Steve Bell (born January 7, 1975) is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and USL A-League. He is a play-by-play soccer broadcaster and sideline reporter for the Fox Soccer Channel.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 7, 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1996 | Robert Morris Colonials | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997 | Washington Warthogs (indoor) | (2) | |
| 1998 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 0 | (0) |
| 1999 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 21 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Youth
editBell graduated from Peters Township High School. He attended the Robert Morris University, playing on the men's soccer team from 1993 to 1996.[1] Robert Morris won the Northeast Conference Regular Season title in 1995 with a perfect 8–0 conference record. Bell finished the season with 6 goals and 9 assists (2nd most in the Northeast Conference).
Professional
editIn 1997, Bell played for the Washington Warthogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. He finished the season with two goals and three assists. That winter, he played as a trialist with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. On February 1, 1998, the Mutiny selected him in the second round (nineteenth overall) of the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft.[2] The Mutiny released him on June 10, 1998, to free a roster spot for Evans Wise.[3] In February 1999, he signed with the expansion Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL A-League. He was a regular starter, but injuries led to his retirement. In 2000, he began working in sales in Akron, Ohio, but also worked as a part-time game announcer for Riverhounds’ games on Fox Sports Radio. In November 2003, Bell and his broadcasting partner, Chris Shovlin, won the March of Dimes Achievement in Radio Award for Best Play-by-Play.[4] In 2006, Bell was named as the Voice of the United Soccer Leagues and was the play-by-play announcer for every game featured on Fox Soccer Channel during the season. In 2007, he was named as the host for the thirty-minute feature show, USL Breakaway on Fox Soccer. In addition to his Play-by-Play duties for the USL and the NSCAA Game of the Week, he was also back in Major League Soccer from 2008 to 2010 as a sideline reporter for Fox Soccer Channel.
References
edit- ^ Robert Morris Colonials in the pros
- ^ Draftees could continue reconfiguration of Mutiny The Tampa Tribune – Monday, February 2, 1998
- ^ Wise returns via waivers St. Petersburg Times – Wednesday, June 10, 1998
- ^ Riverhounds radio team honored Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit- From the Pitch to the Booth: A Conversation with Steve Bell at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-03-15)
- Steve Bell at Major League Soccer