Manuel Abaunza is a retired Nicaraguan-American
soccer inside right
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
who played one season in the
National Professional Soccer League.
In 1960, Abaunza, the younger brother of
Bayardo Abaunza
Bayardo Abaunza is a retired Nicaraguan-American soccer player who spent his career with amateur teams in the Los Angeles area and earned three caps with the U.S. national team between 1965 and 1969.
Club career
Abaunza, the older brother of ...
, played for Vizcoya in Costa Rica. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961 where he joined the
Los Angeles Kickers, an amateur team in the Greater Los Angeles League. In 1964, the Kickers won the
1964 National Challenge Cup over the
Philadelphia Ukrainians
The first Philadelphia Ukrainians team, also known as the "Philadelphia Tridents", Tryzub FC (Ukrainian Sports Association Philadelphia Tridents, in uk, УСО (Український Спортовий Осередок) «Тризуб» (Філ ...
. Abaunza scored in the first game, a 2–2 tie. The Kickers then won the return leg 2–0 to take the title.
In 1965, he moved to
Orange County Soccer Club
Orange County Soccer Club was a Greater Los Angeles team active in the mid 1960s in a league called the Continental League. One of the highlights of its existence included an international match with Bayern Munich of Germany played on June 10, 1 ...
of the Continental League. In 1966, Orange County lost in the final of the
1966 National Challenge Cup. On January 29, 1967, Abaunza signed with the
Los Angeles Toros
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significan ...
of the
National Professional Soccer League. The Toros folded at the end of the season and Abaunza moved to the Los Angeles Armenians in 1968 and Los Angeles Saprissa, a team composed almost entirely of Costa Rican players. In September 1969, he moved to San Pedro Olympia.
Although he was called into the
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF.
The U.S. team h ...
in the 1960s, he never played for the team in a full international.
References
External links
NPSL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abaunza, Manuel
1941 births
Living people
Soccer players from Los Angeles
Los Angeles Kickers players
Los Angeles Toros players
National Professional Soccer League (1967) players
Nicaraguan men's footballers
Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States
Men's association football inside forwards
Expatriate men's footballers in Costa Rica