Quick Facts
Biography
Steve Ralston (born June 14, 1974 in Oakville, Missouri) is a retired American soccer player and a current assistant coach for the San Jose Earthquakes.
At the time of his retirement, Ralston was Major League Soccer's all-time career leader in assists (135). He also was the MLS record holder for appearances (378), starts (372) and minutes played (33,143). He also held the U.S. record for professional appearances (412) in 2010. Tim Howard with 483and Brad Friedel with 550 appearances have both made more professional appearances.
Career
Professional
Ralston was drafted 18th overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny out of Florida International University, and proceeded to become the first MLS player to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Ralston played for the Mutiny for six years, leaving only after the team was contracted in 2002. He was Tampa Bay's all-time leader in games played (177) and points (130). he then joined the New England Revolution. In his first year with the Revolution, Ralston led the league in assists with 19. In thirteen years in the league, he scored 76 goals and had 135 assists in 378 regular season matches, and added three goals and five assists in 30 playoff matches. He also served as captain for several seasons with New England.
Soon after leaving New England, Ralston became the first ever signing of new USSF Division 2 club AC St. Louis. Ralston was one of the team's starting midfielders, and an assistant coach to head coach Claude Anelka.
After AC St. Louis ran in to financial difficulties, Ralston agreed to leave by mutual consent and immediately joined up with his former club New England Revolution.
In Ralston's first appearance back with the New England Revolution, he suffered a left elbow dislocation. In July 2010, he announced his retirement.
International
Ralston appeared for the United States national team 36 times over an 11-year span and scored 4 international goals. His first cap came on January 17, 1997 against Peru. His last was for the squad that won the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was never selected to a World Cup roster.
Ralston had a break out year for the United States national team in 2005 by earning 15 caps. He scored the game-winning goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Mexico on September 3, 2005. The victory for the United States clinched qualification in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Despite his national team performances in 2005 he was only listed as an alternate for the United States at the World Cup.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | January 18, 2003 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, USA |  Canada | 4 – 0 | 4 – 0 | Friendly |
| 2. | July 19, 2003 | Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, USA |  Cuba | 3 – 0 | 5 – 0 | 2003 Gold Cup |
| 3. | March 30, 2005 | Legion Field, Birmingham, AL, USA |  Guatemala | 2 – 0 | 2 – 0 | Q 2006 World Cup |
| 4. | September 3, 2005 | Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, USA |  Mexico | 1 – 0 | 2 – 0 | Q 2006 World Cup |
Coaching career
After his signing with AC St. Louis was named as the new Assistant Coach of the club. In July 2010, Raltson took an assistant coaching job at the Houston Dynamo with his former teammate Dominic Kinnear from the Tampa Bay Mutiny. On January 6, 2015, the San Jose Earthquakes announced Ralston would join Kinnear in San Jose and once again serve as his assistant coach.
Personal life
Steve was born and grew up in St. Louis, MO. He was born to Roland (Ron) and Joyce Ralston along with siblings Patricia (Pat) and David (Dave). Steve is married to Rachel Ralston. Together they have 2 daughters, Anna (15) and Clara (9), as well as a son, Liam (11). His family currently resides in the East Bay Area.
Career statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| USA | League | Open Cup | League Cup | North America | Total | |||||||
| 1996 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Major League Soccer | 31 | 7 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| 1997 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1998 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1999 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2000 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2001 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2002 | New England Revolution | 27 | 5 | 7 | 1 | |||||||
| 2003 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2004 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2005 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2006 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2007 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2008 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2009 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2010 | A.C. St. Louis | USSF D2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2010 | New England Revolution | Major League Soccer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | USA | 381 | 76 | 34 | 3 | |||||||
Honors
United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (2): 2005, 2007
Tampa Bay Mutiny
- MLS Supporters' Shield (1): 1996
New England Revolution
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2007
- North American SuperLiga (1): 2008
Individual
- MLS Rookie of the Year: 1996
- MLS Fair Play Award: (3) 1999, 2000, 2009
- MLS Best XI selection (2) 1999, 2000
- MLS All-Star Game starter: 2000
- MLS All-Star Game reserve: 1997