Jan Goossens (born 18 December 1958) is a former

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

soccer player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

and coach. He played for clubs from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, but spend most of his career in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. Jan Goossens played 612 official matches and scored a total of 474 goals during his career.

Career

Youth

Jan Goossens was born and raised in Velp,

, where he played his youth soccer at the local soccer team Gelria. At the age of 18 he started playing for the professional soccer team

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

from

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

NEC Nijmegen

On October 16, 1977, Jan Goossens made his debut on the first squad of NEC Nijmegen in a home match against

FC Twente Football Club Twente (), sometimes known internationally as FC Twente Enschede, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from the city of Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub E ...

. Goossens played 13 matches for NEC. Almost a year after his debut, Jan Goossens played his last match for NEC against

FC Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...

on October 25, 1978.

Edmonton Drillers

In the beginning of 1979 Jan Goossens transferred from NEC to the Edmonton Drillers 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 ...

, where

Hans Kraay Sr. Hans Kraay (14 October 1936 – 27 October 2017) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a defender. Subsequently, he became well known for his football management skills as well as analysis of matches on Dutch television. Biography ...

was the head coach at that time. Goossens wasn't the only Dutch soccer player that moved to the Edmonton Drillers that year. Also

Henk ten Cate Hendrik Willem ten Cate (born 9 December 1954) is a Dutch football coach and former player. In the 2005–06 season, he was assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona when the team won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles. He then serve ...

Dwight Lodeweges Dwight Lodeweges (born 26 October 1957) is a Canadian–born Dutch football coach and former professional player. He is currently one of the assistant managers of the Netherlands national team. In 2020, after Ronald Koeman left to join Barcelo ...

and Hans Kraay Jr. moved to the Edmonton Drillers in 1979–1980. On April 6, 1979, Jan Goossens made his debut for the Edmonton Drollers in an away match against the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

. In the 1980–81 season Jan Goossens won the NASL Indoor competition with the Edmonton Drillers. Goossens played a total of 139 matches for the Edmonton Drillers, in which he scored 92 goals. In 1982 the Edmonton Drillers folded due to financial troubles, which caused Goossens to leave for a club from the

Heracles Almelo

From October 1979 till March 1980 Goossens was out on loan to

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

. During this period the American competition had ended, which made it possible for Dutch soccer players to go out on loan to Dutch teams. Goossens played 15 matches for Heracles Almelo, in which he scored 7 goals. On March 2, 1980, Goossens played his last match for Heracles Almelo against

FC Eindhoven Football Club Eindhoven, commonly known as FC Eindhoven, is a professional association football, football club based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football ...

. After that match his loan period ended and he had to return to the Edmonton Drillers.

Golden Bay Earthquakes

In 1982 Goossens moved from the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Edmonton Drillers to the American

Golden Bay Earthquakes Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

. That year, the Golden Bay Earthquakes, normally an NASL team, spent the indoor season playing in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Earthquakes returned to the NASL for the 1983 summer season and Goossens remained with the team into the 1984 season. He was hindered by a knee injury in 1984 and was transferred to the

Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/ St. Paul metrop ...

late in the season.

Minnesota Strikers

Jan Goossens left the

in 1984 for the

, but due to his knee injury he was not able to play any match the first season. The Minnesota Strikers ended the 1985-1986 MISL season as runner up, after losing the playoff final against the San Diego Sockers (4-3). Jan Goossens played a total of 93 games for the

, in which he scored 71 goals.

Kansas City Comets

In 1986 Jan Goossens left the

and moved to the Kansas City Comets, where he would play until that team folded in 1991. Goossens played three MISL playoff finals with the Kansas City Comets, but the team ended up as runner-up every time. Jan Goossens holds the Kansas City Comets all-time record for the most goals, by scoring 221 goals in 227 games. Goossens also holds the Kansas City Comets all-time record for the most assists, by giving 237 assists in 227 games. In the 1989–1990 seasons Goossens even got the MISL Pass Master Award, which was given out to the player with the most assists during the regular season.

Dallas Sidekicks

After a very successful period at the Kansas City Comets, Jan Goossens moved to the Dallas Sidekicks in 1991. His teammate David Doyle made the same move. Jan Goossens played 29 games for the Dallas Sidekicks, in which he scored 19 goals. In July 1992 with the league on verge of collapsing, Goossens announced his retirement.

Prices

* NASL indoor champion: season 1980–81 * MISL Pass Master Award: season 1989–90

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame

In September 2022, Jan Goossens was a member of the inaugural class of inductees into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame.

Trivia

* Most scoring Dutch player in the

(NASL) * All-time record leader for the most goals for the Kansas City Comets * All-time record leader for the most assists for the Kansas City Comets * 6th all-time points leader of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) * 5th all-time leader of goals of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) * 5th all-time leader of assists of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats

NEC stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goossens, Jan 1958 births Living people Sportspeople from Rheden Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Canada Dutch men's footballers Eredivisie players NEC Nijmegen players Heracles Almelo players Edmonton Drillers (1979–1982) players Men's association football forwards Kansas City Comets (1979–1991) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Minnesota Strikers (NASL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Golden Bay Earthquakes (MISL) players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players Footballers from Gelderland Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada 20th-century Dutch sportsmen