Steve Ralston

Ralston was drafted 18th overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny out of Florida International University, and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league, starting 31 matches in the club's inaugural campaign, scoring seven goals and notching two assists, and concluding the year as the first player in MLS history to win the Rookie of the Year Award. He also helped the club lift the first-ever Supporters' Shield. In his second season, Ralston started 29 matches and scored five goals, adding 11 assists. He was named to the 1997 MLS All-Star team. He started 29 matches in 1998, again scoring five goals, and recording eight assists. In 1999, Ralston was voted Mutiny Team MVP, MLS Best XI, and won the MLS Fair Play Award. He started all 32 matches for the club, scoring five goals and recording a league-leading eighteen assists. In 2000, Ralston was named an MLS All-Star for the second time, won the MLS Fair Play Award for the second time, and finished second in the league in assists, with 17. In total, Ralston played for the Mutiny for six years, leaving only after the team was contracted in 2002. Ralston departed as the Mutiny as the club's all-time leader in games played (177) and points (130). On January 11, 2002, Ralston was selected by the New England Revolution in the 2002 Allocation Draft. In his first year with the Revolution, Ralston led the league in assists with 19. He was named MLS Best XI for the second time, and an MLS…

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. Due to a later injury, he was only listed as an alternate for the United States at the World Cup.

In July 2010, Ralston took an assistant coaching job at the Houston Dynamo with his former Mutiny teammate Dominic Kinnear. On January 6, 2015, the San Jose Earthquakes announced Ralston would join Kinnear in San Jose and once again serve as his assistant coach.

International

Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ralston goal.