Chris Houser Reached MLS With Tampa Bay Mutiny In 1998 — Mls

Chris Houser reached mls after the Tampa Bay Mutiny took him in the second round of the 1998 Major League Soccer Draft. Born in Pierre and a Sioux Falls Washington graduate, he became one of the few South Dakota names in the sport's highest U.S. tier.

Houser And Tampa Bay Mutiny

The Mutiny used that 1998 pick on Houser after he spent three years at Southern Connecticut State. He then played three seasons for Tampa Bay as a defender, giving South Dakota a direct answer to the question of whether anyone from the state has reached MLS.

His route was not built on a long list of local precedents. A page listing noteworthy soccer players from South Dakota has just three names, and Houser is one of them.

1997 World University Games

Before the draft, Houser had already appeared on a bigger stage. In 1997, while still in college, he played for the national team in the World University Games, then moved into the professional game a year later.

After his first season with Tampa Bay, he was named a Rookie of the Year nominee. That is the cleanest sign that the Mutiny saw more than a depth piece when they took him in the second round.

For South Dakota soccer, Houser remains the clearest example in the record provided here: a Pierre native, a Sioux Falls Washington graduate, and a player who turned a 1998 draft selection into three MLS seasons.