Ali Kazemaini (born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) is a retired Iranian-American soccer forward and former men's head coach at Cleveland State. He spent eight seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the National Professional Soccer League, earning 1985 MISL Rookie of the Year honors.

Youth

Born in

, Kazemaini moved to the United States to attend Orange High School in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. He graduated from Orange High School in 1980 and entered Cleveland State University that fall. While at Cleveland State, he played on both the school’s soccer and tennis teams. In June 1983, the U.S. government discovered that he had allowed his student visa to lapse in January 1979, thus placing him in the country illegally. He subsequently reapplied for a visa as well as U.S. citizenship. Kazemaini played for the Vikings from 1980 to 1983. He finished his career ranked fifth on the career goals list with 41, sixth in points with 102 and ninth in assists with 20. He was a second team All American in 1981 and 1983. Following his collegiate career, Kazemaini was selected for the 1984 U.S. Olympic soccer team. However, he had not yet received his citizenship before the games began and was dropped from the team.

Professional

In 1983, Kazemaini was drafted by both the Cleveland Force of Major Indoor Soccer League and the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

of 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 ...

. He signed with the Force, earning Rookie of the Year honors for the 1984–1985 season. When the Force folded following the 1987–1988 season, he moved to the Tacoma Stars. At some point, he moved to the

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

, playing for them during at least the 1991–1992 season. Both MISL and the Blast folded at the end of the season, and Kazemaini moved to the

Canton Invaders The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders. History The Canton Invaders were a p ...

of the National Professional Soccer League for the 1992–1993 season, after having appeared for the

North York Rockets The North York Rockets were a professional soccer team based in North York, Toronto, Ontario that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. They were one of four teams to participate in every season of the CSL. Upon the demise of the CSL, ...

in the outdoor Canadian Soccer League.

Coach

In 1992,

John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3 ...

hired Kazemaini as head coach. Over fourteen seasons, his team won seven Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles and four post-season tournament titles and compiled a 177–61–13 record. On December 15, 2005, Kazemaini moved to Cleveland State. In 2005, Kazemaini coached the Cleveland Soccer Academy in the USL Super Y-League.

References

External links

Cleveland State coaching profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazemaini, Ali 1963 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Canton Invaders players Cleveland Crunch players John Carroll University Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Cleveland State Vikings men's soccer coaches Cleveland State Vikings men's soccer players Iranian emigrants to the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Tacoma Stars players Men's association football forwards North York Rockets players