Derek Spalding (born 20 December 1954) is a former soccer player who played as a defender. He played for Hibernian in the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

until he emigrated to the United States in 1977. He then played 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 at least two in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also 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 US national team, in 1982.

Club career

Spalding was born in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Scotland. Growing up in Scotland, he signed with First Division club Hibernian as a youth player. He worked his way through the reserves before gaining a spot on the first team in 1972. Spalding played for Hibs in the 1974 Scottish League Cup Final, which Hibs lost 6–3 to

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

. He played with Hibs until he left Scotland to move to the United States. Spalding had married an American woman and therefore qualified for a

green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

. When he signed with 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 ...

of the

(NASL) in 1978, he counted as one of the team's American players. He played five seasons in Chicago, winning the 1981 NASL championship with the Sting. In 1983, he signed with the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

and spent two seasons in Canada. In both 1983 and 1984, Spalding and his teammates went to the NASL championship, only to lose to the

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

in 1983 and the Sting in 1984. Both the Blizzard and the NASL folded at the end of the 1984 season. With the collapse of the NASL, the Sting jumped to the Major Indoor Soccer League and Spalding signed with the Sting on 22 November 1984. Spalding underwent ankle surgery following a game injury in 1986. He lost the rest of the season, then was cut by the Sting and denied workers compensation benefits. This led Spalding to join

Rudy Glenn Rudy Glenn (born October 12, 1958) is a retired American soccer player who coaches youth soccer. High school and college Glenn attended Mannheim American High School in Mannheim, Germany . He attended Indiana University from 1976-1979 where he p ...

, who had also suffered a career-ending injury, in a suit against the Sting in September 1986.

International career

Spalding earned one

with the US national team in a 2–1 win over

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

on 21 March 1982.

Coaching and managerial career

Spalding served as an assistant coach with the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, moved ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. During the 1989–1990 season, head coach

Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He p ...

was fired and Spalding served as head coach for the remainder of the season. He was fired at the end of the season, to be replaced by

Pato Margetic Patricio "Pato" Germán Margetic (born May 17, 1960, in Avellaneda, Argentina) is a former Argentine footballer. He began his career in Argentina before playing five seasons in the North American Soccer League, as well as the Major Indoor Soccer ...

.Power taps a reliable old source – Chicago Sun-Times – HighBeam Research
/ref> In 1995, became the director of the

Chicago Stingers (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

of the

USISL 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 ...

. Spalding coaches the

Libertyville High School Libertyville High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Libertyville, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Located at the intersection of Park Avenue (IL Rte 176) and Dawes Street, on the ...

boys' junior varsity soccer team.

References

External links

National Soccer Hall of Fame profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Derek 1954 births Living people Footballers from Dundee American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American expatriate men's soccer players American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Chicago Sting (MISL) players Chicago Sting (NASL) players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Men's association football defenders Hibernian F.C. players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Scottish expatriate men's footballers Scottish Football League players Scottish football managers Scottish expatriate football managers Scottish men's footballers Scottish emigrants to the United States Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players United States men's international soccer players Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Canada

Club career

International career

Coaching and managerial career

See also

References

External links