Alan Mayer

Last updated
Alan Mayer
Personal information
Full name Alan Mayer
Date of birth (1952-07-03) July 3, 1952 (age 71)
Place of birth Islip, New York, U.S.
Position(s) Goalkeeper
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1970–1973 James Madison Dukes
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1974 Southend United 9 (1)
1974–1975 Baltimore Comets 27 (0)
1976 San Diego Jaws 23 (0)
1977 Las Vegas Quicksilvers 22 (0)
1978–1979 San Diego Sockers 51 (0)
1979–1980 Pittsburgh Spirit (indoor) 17 (0)
1980 California Surf 17 (0)
1980–1981 New Jersey Rockets (indoor) 27 (0)
1981 California Surf 26 (0)
1981–1982 New Jersey Rockets (indoor) 27 (0)
1982–1983 San Diego Sockers (indoor) 43 (0)
1984–1985 Las Vegas Americans (indoor) 30 (0)
1985–1989 Kansas City Comets (indoor) 112 (0)
Total422(0)
International career
1976–1977 United States 6 (0)
Managerial career
1984–1985 Las Vegas Americans
Kansas City Wizards (assistant)
2010– Kansas City Comets (assistant/goalkeeper)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alan Mayer (born July 3, 1952) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and earned six caps with the United States men's national soccer team.

Contents

In 2019 he was inducted into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame [1] and Islip High School Hall of Fame. In 2021 he was inducted into Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame.

Youth

Attended Islip High School in New York where Mayer was named All-Suffolk County in three sports (Soccer, Basketball, and Tennis). He, along with his brother, Bill, were New York State Tennis Doubles Champions. Inducted into the Suffolk County Hall of Fame in 2002 and in 2021 was inducted into the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame. After graduating from Islip High School, Mayer attended James Madison University (JMU) where he played collegiate soccer and tennis for four seasons. He was the JMU soccer team MVP all four years while setting school records for career and season shutouts and also being named the first All-American player from JMU. Mayer was the JMU's tennis team MVP for three years as he played #1 singles and #1 doubles and was named JMU Athlete of the Year twice. He was selected to the James Madison University first Hall of Fame class in 1988. In 2000, he was voted JMU's Top Athlete of the Century.In 2021 was inducted into the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame.

Professional

After graduating in 1974, he was drafted first by the Baltimore Comets of the North American Soccer League (NASL). In the 1974 off-season, while playing in England for Southend United, then in the Football League Third Division, Mayer earned the distinction of scoring a goal from the goalkeeper position. In 1976, the Comets moved to San Diego and renamed their franchise, the Jaws. The team moved again in 1977 after only one season in San Diego, this time to Las Vegas, becoming the Quicksilvers. That year, Mayer earned NASL Second Team All Star honors. In 1978, the team moved again, back to San Diego where they took the name Sockers. Mayer remained with the team through all these moves and was named the 1978 NASL American Player of the Year. [2]

Beginning in 1979, Mayer alternated between indoor and outdoor soccer for several years. While on contract with the Sockers for the outdoor season, he joined the Pittsburgh Spirit of the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for the 1979-1980 MISL season. He was selected as second-team All MISL with the Spirit. In 1980, the Sockers traded Mayer to the California Surf. He played two seasons with the Surf. Between the 1980 and 1981 outdoor seasons, Mayer also played with the New Jersey Rockets of the MISL. When the Surf folded after the 1981 season, Mayer concentrated on playing indoor soccer for the remainder of his career. [3]

He returned to the Rockets for the 1981–1982 season before moving back to the San Diego Sockers which, while still officially part of the NASL, was playing in the MISL during the indoor season. While the Sockers had been a poor outdoor team, they quickly became the dominant U.S. indoor franchise, winning the MISL 1982-1983 championship. Mayer was named the MISL MVP and was the MISL All Star team goalkeeper that year as well. Mayer had a short tenure as player/head coach of the MISL's Las Vegas Americans in 1984–85, but was relieved of his coaching duties just ten games into the season (after going 4–6) and was replaced by Don Popovic. Mayer remained with the Americans strictly as a goalie and went 17-12 while splitting time with Keith Van Eron.

