15 Facts About Mike Lapper

Mike Lapper earned 44 caps, scoring one goal, with the US national soccer team between 1991 and 1995.

Mike Lapper was part of the US teams at both the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Mike Lapper played youth soccer in the North Huntington Beach Untouchables youth club.

Mike Lapper played collegiate soccer at UCLA from 1988 to 1991.

Mike Lapper made his debut for the United States on April 7,1991, against South Korea.

Mike Lapper played for the US 1991 Pan American Games gold medal soccer team, the 1992 Summer Olympics soccer team and the 1995 Copa America team which placed fourth at that tournament.

When Bora Milutinovic moved to a flat-back four defensive scheme, Mike Lapper found himself relegated to the bench in favor of Alexi Lalas.

Mike Lapper played several more matches at the end of 1994 and into 1995, but on August 16,1995, he earned his last cap in a losing match to Sweden.

Mike Lapper ended his national team career with 44 and scored one goal.

Mike Lapper began his professional career in 1994 with German Second Division club VfL Wolfsburg in Germany.

Mike Lapper continued to start for Wolfsburg until coach Eckhard Krautzun, who had sought Lapper's services, was fired by team management.

Mike Lapper soon found himself in the position of so many American players in Europe during those years.

The new manager, Gerd Roggensack, had no interest in American soccer players and Mike Lapper found himself unable to even make the substitute list.

At the time, Southend was pushing for promotion to the Premiership, but when it actually faced demotion to the second division in 1997, Mike Lapper left Southend to sign with Major League Soccer.

When Mike Lapper signed with MLS, the league allocated him in June 1997 to the Columbus Crew.