SLU soccer standout begins his professional career with New England

Michael Roach’s journey to MLS has been nothing short of a miracle. In October 2005, while Roach was in high school, he was in a near-fatal car wreck that almost derailed his soccer future. His car flipped into a ditch, and as Roach struggled to get out of his car, something was wrong.

“Someone saw the accident and asked me to sit back down and get my wallet,” Roach said, “and that’s right when I couldn’t reach into my car, and I was pretty much frozen. I just couldn’t believe that I couldn’t move.”

Roach had broken his secold vertebrae, and his bright soccer future suddenly turned bleak. He quickly shifted his focus on his recovery as soccer took a back seat, but it was not out of the picture.

“Soccer wasn’t really on my mind at that point. I just had to figure out what was wrong with me,” Roach said.

Before The Wreck

Roach started his soccer career at a young age with Scott Gallagher Soccer Club and continued playing there for many years.

After success at Scott Gallagher, Roach attended Chaminade High School, where he continued to play soccer.

“I know when I was younger that my dad took me to some of the Chaminade games, and I would look at those guys, and I would look up to them and want to be like them. I always thought one day that I wanted to play there, and then I actually ended up playing there,” Roach said.

Before the fateful car accident, Roach had one of the best games of his high school career, as Chaminade defeated Saint Louis University High, 3-0.

“He was on top of the world on Saturday, and then the next day he could not get out of bed. It was our worst nightmare,” Mike Roach, Roach’s father, said.

Recovery Begins

After the car wreck, the soccer player had two options for recovery. According to a 2006 article that appeared in Sports Illustrated, Roach could have had a screw placed in his spine, which would have ended his soccer career, or take a chance on a halo brace, “to get bone on bone to fuse,” which would have allowed him to continue to play soccer if successful.

Michael chose the halo, which gave him a chance to play soccer once again, but he was worried.

“There were times when I didn’t know if it was going to possible (to play again),” Roach said. “Before the accident, I had a good run, and then after the wreck, there were doubts in my mind. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be the player I ever was before.”

After the operation, Roach had to endure a grueling six-month recovery period with three months in the halo and three months in a neck brace.

“Through the entire process, Michael never felt sorry for himself. He never complained, never shared his pain with anyone. I saw a very mature man who worked his hardest to get back on the field,” Roach’s father said.

Finally, in May 2006, Roach got clearance to play soccer again. He started to play at the same high level he had before the wreck and began to win at Chaminade once again.

“A lot of guys on my team, when I came back, said that it did not look like I was out at all, and [they] probably thought that I had come back stronger than I was before,” Roach said.

After recovering, Roach and Chaminade won the Class 3 state championship with a 31-1-1 overall, and they won the state championship on Roach’s birthday. Roach had 54 points that year, with 17 goals and 19 assists.

“To go through everything that I did and to have all the guys around me when things were really bad, and then to win a championship with them, was definitely one of the better feelings of my career,” Roach said.

After Roach’s incredible comeback, he garnered the attention of several of Division I schools for soccer. He ultimately decided to go to Indiana University, but after one year of playing, Roach decided to come back to St. Louis.

The Trials and Tribulations at SLU

Roach was recruited by Dan Donigan to come back to Saint Louis University. Roach’s redshirt sophomore year was his best year at SLU, as he had 30 points (14G, 2A). However, after that year, Roach’s strength would be tested once again. Donigan left to become the head coach at Rutgers, and Roach sustained a knee injury that kept him sidelined the majority of his junior year.

During his senior year, Roach saw limited action because of injuries, but he lead SLU that year with 4 assists and had 8 points, which was third most on the team. However, there was one dream that Roach wanted to reach: an opportunity to play professional soccer.

A Dream Realized 

Roach had a dream. After all of his trials and tribulations, he still wanted the opportunity to play professional soccer.

Roach sustained a few injuries while at SLU, but that did not deter him. After all, this was the same person who fought for six months with a serious neck injury just to get an opportunity to play soccer again. Angie Willis, assistant athletic trainer, oversaw Roach through his time at SLU and knew about his dream of playing professional soccer.

“Mike has always been very focused and vocal about his goal to play professional soccer. We were both under the pretense of getting him back healthy not just for SLU, but for playing after SLU,” Willis said.

Also assisting Roach was Assistant Coach Mark Santel. Santel worked with Roach before his combine.

“Michael deserves a lot of credit. It is fantastic what he has done,” Santel said.

Santel helped simulate drills that Roach would have to go through during his combine and attempted to give him situations in front of the net and in full-team training.

“Michael has gone through some frustrating times, but he stayed strong physically and mentally,” Santel said.

However, there was still one question to be answered: Would Michael Roach be drafted by a Major League Soccer team? The answer was yes. In the last round of the MLS supplement, Roach was selected by the New England Revolution.

“The main thing is that Michael has a desire to compete. He always loves challenges, and I’m very excited for him,” Roach’s father said.

However, being drafted is just one step of the process. Roach is currently in Arizona for an 11-day training camp with the Revolution.

“It is a completely different environment. People have kids and wives, and everyone is playing for a spot, so you have to be focused and bring everything you can,” Roach said.

It is a miracle that Roach has made it this far. From being on the verge of never playing soccer again to being drafted by a MLS team, Roach certainly recognizes the position that he is in and the opportunity he must seize to live out his dream.