Where are they now?: Kyle Altman
Today marks Kyle Altman‘s 40th birthday. In the lore of Minnesota soccer, few figures loom as large—or as intellectually imposing—as Altman.
Before Minnesota United was an MLS powerhouse playing in Allianz Field, they were the Minnesota Stars, a team that defied the odds (and financial insolvency) to win the 2011 NASL Championship. And at the heart of that Cinderella story was Altman, the center-back captain who marshaled the defense by night and studied biochemistry by day.
Altman retired in 2013 at the peak of his powers, trading his captain’s armband for a white coat. Over a decade later, we check in on the “Iron Skillet” hero to see where his journey has taken him.
The Minnesota years (2008–2013)
Altman’s Minnesota career spanned two eras. He first joined the Minnesota Thunder in 2008 as a rookie out of Trinity University. When the Thunder folded and the new NSC Minnesota Stars emerged in 2010, Altman became a cornerstone of the franchise.
His crowning achievement came in 2011. Serving as captain, Altman led a defensive unit that scraped into the playoffs before going on an improbable run to lift the Soccer Bowl trophy. He followed that up with a Best XI campaign in 2012, leading the team back to the championship final.
Famous for his composure on the ball and his cerebral reading of the game, Altman was a rarity in the lower leagues: a player who could have likely made an MLS roster but chose to stay in Minnesota while preparing for his second career. On July 4, 2013, he played his final match for Minnesota United, retiring at age 27 to attend medical school.
The transition
While most players retire due to injury or age, Altman retired on his own terms to pursue a dream he had nurtured since his undergraduate days. He moved to San Antonio immediately after his final match to enroll at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
“I feel like I’m walking away when I’m playing my best soccer,” Altman told the Star Tribune at the time. “But I feel like it’s the right time to step away and not pass up this other opportunity.”
Where is he now?
Today, the Captain is now Dr. Kyle Altman.
After completing medical school in 2017, Altman spent five years completing his orthopedic surgery residency at Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina, followed by a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the University of Louisville.
As of 2026, he has returned to the city where his soccer journey began: San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Altman is currently an Orthopedic Surgeon with Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio. He specializes in hip and knee replacements and sports medicine—fittingly helping athletes and everyday people get back on their feet. He resides in San Antonio with his wife and two children, still staying active and occasionally watching the game he once dominated.
From lifting the Soccer Bowl trophy to performing robotic knee surgeries, Kyle Altman continues to operate at an elite level.
