Zack Steffen facts for kids
Steffen with the United States in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | April 2, 1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Colorado Rapids | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2008 | West Chester United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | FC DELCO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Philadelphia Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | SC Freiburg II | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Columbus Crew | 76 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | → Pittsburgh Riverhounds (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2024 | Manchester City | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 42 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Colorado Rapids | 33 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | United States U18 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | United States U20 | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | United States U23 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | United States | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Zackary Thomas Steffen (born April 2, 1995) is an American professional soccer player. He plays as a goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids.
Zack started his soccer journey with youth teams like West Chester United. He later joined the Philadelphia Union's youth academy. In 2013, he decided to play college soccer for the Maryland Terrapins. He became their main goalkeeper for two seasons. After college, he moved to Germany to play for SC Freiburg's reserve team.
In 2016, Zack returned to the United States and joined the Columbus Crew. He also spent some time on loan with the United Soccer League club Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He became the starting goalkeeper for the Columbus Crew and even won the Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2018.
In 2019, Zack joined the famous Premier League club Manchester City. He was immediately loaned to Bundesliga team Fortuna Düsseldorf for a season. After returning to Manchester City, he served as a backup goalkeeper. In 2021, he won his first major trophy, the EFL Cup, with Manchester City. In 2024, Zack returned to Major League Soccer, signing with the Colorado Rapids.
Zack has also played for the United States national team. He made his senior debut in 2018. He was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they reached the final. He also helped the U.S. win the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Youth Soccer Journey
Zack Steffen was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. He started playing soccer at age five in a local league. He began as a defender for West Chester United. When he was 10, his team's goalkeeper couldn't make it to a game, so Zack stepped in and became a goalkeeper!
In 2008, he joined FC DELCO and played there through high school. He attended Malvern Preparatory School before moving to Downingtown West High School. In high school, he was named the MVP of his league and received national honors.
Zack was one of the first players to come from the Philadelphia Union Academy. He played for their U17 team in 2012 and helped them win the 2012 Generation Adidas Cup. He was considered the top goalkeeper in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com. He decided to play college soccer for the Maryland Terrapins.
College Soccer Career
On May 29, 2013, Zack officially joined the Maryland soccer team. He played his first college game on August 30, making three saves in a tie game. Zack played every minute of all 26 games for the Terrapins that year. He made a career-high seven saves in one game.
He continued his strong play in the postseason, helping Maryland win the 2013 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. He was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman Team. In the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, Zack made 18 saves. He helped Maryland reach the national championship game, where they finished as runners-up. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
In 2014, Maryland joined the Big Ten Conference. Zack remained the starting goalkeeper, playing every minute of their 22 matches. He allowed only 19 goals and kept nine shutouts. The Terrapins won the Big Ten regular season title in their first year. Zack made nine saves in the 2014 Big Ten Conference Men's Soccer Tournament. He also saved two shots in a penalty shootout in the semifinals. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Defensive Player. Zack left Maryland in December 2014 to start his professional career in Germany. He played in 48 games for the Terrapins.
Professional Club Career
Starting in Germany: Freiburg
After his college career, Zack signed a professional contract with the German club SC Freiburg. He joined the club's reserve team, SC Freiburg II, which played in the fourth-tier league.
On August 1, 2015, Zack made his debut for Freiburg II. He kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. He played 14 games for Freiburg II during the 2015–16 season.
Return to the U.S.: Columbus Crew
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Zack returned to the United States on July 22, 2016. He signed with Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. He was then loaned to the United Soccer League club Pittsburgh Riverhounds on August 13. He made his Riverhounds debut on the same day, making six saves in a 2–1 win. He played nine games for Pittsburgh that year.
Becoming a Starter in Columbus
Before the 2017 season, Zack became the starting goalkeeper for the Crew. He played his first game for the club in the season opener. He started all 34 regular season games and helped the team reach the playoffs. He made a career-high seven saves in two different games.
