Hubert Birkenmeier

Last updated

Hubert Birkenmeier
Hubert Birkenmeier, MISL 1984-85 media guide page 018.tif
Birkenmeier circa 1984
Personal information
Date of birth (1949-05-24) 24 May 1949 (age 75)
Place of birth Hartheim am Rhein, West Germany
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1970–1972 Freiburger FC
1972–1977 Tennis Borussia Berlin 85 (0)
1977–1979 Freiburger FC 76 (0)
1979–1985 New York Cosmos 145 (0)
1981–1985 New York Cosmos (indoor) 24 (0)
1985–1986 Chicago Sting (indoor) 23 (0)
1986–1987 New York Express (indoor) 13 (0)
1987 Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) 3 (0)
1987 Cosmopolitan Eagles
1988 New York Pancyprian-Freedoms
1989–1990 New Jersey Eagles
Managerial career
1984 New York Cosmos (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hubert Birkenmeier (born 24 May 1949 in Hartheim am Rhein) is a retired German professional footballer who played professionally in Germany, the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. His greatest success came with the New York Cosmos in the NASL.

Contents

Career

Birkenmeier began his career in West Germany. In 1970, he signed with Freiburger FC before moving to Tennis Borussia Berlin in 1972. He remained in Berlin until 1977 when the Cosmos of the North American Soccer League purchased his contract. At the time he could not speak English. [1] Birkenmeier remained with the Cosmos until 1985. During those years, he played eight outdoor NASL, two indoor NASL and one Major Indoor Soccer League season. During those years, Birkenmeier was a First Team NASL All Star selection in 1982 and 1984, a Second Teamer in 1981 and an Honorable Mention in 1983. [2] Birkenmeier was the Cosmos' starting goalie for three consecutive Soccer Bowls ('80, '81 & '82), and did not concede a goal in any of them. In 1985, he also played several exhibition games for the Cosmos. In August 1985, he signed with the Chicago Sting of the MISL. [3] He spent most of the season as a backup for Victor Nogueira. The Sting waived him on 29 April 1986. [4] On 4 November 1986, Birkenmeier signed with the expansion New York Express of the MISL. The Express folded two-thirds of the way through the season and on 6 March 1987, the Los Angeles Lazers signed him to a ten-day contract. He then played for the Cosmopolitan Eagles during the 1987 outdoor exhibition season. [5] In 1988, he played for the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League as it went to the semifinals of the National Challenge Cup. He returned signed with the New York Eagles of the American Soccer League. [6] He remained with them through the 1990 season in the American Professional Soccer League. [7]

Retirement from professional soccer

Birkenmeier now manages a sporting goods store called Birkenmeier Sport Shop in Hackensack, New Jersey. The store was founded and originally owned by Birkenmeier but was sold in 1985 to his former Cosmos teammate Andranik Eskandarian [8] when Birkenmeier left to play for the Chicago Sting. [9] The teammates helped teach Eksandarian's son, Alecko, how to play inside the store. [10] He also is now a goalkeeping coach for World Class FC. [11]

Current activities

On a visit back to his hometown of Hartheim in 2009 to celebrate his 60th Birthday, he described initially having mixed feelings about leaving Germany to play in the United States. He stated that in his first few months as a Cosmo, he lived in a hotel and had some difficulty with both homesickness and the learning of a new language. However, he credits his teammate and fellow countryman, Franz Beckenbauer with helping him adjust quickly to his new home, team and language, helping him to become one of the team's most dependable and popular players while sharing in two NASL Championships. Birkenmeier continues to manage the sporting goods store he founded but stays involved in the sport acting as goalkeeping coach with the U.S. Youth National Team. He also runs a soccer youth camp for seven weeks each summer in Northern New Jersey. In the same interview, he stated that he goes back home to Hartheim every year to visit his brother and sister and stays abreast of hometown news via the internet. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alecko Eskandarian</span> American retired soccer player

Alecko Eskandarian is a retired Armenian American soccer player. He is the son of Andranik Eskandrian, a former player of the Iranian national team and the Esteghlal team. He is a former assistant coach for New York Cosmos and head coach for their reserve team, New York Cosmos B.

