Michael Stephens

How he joined the club: Signed on Dec. 9, 2014 after one season with Stabaek of Norway’s Tippeligaen

2016 (CHICAGO FIRE): Had two assists in 17 games, including 11 starts, for the Men in Red. U.S. Open Cup: Started on 6/28 vs. CLB and came off the bench on 7/20 vs. FTL.

2015 (CHICAGO FIRE): Stephens had four assists in 20 games, 16 of which were starts. He became a fixture in the lineup during the stretch run, starting 10 of the club’s final 12 games. Stephens recorded his first assist with the club against SEA on 7/11. He had a pair of helpers vs. NYR on 8/26 and added another against NYR on 9/11. U.S. Open Cup: Stephens started vs. Louisville City FC on 6/16 and came off the bench vs. ORL on 7/22.

2014 (STABAEK IF): Spent the 2014 season in Norway with Stabaek. Made 30 appearances, tallied seven assists and scored his lone Tippeligaen goal against Molde FK on Aug. 10. Appeared in four NM Cupen matches.

2013 (LA GALAXY): Appeared in 21 matches for the Galaxy, starting eight. Assisted on Robbie Keane’s goal in the 80th minute of the season opener against the Fire on March 3, 2013.  Scored in the 81st minute of a 2-2 road draw against D.C. United on Sept. 14, 2013.

2012 (LA GALAXY): Made 23 appearances for the Galaxy, starting six. Tallied assists in back-to-back games, assisting on Robbie Keane’s equalizer in the 64th minute against the Columbus Crew on Aug. 15 and Todd Dunivant’s goal in the 84th minute of a 2-0 win over FC Dallas on Aug. 26. PLAYOFFS: Appeared in all four of the Galaxy’s postseason matches. Played the final 14 minutes as the Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 to capture their second consecutive MLS Cup.

2011 (LA GALAXY): Played in 33 games in all competitions in his second season with the Galaxy, tallying one assist while winning his first MLS Cup. His lone assist came in the regular season finale at Houston, setting up Jack McBean’s late goal. One of Bruce Arena’s first options off the bench, Stephens started 12 regular season games as well as two games in each the Open Cup and the Champions League. Made his postseason debut as a second half substitute in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinal Series against New York. He was in the 18-man squad for 44 of the 46 games that the Galaxy played in all competitions.

2010 (LA GALAXY): An instant hit after being selected by the Galaxy in the first round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Stephens led all MLS rookies with eight assists while also adding a goal in 25 games. He scored the first goal of his professional career early in the 2-0 win at Columbus on 5/29. He tied a club record with three assists in LA’s 4-1 win vs. Houston on 6/5. That was one of two multi-assist games for Stephens, who set up two of his team’s three goals in the 3-1 win vs. Philadelphia on 5/1. The Galaxy were 5-0-0 when he had an assist, with seven of his eight assists coming at The Home Depot Center, having tallied one in the 4-0 win at Seattle on 5/8, one in the 3-1 win vs. Seattle on 7/4 and one in the 2-1 win at Chivas USA on 10/3. His eight assists were the most by a Galaxy rookie since Clint Mathis had 10 in 1998 and were the most by an LA player other than David Beckham or Landon Donovan since Cobi Jones had eight in 2003. The only Galaxy player to play in the first 22 games of the year, he was in the 18-man squad for 28 of the club’s 30 regular season games, while also making one appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League. He made his MLS debut as a second half substitute in the season opening win over New England and then was booked for the first time just a minute after entering his first Honda SuperClasico against Chivas USA on 4/1.

INTERNATIONAL (UNITED STATES): Stephens has represented the United States at the U-15, U-16, U-17, U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. A fixture in Caleb Porter’s U- 23 camps ahead of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, joining the team for camps in December, January and February ahead of the tournament in March. He was on the bench but did not appear in any of the U.S.’s three games at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. He joined the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. in 2004 and remained there through the 2005 Fall Semester when he enrolled at UCLA.

COLLEGE (UCLA): Played four years at UCLA, appearing in 81 games and making 78 starts for the Bruins. He scored 11 goals and added 20 assists while helping lead his team to the NCAA Tournament four times. As a junior in 2009, he set career-highs with seven goals and nine assists to be named the Pac-10 Player of the Year. His seven goals were the second most on the Bruins, with four of them coming on penalty kicks, including one in overtime to upset the #5 ranked University of California, while his nine assists tied him for the Pac-10 lead. Stephens tied a school record with four assists in a 6-1 win over San Diego State. He was also named to the All-Pac-10 First Team as a senior after tallying seven assists in 15 games while helping the Bruins reach the NCAA Quarterfinals. He was named the UCLA Rookie of the Year after appearing in all 24 of the team’s games, making 22 starts as a freshman in 2006. He came off the bench for the first two games of the season but started the rest to be named to the Top Drawer Soccer All- Freshman first team and to Soccer America’s All-Freshman second team. He scored his first collegiate goal just one minute into a 3-1 win over UC Santa Barbara. He also scored a goal in the NCAA semifinals as the Bruins defeated Virginia 4-0 to reach the College Cup Final.

PDL (CHICAGO FIRE): Scored one goal in eight appearances from 2007-08. Stephens also provided the opening assist in the Fire’s 2-1 victory over the Toronto Lynx in the 2008 Super-20 North American Finals. Also participated in the LA Galaxy’s U-20’s, which competed in the USL Super-20 League, in both 2008 and 2009. He helped the Galaxy win the Pacific SoCal Division in 2008 and a second place finish in 2009. He also played for the Chicago Fire Super-20s in the 2008 Super-20 North American Finals, assisting on the game’s opening goal as they went on to defeat the Toronto Lynx to claim the title.

YOUTH (U.S. RESIDENCY): He joined the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. in 2004 and remained there through the 2005 Fall Semester when he enrolled at UCLA. Stephens was selected for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2007 Pan American Games.