Paul Dougherty (born 12 May 1966) is an English former professional

soccer player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

and soccer coach who began his career with

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

in England. He then moved to the United States where he became a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

player, bouncing through sixteen teams in multiple indoor and outdoor leagues. He is currently the head coach of the

San Diego WFC SeaLions San Diego WFC SeaLions was an American women's soccer team, founded in 1988. The team was a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team folded after the 2019 season. The ...

, who play in the

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). T ...

English football league

Dougherty began his career when he signed as an apprentice with

English First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

club

at age 16. He made his league debut while still an apprentice during the 1983/84 season that saw the club lose their top flight status. He made the most appearances of his Wolves career during the following season, which also saw him spend time on loan at

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

during February 1985. He failed to establish himself as a regular choice though, and played only sporadically over the next two years as the club continued to slide down the divisions under a succession of managers. At the end of the 1986/87 season, he moved to the US to further his career there, where he would remain employed as a player for the next eighteen years. He did however make a very brief (1 game) return to English football playing for

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

in October 1990.

Indoor soccer

In the fall of 1986, the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996), a soccer team in the North American Soccer League *San Diego Sockers (2001–2004), a soccer team in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League *San Diego S ...

began working the paperwork to allow Dougherty to try out with the team. Dougherty arrived in California in January 1987 and began training with the Sockers' reserve team. On 11 February 1987, the Sockers traded Gary Collier to the Kansas City Comets in exchange for a foreign player visa. On 25 February 1987, Dougherty moved up to the Sockers' first team. In addition to playing for the Sockers, he later also enrolled at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

. Whereas his lack of height hindered his development as an outdoor player, it served him in good stead in the indoor game which prized quickness and agility oversize and stamina. Over the next five years, he earned four titles as the Sockers dominated indoor soccer. In 1989, he was named the "Championship Series Unsung Hero" as the Sockers knocked off 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 t ...

for the title. In August 1989, Dougherty became a free agent and when the Baltimore Blast made him an offer, the Sockers decided not to match it. On 2 September 1989, he signed with the Blast. In 1990, the Blast and Sockers again met in the championship series, this time with Dougherty playing for Baltimore, but the Sockers again defeated the Blast. He became a free agent and returned to England, where he received interest from only one fourth-division team. He then returned to the United States where he signed with the San Diego Sockers on 17 October 1990. When the Sockers moved to the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice Pre ...

(CISL) in 1992, Dougherty left the team and signed with the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). During his two stints with the Sockers, Dougherty had played 204 games and scored 104 goals. At the time, the NPSL was the higher paying of the two indoor leagues. Dougherty remained with the Blizzard for three seasons, from 1992 to 1996. At the completion of the 1995–1996 NPSL season, Dougherty jumped both teams and leagues. On 1 May 1996, he signed with the

Houston Hotshots The Houston Hotshots are a professional indoor soccer team in Houston, Texas. They play in the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) From 1994 to 1997 and 2000–2001, the Houston Hotshots were a full professional indoor soccer team in Houston ...

of CISL. That season he was the CISL third leading scorer while the Hotshots went to the championship series, only to fall to the Monterrey La Raza. Dougherty was named All-CISL. The next season, the Hotshots did not go so far in the playoffs, but Dougherty led the league in scoring, garnering both All CISL and CISL MVP honors. The CISL folded at the end of the 1997, leading Dougherty to move to

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS)

Outdoor minor leagues

By the time Dougherty moved to MLS, he was already a veteran of several outdoor US teams. While he made his name with the indoor game, he also was a consistent performer outdoors. In July 1988, while in San Diego with the Sockers, Dougherty signed with the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads wer ...

as the team prepared for the

Western Soccer Alliance Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...

playoffs. He played only one play-off games as 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 ...

eliminated the Nomads in penalty kicks. Then in 1990, he spent the outdoor season with the

Orlando Lions The Orlando Lions were an American soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team. The Lions is a ni ...

in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

(APSL) which had been formed that year by the merger of the WSA and east coast American Soccer League. On 12 June 1991, he signed with the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soc ...

of the APSL. On 1 July 1991, the Freedom released Dougherty and seven other players in a bid to maintain financial solvency. He signed with the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

the next day. While he sat out the 1992 APSL season, instead spending time with two of his indoor clubs, he returned to the APSL in 1993, this time on loan from the Blizzard to the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

. That season was one of his best as he bagged eight goals in twenty-two games and a spot on the APSL All Star team. Once again, he took time off from the outdoor game to devote himself to indoor soccer. However, in 1995 he signed with the Montreal Impact of A-League, successor to the APSL. He once again earned All Star honors.

