Dan Canter was a U.S. soccer defender. He played three 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 three in Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned nine

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with the U.S. national team, scoring two goals, between 1983 and 1985. Born in

North Plainfield, New Jersey North Plainfield is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 21,936,Chatham Township, New Jersey Chatham Township is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township located in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 10,452, reflecting an increase of ...

College

Canter attended

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

where he played as a sweeper on the men's soccer team from 1978 to 1981. In 1981, he earned first team All American honors.

Professional

The

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

of the

drafted Canter in the 1982 NASL College Draft. He quickly won a starting job on the Striker's first team, playing twenty-nine games and scoring twice. In 1983, the

U.S. Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

, in coordination with the NASL, entered the U.S. national team, known as Team America, into the NASL as a league franchise. The team drew on U.S. citizens playing in the NASL, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. In January 1983, Canter left the Strikers and signed with Team America. When Team America finished the 1983 season with a 10–20 record, the worst in the NASL, USSF withdrew the team from the league. Canter returned to the Strikers in time for the 1983-1984 NASL indoor season. The Strikers which were in the process of relocating from Fort Lauderdale to Minnesota, did not play in that season. Therefore, the Strikers loaned Canter to 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 Independe ...

. On February 28, 1984, the Strikers traded Canter to the Cosmos in exchange for Mike Jeffries, a 1985 first-round draft pick and cash. That year Canter was an NASL All Star honorable mention (third team). The NASL collapsed after the 1984 outdoor season and several of the league's teams, including the Cosmos, moved to MISL for the 1984–1985 season. Canter began the season with the Cosmos, but financial difficulties led the Cosmos to trade him to the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1 ...

in exchange for

Robert Meschbach Robert Meschbach (born June 17, 1959) is a Canadian-American retired soccer player who played professionally as a midfielder in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association. High school Whil ...

and cash in February 1985. On November 15, 1985, the Sting traded Canter to the

Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropoli ...

in exchange for Ben Collins and two draft picks.

National team

Canter earned his first

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 ...

in the national team's only 1983 game, a 2–0 win over

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. Canter played the first national team game in 1984, a 0–0 tie with

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and was an integral part of the team as it prepared for the upcoming

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for him, he injured himself just prior to the games and was replaced by Kazbek Tambi on the roster. Canter returned for the next two full internationals in September and October, but did not play again until May 1985. At that point, he again became a regular starter as the U.S. moved through the

1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...

qualification rounds. He was part of the debacle in Torrance, California where the U.S. needed only a tie with

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

to advance, but lost 1–0. He earned his last cap three weeks later when

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crushed the U.S. 5–0 in Los Angeles.

Post Soccer

Upon leaving the life of soccer, Canter became a salesperson for Rick Case Automotive Group before moving into management. After 19 years with Rick Case. He is currently New Car Sales Manager at Lauderdale Infiniti.

Death

Dan Canter died on April 9, 2020, in

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, though it was not announced until April 17.

References

External links

NASL/MISL Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canter, Dan 1961 births American men's soccer players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Living people Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players New York Cosmos (MISL) players New York Cosmos (1970–1985) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players People from Chatham Township, New Jersey Soccer players from Morris County, New Jersey People from North Plainfield, New Jersey Sportspeople from Somerset County, New Jersey Soccer players from New Jersey Team America (NASL) players United States men's international soccer players All-American college men's soccer players Men's association football defenders