In the playoffs, Zack had an amazing game against Atlanta United. He made eight saves during the game. He then saved two shots in the shoot-out, helping the Crew win. He played 39 games that season.
In the 2018 season, Zack played 32 games. He had a 525-minute shutout streak, which was the longest in Crew history. He was chosen for the 2018 MLS All-Star Game against the Italian club Juventus. Zack saved two shots in that game. In the playoffs, he again saved two kicks in a penalty shootout, helping the Crew advance. He kept 10 clean sheets that season. Zack was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and was part of the MLS Best XI.
In 2018, English club Manchester City offered to buy Zack. The Crew accepted the offer, which was the largest fee ever received by an MLS club for a goalkeeper. Zack played 13 more games for the Crew in 2019. He left Columbus with 26 clean sheets in 84 games.
Moving to England: Manchester City
Zack officially joined Manchester City on July 9, 2019.
Loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf
On the same day, it was announced that Zack would be loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga for the 2019–20 season. He was the starting goalkeeper for the first 17 matches. However, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.
Return to City and Winning Trophies
After his loan, Zack returned to Manchester City for the 2020–21 season. He became the team's second-choice goalkeeper. He made his debut for City in the League Cup on September 24, 2020. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut on December 9, 2020, keeping a clean sheet.
Zack played his first Premier League game on January 3, 2021, against Chelsea. He also played in the FA Cup. On April 25, 2021, Zack kept a clean sheet in the EFL Cup final as Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 1–0. This was his first trophy with the club.
On November 4, 2021, Zack signed a new contract with City until 2025. He played his first league match of the 2021–22 season on October 16, 2021. On April 16, 2022, he started in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Loan to Middlesbrough
On July 19, 2022, Zack joined EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on loan for the 2022–23 season.
Back to MLS: Colorado Rapids
On January 4, 2024, Zack Steffen returned to the United States. He joined MLS team Colorado Rapids on a three-year contract.
International Career for the United States
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Zack was the starting goalkeeper for the United States under-20 team. He played in the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the U-20 World Cup, he saved a penalty kick against Colombia, helping the U.S. win.
On May 16, 2016, Zack was called up to the United States national team for the first time. He made his senior debut in January 2018 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He got his first clean sheet (no goals conceded) in a 1–0 win against Paraguay in March 2018. On June 9, 2018, Zack made seven saves against 2018 FIFA World Cup champions France, helping the U.S. draw 1–1.
He was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. during the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He helped the team reach the final, where they lost to Mexico. Zack later became the starting goalkeeper in the CONCACAF Nations League finals. He started the final against Mexico, and the United States won 3–2 in extra time. This earned Zack his first international trophy.
Personal Life and Community Work
Zack is the oldest of five children. His sisters, Katy and Lexy, also played college sports. Katy played softball at Penn State, and Lexy briefly played soccer as a goalkeeper. Zack has a tattoo on his rib cage that says "forever my family" in honor of his younger siblings. He studied marketing while at Maryland.
Zack is also a co-founder of the VOYCENOW Foundation. This non-profit organization helps bring athletes and fans together to support Black communities in America and work for equality.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SC Freiburg II | 2014–15 | Regionalliga Südwest | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Regionalliga Südwest | 14 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||||
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds (loan) | 2016 | United Soccer League | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Columbus Crew | 2016 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | Major League Soccer | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | Major League Soccer | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 84 | 0 | ||||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 18 | 0 | |||
| Manchester City | 2020–21 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2022–23 | Championship | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| Colorado Rapids | 2024 | Major League Soccer | 33 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 193 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 233 | 0 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2018 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 0 | |
Awards and Honors
With Manchester City
- Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22
- EFL Cup: 2020–21
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
With United States National Team
- CONCACAF Nations League: 2019–20
Individual Awards
- Columbus Crew Defender of the Year: 2017
- MLS Player of the Month: May 2018
- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award: 2018
- MLS Best XI: 2018
- MLS All-Star: 2018
- Leagues Cup Best Goalkeeper: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Zack Steffen para niños
