Altimont Butler
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| Altimont Butler | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Altimont Butler | |
| Date of birth | July 21, 1968 | |
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica | |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 91⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1990-1993 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996 1996 1997 1998 |
Harbour View L'Etoile University of Southern New Hampshire Torreense Stade Brest North Jersey Imperials San Jose Clash Columbus Crew Cleveland Crunch |
14 (2) 1 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| Jamaica | 69 (?) | |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Altimont “Freddie” Butler (born July 21, 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a former Jamaica soccer striker.
Butler attended the Dunoon Technical High School. He began his career with Harbour View. During a tournament in Guadeloupe, L'Etoile spotted Butler and signed him to a contract when he was nineteen. In 1990, Butler entered the University of Southern New Hampshire where he played with the men’s soccer team from 1990 to 1993. He received All American recognition three times, twice as a first team (1992 and 1993).[1] Butler graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in computer information. Following graduation, he moved to Belgium where he spent a single season with Torreense. In 1995, he moved to French club Stade Brest. He also spent time with the North Jersey Imperials of the USISL.
In February 1996, the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer (MLS) drafted Butler in the second round (eighteenth overall) of the league’s Inaugural Player Draft. He spent the 1996 season in San Jose before being traded to the Columbus Crew for Mac Cozier on November 6, 1996. After appearing in only one game, scoring one goal, for the Crew, Butler left the team to concentrate on his national team commitments in the lead up to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The Jamaican national team successfully qualified for the World Cup, but manager Renê Simões dropped Butler from the team before the tournament for two reasons. First, he was injured several months before the game and second, Butler publicly complained when Simões said he intended to replace several players who had played during the qualification process with better players. On March 11, 1998, Butler signed a one year contract with the Cleveland Crunch of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).
Since then, Butler has worked as a coach and scout while playing amateur and semi-professionally. He coached with the New Jersey Dynamos Soccer Club from 2000-2005. Butler currently coaches a MAPS Boys team for the New Jersey Crew Soccer Club aptly named the Jersey Crew Reggae Boyz. His boys team won the US Club State Cup in 2006.
