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San Jose Clash V D.C. United (April 1996)
On April 6, 1996, the San Jose Clash and D.C. United contested a Major League Soccer regular season match to open the 1996 Major League Soccer season. The match was the first played in the league's history. The Clash hosted United at Spartan Stadium, located on the campus of San Jose State University, to a crowd of 31,683. A late 88th-minute goal by Eric Wynalda gave the Clash their first ever victory in franchise history. Background Match Summary The match was attended by a sellout crowd of 31,683, including FIFA president João Havelange and Univision commentator Andrés Cantor. Details Man-of-the Match:Eric Wynalda (San Jose Clash) Aftermath The loss prompted a four-match losing skid for United, before they finally won their first match on May 1, 1996, against Dallas Burn, but subsequently lost two more matches. However, United was able to overcome the early deficit record of 2–7 and finished the season 16–16, qualifying United for the MLS Cup Playoffs ...
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1996 Major League Soccer Season
The 1996 Major League Soccer season was the inaugural season of Major League Soccer. It was the 84th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 18th with a national first-division league. Overview Preparation for first season Major League Soccer had originally intended to begin competitive action in 1995. Various difficulties forced the league to postpone its first season until 1996. In preparation for its first season, the league began signing what it called marquee players, beginning with Tab Ramos on January 3, 1995. Beginning in October 1995, the league apportioned the marquee players in the MLS Inaugural Allocations. Each team received two national team and two foreign players in the allocation. The league then invited about 250 players to a tryout the second week of January 1996 on the campus of UC Irvine. On February 6 and 7, 1996, the league held its 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft in which the ten teams selected 160 players over sixteen ro ...
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Greg Vanney
Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and-a-half in the French First Division playing for Sporting Club de Bastia between 2002 and 2005. He also earned 36 caps, scoring one goal, with the U.S. national team between 1996 and 2006. In 2017, as coach of Toronto FC, Vanney won the domestic treble by winning the MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and the Canadian Championship. Playing career High school and college Vanney played soccer for Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, and led the team to three consecutive state championship titles in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Vanney holds the school record for most assists by one player in a season with 13 for the 1990–1991 season, and also holds the school record for most goals by one player in a single season with 33 goals for the 1 ...
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Jeff Agoos
Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos won a record five MLS championships: three with D.C. United and two with the San Jose Earthquakes. He also won the 1996 U.S. Open Cup and was the 2001 MLS Defender of the Year. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009. Post-playing-career, Agoos served as the Technical Director and Sporting Director of the New York Red Bulls, and then Vice President of Competition for Major League Soccer. He is currently President and General Manager of Soccer Operations for Portland Thorns FC. Early life Agoos (nicknamed ''Goose'') was born in Geneva, Switzerland, as his father was working overseas there for Caterpillar Construction Company. He grew up in Texas, and attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. He was named a two-time ''Parade Magazine'' High Sch ...
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Eddie Pope
George Edward Pope (born December 24, 1973) is an American former soccer player who last played for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and spent eleven years as a defender for the United States national team. He spent most of his career playing for D.C. United. Pope is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Youth Born in High Point, North Carolina, Pope attended Southwest Guilford High School. Pope had a very successful career playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels where he also kicked for Mack Brown's football team. In 1994, he was a first-team All-American, and also earned All-ACC and All-South Region honors. Professional club career In 1996, D.C. United selected Pope in the first round (second overall) in the MLS College Draft. His first season in Washington, D.C. was split between United and the men's Olympic team, which was preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. However, he still played 18 games for United and won a league title with the tea ...
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Clint Peay
Clint Peay (born September 16, 1973, in Columbia, Maryland) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently serving as an assistant coach of the MLS team New England Revolution. He was a regular on the U.S. junior national teams and U.S. Olympic team in the mid-1990s. He also spent several years with D.C. United in Major League Soccer. Youth Peay grew up in Columbia, Maryland and attended Oakland Mills High School where he played on the boys' soccer team. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Virginia where he was a defender on the men's soccer team from 1991 to 1995. During Peay's four seasons, the Cavaliers won the NCAA championship four consecutive years. Of note, Oakland Mills won the Maryland State Championship and was ranked #1 in the state at the end of Peay's senior year. In Peay's four years at the University of Virginia, his teams also won their respective championships, each time ending the year ranked #1. For his first ...
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Mark Simpson (soccer)
Mark Simpson (born March 18, 1966) is an American former soccer player and coach. A goalkeeper, he spent six seasons with D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He backstopped the team to the MLS Cup 1996. He also spent one season in the American Professional Soccer League, two in the USISL and six in the National Professional Soccer League. He earned one cap with the U.S. National Futsal Team in 1999. He was the Director of Soccer Operations for the planned North American Soccer League team Virginia Cavalry FC. Player Youth Simpson attended Eastern Illinois University where he played on the men's soccer team until 1988. Professional On June 17, 1988, the Chicago Sting selected Simpson in the third round (25th overall) of the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. The Sting folded a month later and the San Diego Sockers picked up Simpson in the July 1988 dispersal draft. The Sockers did not sign him and Simpson joined the Chicago Power of the American Indoor Soccer Association in Oc ...
