Brad Smith is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played professionally in Germany and the United States, including the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. He never played for Rot-Weiss Essen nor BVL Remscheid. He played for Franz Sales Haus, Herne, Schoppingen, Marl, and Gottingen. The latter four being in the "Oberliga" (third division) at the time. He returned to the United States in June 1990.

Youth

Smith graduated from

Culver City High School Culver City High School is the main public high school of the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) in Culver City, California. It was established in 1951. The school's colors are blue and silver, and the mascot is the centaur. As of 2021, it ...

where he was an outstanding soccer and football player. Playing as a tailback, Smith was the 1983 Los Angeles Times High School Player of the Year. He was heavily recruited by several collegiate football programs. However, he was also drafted by both the San Diego Sockers 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 ...

and the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Smith chose to neither sign with an American team nor attend college, but moved to Germany where he pursued a professional soccer career.

Professional

Smith spent six years in the German 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga playing for

Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 195 ...

and BVL Remscheid. In 1989, he returned to the Los Angeles area. In 1990, Smith played for the

Los Angeles Heat Los Angeles Heat joined the Western Soccer Alliance in 1986. They joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the WSL merged with the American Soccer League, then folded in 1990. The club played in Torrance, California at West Hi ...

of the

(APSL). That fall, he signed as a free agent with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of the Major Indoor Soccer League where he played for two seasons. During the summer of 1991, Smith returned to the outdoor game, playing for the Salt Lake Sting and the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

of the APSL. With the collapse of the MISL and the Wichita Wings in 1992, Smith moved to the

Dayton Dynamo The Dayton Dynamo was a professional indoor soccer team from Dayton, Ohio. The team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Founded by former University of Dayton and Central State University coach Jerry Butcher, the Dynamo jo ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1993, he returned to the Rowdies for the 1993 APSL season. In 1994, he played for the

Los Angeles Salsa The Los Angeles Salsa was an American soccer team based in Los Angeles that played in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and the USISL Pro League. The club played on the campus of California State University, Fullerton at Titan Stad ...

, which finished runner up to the

Colorado Foxes The Colorado Foxes were a professional soccer team, based in Commerce City, Colorado, that played in the American Professional Soccer League, and later in the A-League, between 1990 and 1997. The Foxes won two APSL titles, in 1992 and 1993. In 19 ...

. On November 1, 1994, the

Baltimore Spirit 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 ...

purchased Smith's contract from the Dayton Dynamo. In October 1996, the Spirit released Smith and he signed as a free agent with the

Cincinnati Silverbacks The Cincinnati Silverbacks was an indoor soccer club based in Cincinnati, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. History They performed under the leadership of All-Star goalkeeper Carlos Pena. Other star players include ...

. The Silverbacks folded at the end of the season. In 1998, Smith again played outdoors, this time with the

San Diego Flash San Diego Flash was an American soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1998, the team returned to competitive play in 2011 and most recently played in the Southern Conference of the West Division of the National P ...

of the

USISL A-League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, returning to the Flash again in 1999. On August 13, 1998, 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 t ...

selected Smith in the NPSL dispersal draft.NPSL Transactions
In November 1999, the Blast sent Smith to the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

in exchange for future considerations. He suffered from several injuries before being waived in November 2000. He retired and entered the financial career field.

References

External links

MISL statsBrad Smith stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Brad Living people 1965 births Soccer players from Dallas American soccer players American expatriate soccer players in Germany American Professional Soccer League players Baltimore Blast (NPSL) players Baltimore Spirit players Buffalo Blizzard players Cincinnati Silverbacks players Dayton Dynamo players Los Angeles Heat players Los Angeles Salsa players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Rot-Weiss Essen players San Diego Flash players Salt Lake Sting players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players USISL players Wichita Wings players Men's association football forwards London Lasers players American expatriate soccer players