of games to injuries in 1992 and 1994. He graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1996. In 2010, Campbell University inducted Siikala into its Athletic Hall of Fame. During the 1993 collegiate offseason, he played for the Raleigh Flyers of the

. In 1995 and 1996, he played for the

Nashville Metros The Nashville Metros were an American association football, soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1989, the team most recently played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer P ...

. In 1997, he returned to the Flyers for one season. On October 16, 1997, the St. Louis Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League signed Siikala. He played only five games before being injured and released in February 1998. On March 3, 1998, 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 ...

signed Siikala.Charleston Battery: Toni Siikala
He finished his career in the United States in 1999 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

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 ...

. In 1998 and 1999, Siikala served as an assistant coach with

Charleston Southern University Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private university in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern Universit ...

while attending the school to earn a master's degree.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siikala, Toni Living people 1971 births Campbell Fighting Camels men's soccer players Charleston Battery players Finnish expatriate men's footballers Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Finnish men's footballers Virginia Beach Mariners players Nashville Metros players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Raleigh Express players St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000) players USISL players USL First Division players All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Footballers from Seinäjoki