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Laurie Calloway
Laurence John Calloway (born 17 June 1945) is an English retired footballer who played as defender, spending thirteen years in the English leagues and five years in the North American Soccer League. Since retiring from playing professionally, Calloway has coached teams in several US leagues. Playing career England Calloway began his professional playing career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1962, but failed to make an appearance for their first team. He remained with Wolves until 1964 when he dropped down the league to join Rochdale where he would spend four seasons. He spent the next thirteen years as a journeyman bouncing from one lower division club to another. In 1968 Calloway moved to Second Division Blackburn Rovers. After two seasons with Rovers he was sent to Division Four club Southport in August 1970 in exchange for Alex Russel. A year later Southport transferred Calloway to fellow Division Four club York City. He left York to his final English club Shrewsbury Town ...
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Ante Razov
Ante Razov (born March 2, 1974) is an American soccer coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC. A prolific forward, Razov is one of the leading goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the all-time leading goal scorer for two current or former MLS clubs: the Chicago Fire with 76 goals and Chivas USA with 30 goals. In April 2007, Razov became the third player in MLS history to score 100 goals. Razov also played for the United States men's national soccer team. Early life Razov, who was born in a family of Croatian immigrants, spent his childhood in Fontana, California. He attended Fontana High School, and went on to play college soccer at UCLA. Playing career Club Razov was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third round of the 1996 MLS College Draft. He played two seasons in LA, but did not get much playing time, scoring just one goal, and signed with the expansion Chicago Fire prior to the 1998 season. During his t ...
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Curt Onalfo
Curt Onalfo (born November 19, 1969) is an American former association football, soccer player and coach who currently serves as sporting director of Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. As a player, he played two seasons in France, two in the USISL, one in Mexico and four in Major League Soccer, achieving his most success with the LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United. He also earned one Cap (sport), cap with the United States men's national soccer team, United States national team. He has an extensive coaching résumé, having served as head coach of three MLS clubs. Following a five-game losing streak with the Galaxy, Onalfo was removed from his role as head coach of the team on July 27, 2017. Youth and amateur Onalfo was born in São Paulo, Brazil, but grew up in the United States in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and played high school soccer at Ridgefield High School (Ridgefield, Connecticut), Ridgefield High School. He went on to play four years of College ...
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Eduardo Hurtado
Eduardo Estíguar Hurtado Roa (born 2 December 1969) is an Ecuadorian former footballer who played as a striker. He is the 3rd all-time top goalscorer for the Ecuador national football team with 26 goals in 74 caps. He has played for teams in his home nation as well as Mexico, the United States, Scotland, Switzerland, Chile and Argentina. In America's Major League Soccer (MLS), he was the second highest goal scorer in the league's opening season, helping the Los Angeles Galaxy make a run for the playoffs. He was active for nearly 20 years, retiring at 40 years old in 2010. Career Hurtado, nicknamed ''El Tanque'' ("The Tank") for his towering frame and his aggressive playing style (trying to roll over everything in his path), has played for many teams in different countries. His first teams were now defunct Valdez Sporting Club from Milagro and Emelec from Guayaquil, in his native Ecuador. He also had stops in Switzerland, Chile, Mexico, the United States, Argentina, and S ...
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Harut Karapetyan
Harutyun Karapetyan (born 7 April 1972) is an Armenian former professional footballer who played as a forward in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the Los Angeles Galaxy, the San Jose Clash, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Karapetyan holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in MLS history, scoring one in five minutes in June 1998 while playing for the Galaxy in a game against FC Dallas (originally the Dallas Burn); the Galaxy eventually won the match 8–1. Career Karapetyan played for the Los Angeles Salsa in the American Professional Soccer League in 1993 and 1994. In February 1996, the Galaxy selected him in the 7th round (74th overall) in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. A resident of Van Nuys, he was so unknown that he was inadvertently omitted from the ''L.A. Timess 7 February 1996 account of the draft's opening rounds. On 26 May 1996, Karapetyan scored his first two goals for the Galaxy, in a 3–2 victory over the Columbus Crew. On 7 August 1998, the Galaxy traded him to ...
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Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He has also been seen on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Fox Sports, BeIN Sports, the Pac-12 Network, and as the host of the Totally Football Show: American Edition. In addition, during the 1990s, he hosted the health show ''Mega-Dose'' on MTV. As a player, Jones was a midfielder from 1994 until 2007, starting his career in England with Premier League club Coventry City, before playing for Brazilian side Vasco da Gama. He is one of a significant group of United States national team stars who returned from overseas to aid the then new Major League Soccer in 1996, beginning an 11-year spell with the LA Galaxy. Jones is the all-time leader in caps for the United States national team and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Following retirement, Jones served as an assistant coach with the LA Galaxy for two seasons. Youth ...
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