Manuel Hernandez (soccer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mani Hernandez | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Hernandez | |
| Date of birth | ||
| Place of birth | Spain | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1965-1968 | San José State University | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1974-1976 | San Jose Earthquakes | |
| National team | ||
| 1974 | United States | 2 (0) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1982- | Presentation High School | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Manuel “Mani” Hernandez (born Spain) is a retired Spanish-U.S. soccer forward. He played collegiate soccer at San Jose State University where he won the 1968 Hermann Trophy as the collegiate player of the year. He later spent three seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League. He currently coaches high school girls soccer at Presentation High School.
Contents |
[edit] Youth and college
Hernandez was born in Spain where he spent most of his youth. He joined a Madrid soccer club as a youth player, but his life took a turn when tragedy struck. After the death of both of his parents, Hernandez left Spain to live with his uncle in the United States. He arrived in the U.S. as a junior in high school. His senior year, San Jose State soccer coach Jules Menendez approached Hernandez about playing for him. Hernandez agreed and Menendez became a second father to him.[1] In 1968, the Spartans went to the NCAA Final Four before falling to eventual co-champions Maryland. That year, Hernandez was selected as a first team All American and the 1968 Hermann Trophy recipient as the top collegiate player of the year.
[edit] Club career
Following college, Hernandez spent several years with San Francisco semi-pro teams. In 1974, the North American Soccer League (NASL) established a franchise in San Jose, naming it the San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes signed Hernandez. He spent three season with the ‘Quakes, 1974-1976.
[edit] Olympics and national teams
In 1972, Hernandez was selected for the U.S. Olympic Team as it began the qualification process for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Hernandez scored one of the two goals in the U.S. victory over Jamaica which put the U.S. into the tournament.
Hernandez earned two caps with the U.S. national team in 1974, both losses to Mexico.
[edit] High school coaching
In 1980, Presentation High School in San Jose hired Hernandez. In 1982, he became the head coach of the girl’s soccer team. Over the decades since then, he has taken Presentation to seventeen league championships and eight Central Coast Sectional titles. Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton are among the players Hernandez has coached at Presentation.
