Youth and college

Slivinski, a native of St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, grew up immersed in that city’s soccer culture. Beginning playing when he was five, Slivinski became a member of the Scott Gallagher soccer club. Slivinski attended Francis Howell High School where he was the 1992-1993 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Missouri.
Slivinski attended the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 where he was a member of the men’s soccer team from 1993-95. A forward with blazing speed and electrifying creativity, Slivinski's college career was shattered when he suffered a torn ACL. Though he recovered from the injury after a year's hiatus, he was never the same. In 1994, Slivinski was unable to play for the Cavaliers as he was academically ineligible.^{http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941211/12110217.htm}

Professional career

On March 14 1998 D.C. United

D.C. United

D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...

 of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 (MLS) signed Slivinski as a discovery player. That season he saw time in nineteen games, but had difficulty finding playing time the next two seasons. As a result, United loaned him to the Hampton Roads Mariners and the San Diego Flash

San Diego Flash

San Diego Flash is an American soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1998, the team returned to competitive play in 2011 when it made its debut in the Southwest Flight of the West Division of the National Premier Soccer League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer...

. United waived him on June 30, 2000 after he played only two games that season.

Slivinski signed with the Milwaukee Rampage

Milwaukee Rampage

The Milwaukee Rampage is a defunct American soccer franchise, which played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the A-League. The Rampage folded in 2002 because of financial problems, despite winning the A-league championship that year, as well as in 1997. The Rampage was founded in 1994 as a member of the...

 of USL First Division

USL First Division

The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....

 for the 2001 season. He played eight games and scored one goal.

National team

Slivinski was selected for the U.S. team at the 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship

1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship

The 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship was held in the cities of Florence, Montecatini, Viareggio, Massa, Carrara, and Livorno in Italy between 16 August and 31 August 1991...

. The U.S. went 3-0 in the first round, but fell to Qatar in penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

s in the second round.

Slivinski earned one cap with the U.S. national team

United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

. On September 14, 1991, he started in a 1-0 victory over Jamaica

Jamaica national football team

The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...

. He was 16 years and 10 months old, a record for the youngest player capped by the U.S., a record since eclipsed by Freddy Adu

Freddy Adu

Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu is a Ghanaian-born American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He plays primarily as an attacking midfielder, but he is also used as a winger or forward....

.

External links

• Slivinski profile
• American Futbol Academy - St. Peters, Mo. (Mike Slivinski, President and Technical Director)