<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">Andranik Eskandarian</span> Iranian footballer (born 1951)

Andranik Eskandarian is an Iranian former footballer. He played as a defender for the F.C. Ararat Tehran, Taj SC and New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Sting</span> Former American professional soccer team based in Chicago

The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1984 to 1988. They were North American Soccer League champions in 1981 and 1984, one of only two NASL teams to win the championship twice.

The New York Express was a soccer team based out of Uniondale, New York that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League. They played only part of the 1986–87 MISL season before folding just after the league's midseason All-Star Break. Their home arena was Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They were owned by Stan Henry and ex-New York Cosmos goalie Shep Messing.

The 1984 North American Soccer League season was the 72nd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 17th with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada. It would be the 17th and final season of the NASL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shep Messing</span> American soccer player and broadcaster (born 1949)

Shep Norman Messing is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster who works as a studio analyst for the MLS Season Pass team. In 2021 he took the position of chairman of the Major Arena Soccer League.

Alan Mayer 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.

Chance Fry is a retired U.S. soccer forward who began his career straight out of high school with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League. With the collapse of the NASL, he moved to indoor soccer as well as U.S. minor leagues. Since retiring from playing, Fry has become a college soccer coach. He also earned five caps with the U.S. national team in 1984 and was the 1990 American Professional Soccer League leading goal scorer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Durgan</span> American soccer player

Jeffrey Durgan is a retired U.S. soccer defender who played professionally for the New York Cosmos and seven times for the U.S. national team.

Dan Canter was a U.S. soccer defender. He played three seasons in the North American Soccer League and three in Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned nine caps with the U.S. national team, scoring two goals, between 1983 and 1985.

Andrew Parkinson is a retired American soccer forward/midfielder born in Johannesburg, South Africa who spent time playing in both South Africa and England before immigrating to the U.S. where he played five seasons in the North American Soccer League, two in Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the American Soccer League. Parkinson earned two caps with the U.S. national team in 1984.

Elvis Comrie is an English-American former football player and coach. A forward, he played three seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in Major Indoor Soccer League, one in the American Indoor Soccer Association, two in the American Soccer League and one in the American Professional Soccer League. Comrie earned four caps with the U.S. national team in 1984. Comrie worked briefly as a stockbroker and was formerly a college soccer coach, primarily at Holy Cross. He was also the head coach of the Worcester Hydra of the USL Premier Development League in 2012.

Vojislav "Scoop" Stanisic is a retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He was most recently the goalkeeping coach for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. He spent most of his career playing indoor soccer in the United States, but also played five outdoor seasons in the American Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and USISL. He earned one cap with the US national team in 1993.

<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.

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

Germain Iglesias is a retired Peruvian soccer midfielder who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and Western Soccer Alliance.

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

The 1983–84 North American Soccer League indoor season was the fourth and last in league history. The San Diego Sockers defeated the New York Cosmos for their third straight indoor title, having won the NASL Indoor title in 1981–82 and the MISL title in 1982–83.

Derek Sanderson is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in eight leagues including the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League. He played three games for the U.S. at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship.

References

  1. ↑ "The Americanization of Birkenmeier". etecsolutions.net. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "1983 All-Stars". United Press International. 18 September 1983. Retrieved 13 January 2017– via UPI Archives.
  3. ↑ "FORMER COSMOS' GOALIE FINALLY NETTED BY STING". Chicago Tribune. 24 August 1985.
  4. ↑ "STING SIGN ALONSO, WAIVE GOALKEEPER BIRKENMEIER". The Seattle Times. 29 April 1986.
  5. ↑ '"RESULTS UNCLEAR AS EAGLES TEST LOCAL SOCCER WATERS". The Record (New Jersey). 1 June 1987.
  6. ↑ "American Soccer League 1989 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "American Professional Soccer League 1990 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Birkenmeier Sport Shop History". Archived from the original on 15 May 2008.
  9. ↑ Gola, Hank (8 November 2008). "Where are they now? Former Cosmo Andranik Eskandarian". Daily News . Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  10. ↑ Gildea, William (14 November 2004). "For Eskandarians, A Father-Son Game – United's Alecko Enjoys Same Success". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  11. ↑ Coaching Staffwcsocceracademy.org Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "Ein Fußballstar auf Heimatbesuch". Badische Zeitung (in German). 28 May 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
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.