Neil Cohen (born September 12, 1955, in Dallas, Texas) is a former U.S.

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender. He played eight seasons in the North American Soccer League and six in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1976. In 2008, Neil was elected to the FC Dallas, "Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame" for his contributions to soccer in Texas.

Player

Youth

Cohen grew up in Dallas, Texas, graduating from

Bryan Adams High School Bryan Adams High School is a public high school located in the Casa View neighborhood of East Dallas, Texas, United States and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. The school serves the area of Dallas east of White Rock Lake, sout ...

in 1973. He was the first high school All American soccer player from Texas in 1973.

Professional

In 1974, he signed with the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...

of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He played five seasons with the Tornado before moving 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 te ...

in 1979. He played only three games before moving to the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. He sat out the 1980 season with injuries, but returned to the Tornado for the 1981 season. The Tornado folded at the end of the season. When the Tornado folded in 1981, Cohen was already established in the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1979, he signed with the Houston Summit. The team moved to Baltimore following the 1979–1980 season, changing its name to the Baltimore Blast. Cohen played one season in Baltimore before moving to the

Denver Avalanche The Denver Avalanche were an American soccer team based out of Denver, Colorado that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1982. Their home arena was McNichols Sports Arena. History In February 1980, the Major Indoor Soccer ...

for the 1981–1982 season. When the Avalanche folded, Cohen moved to the St. Louis Steamers for two seasons before signing with the Dallas Sidekicks as a free agent on July 19, 1984. He injured his knee on December 30, 1984, which put him out for the rest of the season. He retired on September 24, 1985. In 1983, Cohen also played for the Dallas Americans of the American Soccer League in 1983 and the United Soccer League in 1984 and 1985.

National team

Cohen began playing with the U.S. junior teams in 1974, taking part in the failed qualification campaign for the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

. He went on to play for the U.S. at the

1975 Pan American Games The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in seve ...

. The U.S. went 0–2 in group play and did not qualify for the second round. On October 3, 1976, Cohen earned his lone cap with the U.S. national team in a scoreless tie with Mexico in a World Cup qualification game. He started, then came off for Santiago Formoso in the 80th minute.USA – Details of International Matches 1970–1979
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Coach

Cohen coached youth soccer in the Dallas area with FC Lynx and Solar. He recently retired in 2006 from youth soccer. Cohen was the first player to represent his country at all three levels: Youth, Olympic and National Team. Also at the time in 1973, he was the youngest American player ever signed into the North American Soccer League at the age of 18.

References

External links

1984–1985 Sidekicks media guide
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Neil 1955 births Living people Soccer players from Dallas Bryan Adams High School alumni American men's soccer players Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Dallas Americans players Denver Avalanche players Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players Dallas Tornado players Houston Summit players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players St. Louis Steamers (original MISL) players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players United States men's international soccer players Pan American Games competitors for the United States Footballers at the 1975 Pan American Games Men's association football defenders