Paul Child (born December 8, 1952) is an English-American former soccer player who played as a forward, spending nine 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 ...

. He led the league in scoring in 1974 and was a two-time first team All-Star. He also earned two

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

with the United States national team in 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Club career

England

Born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England, Child signed with English First Division club Aston Villa when he turned fourteen in 1966. He remained with the club for the next six seasons but never made a first-team appearance. In 1972 the nineteen-year-old Child was loaned to the Atlanta Chiefs of the

United States

When Child arrived in Atlanta during the 1972 NASL season, he promptly scored eight goals in twelve games and was named a first team All Star. The Chiefs then purchased Child's contract from Villa. In 1973, the team became known as the

Atlanta Apollos The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from ...

. In 1974, the Apollo traded Child to the expansion San Jose Earthquakes where he led the league in scoring with fifteen goals and six assists. In

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the NASL ran an

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

tournament during the 1974-1975 off season. The Earthquakes won the title and Child led the scoring, gaining MVP honors, with seven goals in four games. He was selected as a first team All Star for his second time that year. Child remained with the Earthquakes until 1980 when the team sold his contract to the

Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons and played their home games in Memphis' Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. They also played indoor ...

. He scored twelve goals that year. The Rogues moved to Calgary, Canada during the off-season, but Child did not move with the team. Instead, he returned to the team with which he began his NASL career, the Atlanta Chiefs. The 1981 NASL season was Child's last in the league, which was in decline by this time. He scored thirteen goals, aided another eight, then left the league to devote himself to his indoor career. In 1982, Child returned to outdoor soccer with the

Carolina Lightnin' The Carolina Lightnin' was an American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Lightnin' played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Attendance at home games averaged 6,000 ...

of the American Soccer League (ASL). The Lightnin', coached by

Rodney Marsh Rodney William Marsh (born 11 October 1944) is an English former footballer and football coach; he later worked as a broadcaster. A forward, he won nine caps for England between 1971 and 1973, scoring one international goal. Brought up in the ...

, went to the ASL semifinals that year. In 1981, Child signed with the Pittsburgh Spirit of Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He was a prolific scorer during his first three years with the team, scoring 140 goals in 133 games. In 1986, the Spirit folded and Child moved to the

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

for one season. He then signed as a free agent with the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Strings of ...

for the 1987–1988 season. Child later played for the amateur

Pittsburgh Beadling Pittsburgh Beadling is an amateur American soccer team founded in 1898 in the Pittsburgh suburb of Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania. It won the 1954 National Amateur Cup. It claims to be the oldest continuously operating soccer club in the United S ...

International career

Child earned two

with the U.S. national team in 1973 despite not yet having his U.S. citizenship. His first cap came in a 2–0 win over

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on August 5, 1973. He played again seven days later in a 1–0 win over

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. He began the game, then came out for

Kyle Rote, Jr. Kyle Rote Jr. (born December 25, 1950) is an American former professional soccer forward who played seven seasons in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and earned five caps with the United States men's national soccer team between 1973 a ...

Coaching career

In 1995, Child became the head coach of the

Detroit Neon The Detroit Safari (founded as the Detroit Neon) was a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League that played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their owners, the Palace Sports Group were awarded a franchise on November 4, 1993. Their star player ...

of the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). He was fired after the team started 2-16 in 1997, its final season. On October 5, 1998, the A-League

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

hired Child as the team's director of youth development. A month later, he was named as the team's assistant coach. After the Riverhounds fired coach

John Kowalski John Kowalski (born December 22, 1951 in Miłków, Poland) is a former coach of the professional United States soccer clubs Tampa Bay Mutiny ( Major League Soccer), Pittsburgh Riverhounds ( NASL) and Pittsburgh Spirit ( MISL). He also briefly ...

in 2001, Child served as interim head coach until the hiring of

Kai Haaskivi Kai Haaskivi (born 28 December 1955 in Lahti) is a retired Finnish soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches ...

. Child was fired in 2002, then rehired on December 15, 2005, as an assistant coach. He is currently coach of a youth team composed of young refugees, BW United, in suburban Pittsburgh.BW United Soccer - Refugee children soccer teams and players in Pittsburgh, PA

Post soccer career

Aside from working with the Riverhounds, Child is a project manager at the Allegheny Millworks in the Pittsburgh area. In 2003, Child was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2013, Child was inducted into the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame.

Honors

NASL Leading Scorer: 1974 NASL First Team All Star: 1972, 1974 NASL Indoor MVP: 1975 NASL Indoor Leading Scorer: 1975

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Child, Paul 1952 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Aston Villa F.C. players Atlanta Chiefs players Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Carolina Lightnin' players Continental Indoor Soccer League coaches English emigrants to the United States English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers Men's association football forwards Los Angeles Lazers players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Memphis Rogues players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Sportspeople from Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Beadling players Pittsburgh Spirit players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands United States men's international soccer players National Soccer Hall of Fame members English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Soccer players from Pittsburgh