Alan Green (born 1 January 1954) is a former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. Born in England, he began his career with

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

before moving to the United States in 1979. He played a total of seven seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

and earned one

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

with the U.S. national team.

Professional

In England

Green, a native of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, England, began his professional career with

. He joined the club as a striker in 1970, but did not make his first team debut until 22 April 1972, which was his only appearance during that season. He peaked with the club during the 1975–76 season when he played 31 games and scored nine goals. After that his appearances and goals slowly began to taper off.

In United States

In 1977, Coventry loaned Green to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...

(Dips) of the

(NASL), whose season ran during the summer months, or the English off-season. Green played 16 games, scoring nine goals and assisting on five others. At the end of the 1978-79 English season, Green left Coventry to move permanently to the NASL, rejoining the Diplomats for the next two years. Green became a prolific scorer with the Dips, finding the net 42 times in 56 games, earning NASL All-Star Honorable Mention honours for 1980. At the end of the 1980 season, the Dips sold Green to the

Jacksonville Tea Men The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

; he spent two seasons with the Tea Men. In his first season, Green again gained NASL All Star Honorable Mention; in 1982, however, he bagged only six goals on 18 games. At the end of the season, the Tea Men traded Green to the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. He played the 1982-1983 NASL indoor season with the Earthquakes, scoring seven goals. In 1983, U.S. Soccer entered the United States national team, as Team America, into the NASL. The team drew on American citizens playing in the NASL, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. However, both the USSF and the NASL quickly discovered that many top American players preferred to remain with their existing clubs. In order to fill the roster, U.S. Soccer was forced to draw on foreign imports, and it negotiated with the Earthquakes to loan Green to Team America, despite the fact that he was still a British subject. Team America's 1983 season was a disaster, with a league-worst 10–20 record and dwindling attendance figures; the club folded at season's end. Green then became a free agent and signed with the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

as the team prepared for the 1983-84 NASL indoor season. Green received his American citizenship in November 1983, and played with the Cosmos through the indoor season, the subsequent 1984 outdoor season, and finally the club's 1984-85 indoor season in the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1985, just as the NASL was collapsing, Green retired as a player.

U.S. National Team

Once Green gained U.S. citizenship, he earned a single

with the United States national team in a 30 May 1984, scoreless tie with

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He started, but came off for Perry Van der Beck.USA - Details of International Matches 1980-1989

References

External links

Coventry Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Alan 1954 births Living people American soccer players Association football forwards Coventry City F.C. players English emigrants to the United States English footballers English expatriate footballers Jacksonville Tea Men players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Cosmos players New York Cosmos (MISL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Golden Bay Earthquakes (MISL) players Team America (NASL) players United States men's international soccer players Washington Diplomats (NASL) players English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States