MLS

After the CISL folded at the end of 1997, Dougherty began pursuing full-time employment in an outdoor league. On 3 February 1998, the MetroStars of

(MLS) signed Dougherty. He played sixteen games that season, before the MetroStars traded him 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

Mike Duhaney Mike Duhaney (born April 5, 1974) is an American retired professional soccer player who played in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the 2. Bundesliga. He was the 1997 Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year. Career Duhaney played college soccer a ...

in July. Dougherty began the 1999 season with the Mutiny but was traded on 2 August 1999 with Sam George and a draft pick to the Chicago Fire for

Ritchie Kotschau Richard Scott Kotschau (born November 22, 1975) is an American former soccer player who last played as a defender for the Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Club career Kotschau was born in Levittown, New York. After playing college soccer a ...

and

Manny Lagos Manuel "Manny" Lagos (born June 11, 1971) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He and is the former head coach of Minnesota United FC. Club career Early career Born in St. Paul, MinnesotaCharleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

. In March 2000, Dougherty was able to add another team to his resume, having been a member of it for only a few hours. The Fire released Dougherty on 15 March 2000. He was then selected by the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

the next day in the Waiver Draft. The Revs then turned around and traded Dougherty to the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

in exchange for a fifth round pick in the upcoming Super Draft.
/sup> Dougherty spent the 2000 season with the Rapids, but failed to score in twenty-four games and on 31 October 2000 he announced his retirement.

Minor leagues

Dougherty didn't stay retired for long.

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 ...

, a former indoor teammate of Dougherty's, was coaching the

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 ...

of the USL A-League. The Riverhounds needed some added offensive production heading into the post season as well as for upcoming Open Cup games. Dougherty signed with the Riverhounds on 20 July 2001.Riverhounds sign proven midfielder
/ref> Haaskivi's gamble paid off as Dougherty provided instant offence, including a goal in the Open Cup quarterfinal match against his old team, the Chicago Fire. At the end of the season the Riverhounds released Dougherty and he moved back to San Diego to pursue a coaching career. However, Dougherty was unable to call it quits to playing and on 5 February 2004, he rejoined the

for one last indoor season.
/sup> The Sockers folded midway through the season.

Coaching

When the Riverhounds released Dougherty, he returned to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

where he became an assistant coach with the

San Diego Flash San Diego Flash was an American soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1998, the team returned to competitive play in 2011 and most recently played in the Southern Conference of the West Division of the National P ...

of the USL A League. In 2002, he left the Flash and joined the staff of the La Jolla Nomads Soccer Club.
/sup> This is significant in that Dougherty had begun his US outdoor career fourteen years earlier with the Nomads senior team, the

. In 2004, he took the Nomads U-15 team to the US national championship only to have his boys fall, 5–4, to the Greater Boston Bolts. In addition to coaching with the Nomads, he became an assistant coach with the University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego men's team as well as the Manchester Soccer Club and Rancho Santa Fe Attack.

References

External links

Mutiny fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Paul 1966 births Living people Sportspeople from Leamington Spa American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American expatriate soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Baltimore Blast (original MISL) players American soccer players Buffalo Blizzard players Charleston Battery players Chicago Fire FC players Colorado Rapids players Continental Indoor Soccer League players British emigrants to the United States English footballers Expatriate soccer players in Canada Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Houston Hotshots players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players Miami Freedom players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Orlando Lions players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Nomads Soccer Club players San Diego Sockers (original MISL) players San Diego Sockers (2001–2004) players Tampa Bay Mutiny players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players English Football League players Torquay United F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players National League (English football) players A-League (1995–2004) players Western Soccer Alliance players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Association football forwards Association football midfielders English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States English expatriate footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters