Gary Etherington
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 22, 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward / Midfielder / Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1979 | New York Cosmos | 43 | (5) |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 32 | (2) |
| 1981–1982 | San Jose Earthquakes | 62 | (7) |
| 1982–1983 | Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) | 20 | (8) |
| 1983–1984 | New York Arrows (indoor) | 40 | (7) |
| 1984 | Minnesota Strikers | 17 | (1) |
| 1984–1988 | Minnesota Strikers (indoor) | 132 | (12) |
| 1988–1989 | San Diego Sockers (indoor) | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 356 | (42) | |
| National team | |||
| 1976 | U.S. U-20 | ||
| 1977–1979 | United States | 7 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Gary Etherington (born April 22, 1958 in England) is a retired English-American soccer player who began his professional career in the North American Soccer League before moving to the Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team. Since retiring, Etherington has coached youth soccer and is a soccer equipment salesman.
Etherington was born in England but migrated to the U.S. with his family when he was fifteen. His family settled in Virginia where he attended high school, playing both soccer and as a placekicker on his high school football team. Etherington was also a member of the United States U-20 men's national soccer team in 1976 as it attempted to qualify for the 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship. Etherington scored six goals to go with striker partner Rick Davis who scored eight. Despite their outstanding production, the U.S. finished third in the CONCACAF and did not qualify for the tournament.
In 1976, The New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League sign 18-year-old Gary Etherington. The previous spring he was on the Annandale, Virginia team that beat Westport in overtime, in Westport, in the Eastern U.S. finals, then went on to capture what is now the U-19 McGuire Cup national championship. The Annandale Cavaliers defeated Fountain Valley, California 4-0 in the semi-finals and Sparta of Chicago (3-0) in the finals. Future Cosmos teammate Ricky Davis played for Fountain Valley.
After graduating from high school, Etherington chose to bypass college and turn professional. He signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in 1977 as an amateur player and saw time in ten games that year. However, 1978 was considered his first professional season with the Cosmos. As such, he earned NASL Rookie of the Year honors that season. Etherington remained with the Cosmos for only one more season before being traded to the Los Angeles Aztecs before the 1980 season. While Etherington had begun as a forward with the Cosmos, his lack of production had led to his move to the midfield. When the Aztecs traded Etherington to the San Jose Earthquakes at the end of the 1980 season, Etherington found himself at right back for the 1981 season. However, in 1982, he was back in the midfield. Etherington moved once more, this time to the Minnesota Strikers for the 1984 NASL season, the last for the league as it folded at the end of the season.
...
Wikipedia