Mike Burns

Youth

Burns was born and raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts. At age six, he began playing soccer in local recreation leagues, but never joined a club team. When he reached high school, he played for Marlborough High School boys' team and was named the 1987 Massachusetts High School Player of the Year. After completing high school, he attended Hartwick College from 1988 to 1991. When he graduated from Hartwick, there were few opportunities for playing soccer professionally in the United States, but Burns continued to play with the U.S. Olympic team as it prepared for the 1992 Summer Olympics. He previously played in the 1987 U16 FIFA World Cup and in the 1989 U-20 FIFA World Cup. The 1989 squad took fourth place in the tournament.

Professional

In 1995, Major League Soccer began an expansion plan to add new teams to the league. On October 17, 1995, during the 1996 MLS Inaugural Allocations, MLS assigned Burns and Alexi Lalas to the New England Revolution. In August 1995, MLS loaned out Burns to Danish club Viborg FF. The Revolution retained his rights and Burns returned to play for the Revolution in 1996. Burns made 17 total appearances for the Revolution in their inaugural campaign, making his debut in the Revolution's first-ever match on April 13, a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Burns received the first yellow card in Revolution history in the 16th minute of the game. He scored his first goal for the club on June 6, giving the Revolution a 78th minute…