Eric Quill (born February 28, 1978 in Missouri City, Texas) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach and former player.

Career

College

An outstanding youth soccer player, Quill was offered a contract by

Ajax Amsterdam Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...

as a teenager, but declined the opportunity to go to Europe. He instead stayed in the United States, following the conventional route by going to Clemson University to play college soccer in 1996. After scoring six goals and five assists as a freshman for the Tigers, however, Quill decided to go pro, signing a

Project-40 Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract with MLS.

Professional

Quill was allocated to the Tampa Bay Mutiny for the 1997 season, but saw little playing time. After appearing extensively as a substitute in 1999, Quill finally broke into the team's starting lineup in 2000, when he started 25 games, registering five goals and eleven assists. Quill returned and played just as well in 2001, finishing the year with two goals and eight assists in 23 starts. The Mutiny were contracted at the end of 2001, however, and Quill was selected fourth overall by the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft. Quill immediately stepped into the Wizards' left midfield position, but numerous injuries limited him to 13 starts and one assist on the season. Having recovered in 2003, Quill had a solid campaign, starting 25 games and scoring three goals and seven assists. However, Quill was traded in the offseason to the Dallas Burn along with

Carey Talley Carey Talley (born August 26, 1976) is a former American soccer player. Career College Talley played high school soccer for Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. His team won the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association soccer ...

for

Shavar Thomas Shavar Thomas (born 29 January 1981 in Hannah Town) is a retired Jamaican footballer and current assistant coach of FC Cincinnati 2 of MLS Next Pro. Career Amateur and college Thomas played as a youth for Hazard United in Jamaica and at The ...

. Quill had a disappointing season with the Burn, and although he beat out Brad Davis for his left midfield position, he only registered one goal and three assists on the year. He was let go by the club early in 2005 and signed with the MetroStars in August. Quill was released by the club in November 2005. Unable to find a club, Quill turned to coaching, spending time as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the women's soccer team at the University of Houston in 2007 and 2008. In early 2009, Quill was coaxed out of semi-retirement to play in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

for

Houston Leones The Houston Leones were an American soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of t ...

, where he was expected to lend his experience to the team's midfield.

International

Although he has been called up to camps, Quill has never played for the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. He has, however, played for the U-23, U-20, and U-16 sides.

Personal life

Quill is married to Susan Bush, former soccer player for the U.S. national team and current coach, who he worked with while the assistant of the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education instr ...

women's team.

References

External links

University of Houston coaching bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quill, Eric 1978 births Living people American soccer players Clemson Tigers men's soccer players Tampa Bay Mutiny players Jacksonville Cyclones players MLS Pro-40 players Sporting Kansas City players FC Dallas players New York Red Bulls players Houston Leones players Soccer players from Texas A-League (1995–2004) players Major League Soccer players USL League Two players Association football midfielders American soccer coaches USL League One coaches