John Abe
John Abe is a retired German-American soccer player who played professionally in the American Professional Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 12 | ||
| Place of birth | Furth, Germany | ||
| Playing position(s) | Forward / Midfielder | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Essex Community College | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1991 | Maryland Bays | 74 | (14) |
| 1988–1991 | Hershey Impact (indoor) | 83 | (80) |
| 1991–1993 | Harrisburg Heat (indoor) | 72 | (64) |
| 1993–1994 | Baltimore Spirit (indoor) | 20 | (12) |
| 1995 | Albany Alleycats | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Early years
Born in Germany to an American military father and a German mother, Abe moved to Baltimore, Maryland when he was thirteen. He graduated from Northern High School before attending Essex Community College where he was a two-time junior college All American. In 1981, the Baltimore Blast drafted Abe but did not sign him. Abe then spent five years working as a bank teller.[1]
Career
In 1987, Abe signed with the Maryland Bays of the newly created American Soccer League. He remained with the Bays through the 1991 season and scored the game winning penalty kick in the 1990 APSL Championship game against the San Francisco Blackhawks.[2] In the fall of 1988, he moved indoors with the Hershey Impact of the American Indoor Soccer Association. In 1991, the Impact moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and became the Harrisburg Heat. Abe was named the first ever captain of the Heat but after just two season in Harrisburg, the team released Abe after they could not agree on contract terms. On November 23, 1993, Abe signed with the Baltimore Spirit.[3] In 1995, he played his last season of professional soccer with the Albany Alleycats of the USISL. In 2001 Abe was named to the Harrisburg Heat All Decade team (1991–2001).
Post-soccer career
Since retiring from professional soccer, Abe has been working for the Pennsylvania State Education Association and he coaches youth soccer in Central Pennsylvania. Abe has his USSF National "B" License and he also completed the three-week "B" level International Coaching Course of the German Football Association (DFB) (2013)
Personal life
Abe currently lives in Enola, Pennsylvania.
He was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 2000.[4]