Hiebert climbing to great heights in MLS – Winnipeg Free Press
If 2016 was Kyle Hiebert’s rock bottom, 2023 may just be his trip to the summit.
Hiebert, who grew up in La Salle dreaming of playing soccer professionally, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee on a slide tackle in 2015, shelving him for his freshman college season at Missouri State University (MSU), then tore the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his other knee the following spring.
A second injury not only sidelined the Bears defender for a consecutive season but left his dreams in doubt.
Kashaun Smith / St. Louis City SC
Defender Kyle Hiebert of La Salle is part of a St. Louis City SC squad that has started the MLS season 3-0.
“The second one even more than the first because the second one, I was like, ‘OK, what is going on?’ said Hiebert, 25. “But throughout that, I always had faith that God had a plan for my life and for my soccer career, so I held onto that.”
Hiebert has since remained in good health and turned into a force on the pitch. After becoming the first player in the Missouri Valley Conference to win three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards, the Bears captain was offered a professional contract in 2022 with St. Louis City Soccer Club, an MLS expansion team. He spent last season with the club’s development side, St. Louis City 2, of the MLS NEXT Pro League.
This off-season, Hiebert became the first player in franchise history to be called up to the big club. He made his MLS debut with St. Louis City SC on Feb. 25 with his wife, Cassidy, parents and a few Canadian friends in attendance.
“It was a surreal moment walking out,” Hiebert told the Free Press Friday. “Even for the warmups, just getting booed by the opposition crowd. It was probably the first game I played where you could not communicate with anyone on the field if they were further than five feet away from you, because the crowd was so loud the entire game.
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