Dave D'Errico
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David D’Errico | ||
| Date of birth | June 3, 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Newark, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender / Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972-1973 | Hartwick College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1974-1976 | Seattle Sounders | 37 | (1) |
| 1974 | → Dundalk (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1977 | Minnesota Kicks | 22 | (0) |
| 1978 | New England Tea Men | 24 | (0) |
| 1978-1979 | Cincinnati Kids (indoor) | 20 | (4) |
| 1979 | Rochester Lancers | 23 | (1) |
| 1979-1982 | New York Arrows (indoor) | 92 | (5) |
| 1980 | San Diego Sockers (indoor) | 17 | (0) |
| 1984 | Charlotte Gold | ||
| National team | |||
| 1974-1977 | United States | 19 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1984 | Charlotte Gold | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
David D'Errico (born June 3, 1952, in Newark, New Jersey) is a retired American soccer player. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League (NASL), five in Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and one in the United Soccer League (USL). He won three MISL championships and earned nineteen caps with the United States national team between 1974 and 1977.
Youth and college
David D'Errico grew up playing soccer in Harrison, New Jersey with his three older brothers (Anthony, Thomas, and Michael). Throughout his youth, he played for the local Kearny Scots. D'Errico graduated from New Jersey’s Harrison High School in 1969.[1] In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1940s-1960s.[2]
In 1972, he entered Hartwick College where he played on the men's soccer team for the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He was a First-Team All-American in 1973, the year that Hartwick went to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals before losing to Brown University in double overtime. David D'Errico graduated from Hartwick in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in history having played twenty-seven games, scored six goals and assisted on six others.
NASL
In 1974, the expansion Seattle Sounders selected D'Errico with the first overall pick in the NASL College Draft. In the 1974-1975 NASL offseason, the Sounders loaned David to League of Ireland First Division club, Dundalk for a month. After spending three seasons in Seattle, D'Errico broke his fibula and tore ligaments during practice. At the time, he and Mike England were competing for the starting position. The injury led to the Sounders going with England on the front line. After a contract dispute D'Errico asked to be traded to the Minnesota Kicks. He spent only a single season in Minnesota before moving to the New England Tea Men for the 1978 season. That year, he was named as an Honorable Mention All-Star.
MISL and NASL
At the end of the 1978 season, David began alternating between the outdoor NASL and the indoor Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). In 1978, he joined the Cincinnati Kids for its one season in the newly established MISL. The Kids played the first MISL game, against the New York Arrows. That year the Kids made the playoffs only to lose to the Arrows in the semifinals.
In 1979, David played for the Rochester Lancers of the NASL. Once again he played only a single season with the Lancers, but his time with the team was significant in that the Lancers also entered the MISL as the New York Arrows. D'Errico was second-team All-Star for the 1979-1980 MISL season and a first-team All-Star for the 1980-1981 MISL season.
D'Errico played one more season in the NASL, this time with the San Diego Sockers in 1980. The Sockers were a team, much like the Lancers/Arrows, a solid outdoors team, but came to dominate the indoor league.
USL
In 1984, D'Errico played for the Charlotte Gold. The Gold were a part of the short live outdoor United Soccer League which lasted only the 1984 and part of the 1985 season. D'Errico acted as a player-coach and led the team to an 11-13 record. The Gold folded at the end of the season.
National team
D'Errico also made his debut for the U.S. national team in 1974, playing the team's only two games of that year, both losses to Mexico. In 1975 he played two of the team's five games, one as a sub. However, in 1976, he became an integral member of the team and its eventual captain as it began qualifications for the 1978 World Cup. He continued to play through the end of 1977 and experienced the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup finals in 1978 in Argentina.
D'Errico has a graduate degree from Seattle Pacific University in sports psychology and sociology.
In 1995, Hartwick College inducted D'Errico into its Athletic Hall of Fame.
References
- ↑ David D'Errico Interview, Goal Seattle.com. Accessed October 11, 2007. "My high school, Harrison High, had and still has an amazing tradition. We have won the most state championships in NJ history despite having a total of 700 plus kids."
- ↑ Jandoli, Ron. "The Century's Best -- Boys Soccer: Top 10 Players of each decade", The Star-Ledger, November 7, 1999, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 10, 2003. Accessed September 11, 2008.