Arturo Velazco is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

defender. He played four seasons in the

Western Soccer Alliance The Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer ...

, five in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...

, at least three in the National Professional Soccer League and one in the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

. He also earned two

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

in 1988.

Professional career

Outdoor soccer

Velazco graduated from

La Jolla High School La Jolla High School (LJHS) is a public high school in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. Opened in 1922, LJHS is the second-oldest campus in San Diego Unified School District. It is accredited by the Western Association of School ...

. In 1984, he joined the San Diego Sockers of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

, but never entered a first-team game. In 1986, he signed with the San Diego Nomads of the

. He played with the Nomads through the 1990 season. During his four seasons with the Nomads, Velazco won the 1987 and 1989 championships. In 1988, Velazco was a first team All Star.
/sup> In 1990, the WSA merged with the American Soccer League (1988-1989), American Soccer League to form the

. The Nomads failed to make the playoffs, then withdrew from the league. Velazco then moved to the

Colorado Foxes The Colorado Foxes were a professional men's soccer club originally based in Commerce City, Colorado, that played in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and USL A-League. Founded in 1990, the club moved to San Diego, California in ...

for the 1991 season.
/sup> He moved again in 1992, this time to the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League (1988–89), American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when ...

.
/sup> On April 29, 1993, he signed with the expansion Los Angeles Salsa
/sup> The Salsa lasted only two seasons before folding in 1994.

Indoor soccer

On October 4, 1989, Velazco began his indoor career with the San Diego Sockers of the MISL I, Major Indoor Soccer League. In October 1990, he moved to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional indoor footbal ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. He was a first team All Star that season. He also played at least two seasons, 1992–1994 with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of the NPSL. In 1995, he played with the Mexico Toros of the

National team

Velazco earned two

with the

, both in June 1988. The first came in a 1–1 tie with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on June 1. The second was a 3–1 loss to Chile two days later.USA - Details of International Matches 1980-1989

References

External links

1989 San Diego Nomads roster

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velazco, Arturo American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Colorado Foxes players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Los Angeles Salsa players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Mexico Toros players Miami Freedom players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) indoor players Nomads Soccer Club players Wichita Wings (NPSL) players United States men's international soccer players Western Soccer Alliance players Living people 1964 births Men's association football defenders 20th-century American sportsmen