John Abe

Who is 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.

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.

In 1988, 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. 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.