After the Americans' franchise folded the following summer, Mayer signed with the Kansas City Comets for the 1985–86 season and became an MISL All-Star for the second time. Nicknamed "Kamikaze" for his reckless all-out style of play, he became a fan favorite throughout his time in Kansas City, spending his final four seasons as a Comet before retiring at the end of the 1988–89 season. Mayer played his last game on April 12, 1989, against the Wichita Wings, and he finished with a regular-season won-lost record of 56–56 in Kansas City. In 2013, the Comets retired his jersey and it is now displayed hanging in the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.

National team

He earned 6 caps, gaining 2 shutouts, with the United States men's national soccer team from 1976 and 1977. During that period, he and Arnie Mausser traded duties as the starting goalkeeper on the national team.

During his career, he was known for wearing a padded helmet, not common in soccer at the time. [4]

Coach

After retiring from playing, Mayer was an assistant coach to the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. He currently[ when? ] lives in Kansas City and is goalkeeping coach of the Sporting KC Academy (MLS), University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) and the Kansas City Comets in the Major Arena Soccer League. The team honored Mayer at halftime of their game on February 22, 2013, by retiring his #0 jersey from his tenure with the original Major Indoor Soccer League Kansas City Comets.

Mayer was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Soccer Category with the Class of 2002.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)</span> Indoor soccer league in the United States

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Sockers (1978–1996)</span> Defunct American soccer club

The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984 as well as the original Major Indoor Soccer League and CISL. The franchise folded in 1996 and was the last surviving NASL franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Brcic</span> American former soccer player

David Joseph Brcic is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and earned four caps with the United States men's national soccer team.

Brian Quinn is a Northern Irish-American soccer coach and former player. He spent most of his professional career in North America where he played in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He later coached in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and Major League Soccer.

Jan Goossens is a former Dutch soccer player and coach. He played for clubs from the Netherlands and Canada, but spend most of his career in the United States of America. Jan Goossens played 612 official matches and scored a total of 474 goals during his career.

Yilmaz Orhan is a former football forward who played professionally in the United States and England.

Jean Wilhelm Willrich is a German-American soccer player who played as a forward. He played in his native Germany, then two seasons in the Netherlands, eight in the North American Soccer League and twelve in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Al Miller is an American former collegiate and professional soccer coach. After leaving coaching, he then became a general manager for two indoor soccer clubs in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juli Veee</span> Former soccer player (born 1950)

Juli Veee is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Announced as "Double-deuce, triple-E, the one and only Juli Veee", Veee experienced his greatest success as an indoor player with the San Diego Sockers. Born in Hungary, he earned four caps, scoring two goals, with the United States national team.

Johnny Moore is a former Scottish-U.S. soccer player who spent several years in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He has also served in various administrative positions, including general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. Moore also earned eleven caps with the U.S. national team. In 1997, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

James Gorsek, known as Jim Gorsek or Jimmy Gorsek, is a former American soccer goalkeeper. He spent seven seasons in the North American Soccer League, seven seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League and two in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. He also earned two caps with the U.S. national team in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Nogueira</span> Mozambique-born American soccer player

Victor Nogueira is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and the second Major Indoor Soccer League. He was also a member of the U.S. futsal team which took second place at the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championship, and he is the father of FC Kansas City and United States forward Casey Loyd. He was elected to the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.

Mark Demling is a retired American soccer defender who currently coaches high school soccer. Demling spent seven seasons in the North American Soccer League and one in Major Indoor Soccer League.

Lawrence Adam Michael Abrahams is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker in England, the United States, and Australia. In a career which lasted from 1977 to 1987, Abrahams played 283 career league games, and scored 142 league goals.

Chris Kenny is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.

Ben Collins is a retired Liberian footballer who played as a midfielder in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.

Gary Bernard Collier is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Active in both England and the United States, Collier made over 500 career league appearances.

Ronald Vernon Newman was an English professional association football player and coach. He was a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.

The 1990–91 Major Soccer League season was the 13th and penultimate in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their ninth NASL or MISL title in ten indoor seasons and fourth MISL title in a row.

The 1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the fifth in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their first MISL title. It would be the Sockers' second straight indoor championship, as the club had won the North American Soccer League's indoor league the previous spring.

References

  1. ↑ "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  2. ↑ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search".
  3. ↑ Pinella, Bill (February 27, 2014). "Sockers' Goalie Had No Interest in Outdoor Game". U-T San Diego . San Diego, CA: MLIM Holdings. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.soundercentral.com/museum/1979updates/socking_san_diego.htm
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.