- Mike Zaher
-
Mike Zaher
Zaher playing for the SFV Quakes in 2007Personal information Full name Michael Rory Zaher Date of birth September 24, 1985 Place of birth Phoenix, Arizona, United States Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Playing position Defender Club information Current club Charleston Battery Number 23 Youth career 2004–2007 UCLA Bruins Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2005 Boulder Rapids Reserve 6 (2) 2006–2007 San Fernando Valley Quakes 21 (1) 2008 D.C. United 3 (0) 2009 San Jose Earthquakes 10 (0) 2010– Charleston Battery 39 (3) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 14, 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).Mike Zaher (born September 24, 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American soccer player, currently playing for Charleston Battery in the USL Professional Division.
Contents
Career
College and Amateur
Zaher attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, who he led to the Nevada high school state championship in 2002; he scored 34 goals as a senior, 25 as a junior, 13 as a sophomore and six as a freshman for a total of 78 career goals. He also led his club soccer team, Las Vegas Premier, to seven Nevada state championships.
Zaher played college soccer at UCLA, where he majored in political science. He played in 70 games over four seasons, scoring twice in the run-up to the 2006 NCAA soccer championship game in St. Louis, which UCLA lost 2-1 to UC Santa Barbara. Zaher is a former member of the U.S. U-18 National Team, was listed at #21 in Soccer America’s Top 25 recruits list, is a two-time Parade All-American, was a member of the 2004 McDonald’s All-American team and the 2003 NSCAA/adidas All-American team, was the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2004, and was selected to the ESP All-Star Team in 2002 and 2003.
During his college years, Zaher also played in the USL Premier Development League, for Boulder Rapids Reserve and the San Fernando Valley Quakes.
Professional
Zaher was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 MLS Superdraft by Canadian Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. However, his rights were traded to D.C. United for an undisclosed pick, and he was officially signed to the development roster on 17 April 2008.[1] He made his professional debut for DC on 19 July 2008, coming on as a second half substitute for Bryan Namoff in a SuperLiga game against Houston Dynamo,[2] and made his first MLS appearance came on August 20, 2008, starting against New England Revolution.
On March 16, 2009, Zaher signed a developmental contract with the San Jose Earthquakes.[3]
Zaher featured in 10 MLS games for San Jose before being released at the end of the 2009 season; he signed terms with USL Second Division side Charleston Battery on March 23, 2010.[4]
Personal
Zaher has also dabbled in acting, featuring as the leading man in JoJo's music video for her 2006 single "Too Little Too Late".
Honors
D.C. United
Charleston Battery
- USL Second Division Champions (1): 2010
- USL Second Division Regular Season Champions (1): 2010
References
- ^ http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080417&content_id=151252&vkey=news_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=t103
- ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/scoreboard/game.jsp?match=07192008_HOUDC
- ^ http://sjearthquakes.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20090316&content_id=226524&vkey=pr_sje&fext=.jsp&team=t110
- ^ Charleston adds two for 2010
External links
- Charleston Battery bio
- MLS player profile
- UCLA bio
- Daily Bruin (UCLA newspaper) profile
- Evenison interview
- Far West selection
Categories:- 1985 births
- Living people
- American soccer players
- Boulder Rapids Reserve players
- San Fernando Valley Quakes players
- D.C. United players
- San Jose Earthquakes players
- Charleston Battery players
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer)
- UCLA Bruins men's soccer players
- USL Premier Development League players
- USL Second Division players
- USL Professional Division players
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