| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rajinder Singh Virdee | ||
| Date of birth | c. 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | |||
| Ipswich Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1972–1973 | Montreal Olympique | 25 | (1) |
| 1974 | Miami Toros | 10 | (0) |
| 1975–1977 | St. Louis Stars | 59 | (0) |
| 1978 | San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 103 | (1) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Roger Verdi (born c. 1953) is a retired English professional footballer who spent his entire career in North America, making over 100 league appearances in the North American Soccer League.
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Verdi was born as Rajinder Singh Virdee in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian Sikh parents.[1] He moved to England at the age of seven, and changed his name due to racism.[1]
Verdi played with the youth teams of both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town, but failing to get a professional contract with either team, moved to North America.[2]
In the United States, Verdi played in the NASL between 1972 and 1978 for the Montreal Olympique, Miami Toros, St. Louis Stars and San Jose Earthquakes., making a total of 103 league appearances.
After his playing career ended he moved into coaching, holding assistant coaching positions with Athlone Town FC, Stockport County, Phoenix Inferno and Cleveland Cobras. Other coaching positions include Co-director for Hubert Vogelsinger Soccer Academy in Texas, Connecticut and California and has been the Technical Director for youth clubs in Washington, New Mexico. He joined DFW Tornados as a coach in 2010.[3]
He Is also the owner of the Roger Verdi International Soccer Academy.[3]