Eric Quill (born February 28, 1978 in

Missouri City, Texas Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 74,259, up from 67,3 ...

) is an American soccer coach and former player.

Career

College

An outstanding youth soccer player, Quill was offered a contract by Ajax Amsterdam as a teenager, but declined the opportunity to go to Europe. He instead stayed in the United States, following the conventional route by going to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

to play

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

in 1996. After scoring six goals and five assists as a freshman for the Tigers, however, Quill decided to go pro, signing a Project-40 contract with MLS.

Professional

Quill was allocated to the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

for the 1997 season, but saw little playing time. After appearing extensively as a substitute in 1999, Quill finally broke into the team's starting lineup in 2000, when he started 25 games, registering five goals and eleven assists. Quill returned and played just as well in 2001, finishing the year with two goals and eight assists in 23 starts. The Mutiny were contracted at the end of 2001, however, and Quill was selected fourth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the

2002 MLS Dispersal Draft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted bo ...

. Quill immediately stepped into the Wizards' left midfield position, but numerous injuries limited him to 13 starts and one assist on the season. Having recovered in 2003, Quill had a solid campaign, starting 25 games and scoring three goals and seven assists. However, Quill was traded in the offseason to the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

along with

Carey Talley Carey Talley (born August 26, 1976) is a former American soccer player. Career College Talley played high school soccer for Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. His team won the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association soccer ...

for Shavar Thomas. Quill had a disappointing season with the Burn, and although he beat out Brad Davis for his left midfield position, he only registered one goal and three assists on the year. He was let go by the club early in 2005 and signed with the MetroStars in August. Quill was released by the club in November 2005. Unable to find a club, Quill turned to coaching, spending time as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the women's soccer team at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

in 2007 and 2008. In early 2009, Quill was coaxed out of semi-retirement to play in the Premier Development League for Houston Leones, where he was expected to lend his experience to the team's midfield.

International

Although he has been called up to camps, Quill has never played for the United States national team. He has, however, played for the U-23, U-20, and U-16 sides.

Personal life

Quill is married to

Susan Bush Susan Elizabeth Quill (; born November 10, 1980) is an American former soccer player and current coach who played as a forward, making ten appearances for the United States women's national team. Career Bush played for Challenge Soccer Club ...

, former soccer player for the U.S. national team and current coach, who he worked with while the assistant of the Houston Cougars women's team.

References

External links

University of Houston coaching bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quill, Eric 1978 births Living people American soccer players Clemson Tigers men's soccer players Tampa Bay Mutiny players Jacksonville Cyclones players MLS Pro-40 players Sporting Kansas City players FC Dallas players New York Red Bulls players Houston Leones players Soccer players from Texas A-League (1995–2004) players Major League Soccer players USL League Two players Association football midfielders American soccer coaches USL League One coaches