Derek Sanderson is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in eight leagues including 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 ...

, Major Indoor 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 played three games for the U.S. at the

1983 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship was the fourth edition FIFA World Youth Championship tournament, hosted from 2 June to 19 June 1983 in seven venues in Mexico — Guadalajara, Irapuato, León, Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla and Toluca — wh ...

Professional

In 1982, Sanderson graduated from Mount Pleasant High School. That year, the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

selected Sanderson in the fourth round of the

draft. However, Sanderson never cracked the first team. In the fall of 1982, he moved to the

Golden Bay Earthquakes Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

as they competed in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He remained with the Earthquakes for the 1983 North American Soccer League season, but spent much of the season with the

United States men's national under-20 soccer team The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. The United States' b ...

. In 1984, Sanderson moved 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, ...

of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

. That fall, he joined the

Kalamazoo Kangaroos The Kalamazoo Kangaroos were an indoor soccer club based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commo ...

of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. In 1985, he rejoined the Earthquakes, now playing in the

Western Alliance Challenge Series Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...

. In the fall of 1985, Sanderson rejoined the Kangaroos, beginning the season in Kalamazoo before being traded to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

halfway through the season. In the summer of 1986, he again played for the Earthquakes. That fall, he rejoined the Wave for the 1986–1987 AISA season. In February 1987, the Wave sold his contract to 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 ...

. He remained with the Rowdies as they played an independent outdoor season in 1987. In 1988, he began the American Soccer League season with the Rowdies, but was released on April 30, 1988 to free up a roster spot for Mark Kane. A week later, he signed with the

Orlando Lions The Orlando Lions were an American soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team. The Lions is a ni ...

. In 1989, Sanderson returned to Northern California to join the

San Francisco Bay Blackhawks San Francisco Bay Blackhawks were a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League (WSL). The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and the United States Interr ...

. In 1990, he played for the Salt Lake Sting in the

which had been formed by the merger of the Western Soccer Alliance and the American Soccer League. In 1991, Sanderson began the season with the Sting but moved to 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 ...

after the Sting experienced financial difficulties. That season, he was a First Team All Star. On April 9, 1992, Sanderson signed with 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 ...

. After failing to score in seven games, the Foxes sent him to the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soc ...

. In 1998, he came out of retirement to play one game for the

California Jaguars California Jaguars were an American soccer team that played in Salinas, California at the Salinas Sports Complex. They joined the USISL in 1995 as the Monterey Bay Jaguars, but changed the name a year later. They played in the A-League in 1997 a ...

International

In 1983, Sanderson played for the

at the

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Derek Living people 1963 births American men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players American Soccer League (1988–89) players California Jaguars players Colorado Foxes players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Golden Bay Earthquakes (MISL) players Jacksonville Tea Men players Kalamazoo Kangaroos players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Miami Freedom players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Orlando Lions players Portland Timbers (1975–1982) players Salt Lake Sting players San Francisco Bay Blackhawks players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Western Soccer Alliance players United States men's under-20 international soccer players Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards