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Former Sterling Heights Stevenson High School, FC Nova, Michigan Wolves, Michigan Bucks and University of Detroit-Mercy standout has hung up the cleats and gloves on the professional level
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Premier Media Group | National Soccer Network and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork, @NatSoccerTV
DETROIT – Nate Steinwascher has hung up the cleats and gloves.
At least professionally.
Detroit City FC announced recently that local soccer star and club legend Nate Steinwascher has retired from professional soccer. Steinwascher is one of six City Centurions in club history and a winner of the club’s 2022 Black Arrow MVP Award.
“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to step away from professional soccer,” said Steinwascher in a statement. “As difficult as this decision has been, I am looking forward to the time I will gain back to spend with my beloved family and friends.”
Steinwascher grew up in Macomb County, Mich., in the suburban Metropolitan Detroit town of Sterling Heights and later starred on the pitch at Sterling Heights Stevenson High School (2007-2010 fall seasons), both the FC Nova Soccer Club and Michigan Wolves in club soccer, and then at NCAA Division I University of Detroit-Mercy (2011-2014), where he competed in the Horizon League as one of that conference’s top goalkeepers.
Steinwascher, who has an accounting degree from UDM, made his Detroit City FC debut on May 18, 2016, against Louisville City FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and played his final match for the club in the 2024 USL Championship’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Nov. 2, 2024.
Since Steinwascher made his debut, the club itself has grown from the amateur ranks to competing in the USL Championship in the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.
Steinwascher was a key part of the Detroit City FC lineup throughout that growth, suiting up as a training player in the club's inaugural season in 2012, meaning he took part in a training session coached by all four head coaches in the history of the men’s side, including Kylie Stannard, Ben Pirmann, Trevor James, and Danny Dichio.
Since the 2022 season, the club’s first in the USL Championship, Steinwascher has made 226 saves, keeping 30 clean sheets in 87 starts over three regular seasons. His time in the USL Championship comes to an end with an impressive save percentage of .751 and a stellar goals-against average of 0.98 – the all-time bests in those categories in DCFC history.
Steinwascher comes from a long heritage of soccer players where his three siblings, several first cousins, parents, and aunts and uncles all grew up playing either high school, club or college soccer in Michigan or abroad. Two of his first cousins, brothers Alex Steinwascher and Javier Steinwascher, currently play professional indoor soccer in the Major Arena Soccer League, where they are suiting up for the Milwaukee Wave in the 2024-25 season.
During Nate Steinwascher’s career at UDM, he finished tied for the program’s all-time lead with 19 career shutouts amongst finishing in the top 10 in numerous categories during his stellar collegiate career. He ranked second in career goals-against-average (1.23), wins (27) and games started as a goalkeeper (73), while Steinwascher also ranked third in career saves (341), save percentage (.782) and total minutes played (6,957).
He was named the 2014 Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and All-Horizon League First Team selection that season.
Steinwascher later was honored as the 2015 President’s Award honoree, given to the most outstanding seniors who best exemplify the image of the complete student-athlete and in 2015 he was a Senior Class Award nominee, becoming just one of 30 student-athletes in NCAA Division I across the nation and the only player from the Horizon League to be nominated that year.
Additionally, during his fine collegiate career Steinwascher was an eight-time Horizon League Defensive Player of Week Award winner. He was also selected to the 2013 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team, was a three-time Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll selection in the classroom, and a four-time UDM Athletics Director Academics Honor Roll selection amongst some of his other accomplishments during his collegiate career.
A four-year letterwinner in high school, Steinwascher was a MIHSSCA Division 1 All-State Second Team goalkeeper as a senior at Sterling Heights Stevenson in Michigan in the fall of 2010, where he became one of the better keepers to come out of Macomb County and the soccer hotbed of Metro Detroit in recent memory. He helped lead Stevenson to the Macomb Area Conference-Red Division, Division 1 district and regional titles, and to the Division 1 state semifinals during that 2010 campaign. He was also a two-time Team MVP and a multi-year all-conference, all-district and all-regional performer as a prep player while he also earned plenty of awards and accolades on the youth club soccer circuit.
On the amateur soccer circuit in the spring and summer months, Steinwascher also suited up for the Michigan Bucks (now Flint City Bucks) in the USL League Two (formerly USL-Premier Developmental League). He played for the Bucks from 2012-2015, helping the historic Bucks win a North American title in 2014 while finishing as the runner-up in 2012 and 2015 with Steinwascher on the deep and loaded roster.
At the beginning of his pro career, DCFC competed in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) before gradually climbing the soccer pyramid up to USL Championship, where the club competes today.
Last year, Detroit City FC finished third in the regular season standings of the USL Championship-Eastern Conference, trailing only Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery in the 12-team conference. Steinwascher finished his final season of professional soccer by logging 1,980 minutes with 22 starts between the pipes while he also registered a 1.05 goals-against-average, allowed 23 goals, recorded 46 saves, faced 69 shots, posted a .701 save percentage and recorded an 8-6-8 record in goal during his encore season. Overall, his team recorded 15 wins against eight losses and 11 ties during the 2024 campaign.
His aunt and uncle, Terri and Henry Steinwascher, are both currently coaches in the youth club system with Nationals Soccer Club, while both of them were Class A All-State First Team players at Troy High School (1991) and Fraser High School (1989), respectively. His parents, Eric and Deanna Steinwascher, also grew up playing soccer with his dad growing up in Peru. His three siblings and several other cousins also played soccer and other sports growing up in the Detroit area.
Steinwascher is married to his wife, Catie, and has two young boys.
He recently accepted a job in corporate America, where he joined the Accurity Group in early 2025.
Courtesy Photo
Detroit area star goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher, shown here in 2022, recently retired from professional soccer. He spent virtually his entire club, high school, amateur and professional career competing in Michigan, including youth-club soccer, prep soccer at Sterling Heights Stevenson, collegiate soccer at the University of Detroit Mercy, amateur soccer with the Michigan Bucks and nearly the last decade with Detroit City FC – the last three up in the USL Championship.
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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