Julio "Ringo" Cantillo is a former professional soccer player who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He played five seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the league MVP as a rookie. He won MVP honors a total of three times in the ASL. Cantillo also spent parts of seven 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 ...

and four in NASL indoor, one in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

and one in Major Indoor Soccer League. Born in Costa Rica, Cantillo earned eleven

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with the U.S. national soccer team between 1979 and 1982.

Professional career

Cantillo, a native of Costa Rica, began his professional soccer career with the

Cincinnati Comets The Cincinnati Comets was an American soccer club based in Cincinnati, Ohio that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Comets won the ASL in 1972, led by 16-year-old Costa Rican-American midfielder Ringo Cantillo who would win Most Valua ...

of the American Soccer League in 1972. Cantillo was only 17 years old, but quickly established himself as among the most talented players in the league when he won MVP honors as a rookie. The Comets also won the league championship that season. Cantillo earned MVP honors in 1974, and in 1975 was a first team All Star for the fourth consecutive year. In February 1975 the Comets loaned him to the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional 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 Championship in the second tie ...

of the

for the upcoming NASL indoor tournament. Castillo went on to win the Regional MVP award, before getting injured early in the championship final. He scored five goals in four games for the 1975 indoor Rowdies. At the end of the 1975 ASL season, the Comets traded Cantillo to New York Inter-Giuliana SC, of the semi-pro

German-American Soccer League The Cosmopolitan Soccer League is a regional soccer league consisting of semi-pro and amateur teams based in and around New York City. Established in 1923, it is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States and has contributed greatly ...

, which played in the winter months. They also loaned him to Tampa Bay for the 1976 NASL season. He played a single season, twenty-one games total, with the Rowdies before returning to the ASL, this time signing with the

New Jersey Americans New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Cantillo was part of the ASL's most exciting team as the Americans played a free-flowing attacking game which took them to the 1977 championship. Cantillo was again the league MVP, his third in five years in the ASL, and a first team All Star. Cantillo jumped leagues again at the end of the 1977 season. He joined the

New England Tea Men The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in Greater Boston. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium (shared with the NFL's ...

of the NASL. He would remain with this team in its various incarnations until 1985, except for 1983 when he played for Team America. The Tea Men spent the 1978-1980 seasons in New England before moving to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

at the end of the 1980 season. Cantillo moved with the team and played the 1981 and 1982 seasons with Jacksonville. In the fall of 1982, he signed with the New York Arrows of Major Indoor Soccer League. He spent one season with the Arrows. In 1983, he signed with Team America. That year, the

U.S. Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

attempted to create a more successful U.S. national team by entering the team into the NASL as a franchise. However, the team stumbled to a 10-20 record and the bottom of the league standings and USSF pulled the national team from the NASL at the end of the season. In 1984, Cantillo returned to the Tea Men who by then played in the

National team

Cantillo earned eleven

with the U.S. national soccer team between 1979 and 1982. He has represented his country in four FIFA World Cup qualification matches. Although part of Team America in 1983 he was never called up for the U.S. games that year. Cantillo played his first game with the U.S. in its only 1979 match, a 3-1 win over Barbados. He played his last game on March 21, 1982, in a 2-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

Honors

;Cincinnati Comets * ASL: 1972 * ASL: 1973 ''(finalist)'' ;New Jersey Americans * ASL: 1977 ;Tampa Bay Rowdies * NASL indoor: 1975 ''(finalist)'' * NASL regular season: 1976 Individual ;American Soccer League *Most Valuable Player:

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, 1974,

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

*All-Star selections:

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, 1974,

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. ...

;North American Soccer League *Regional MVP: 1975 indoor

References

External links

Career stats

- Nación * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantillo, Ringo 1956 births Living people People from Cartago Province Costa Rican emigrants to the United States Association football midfielders Costa Rican footballers American soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Cincinnati Comets players Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople Jacksonville Tea Men players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New England Tea Men players New Jersey Americans (ASL) players New York Arrows players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players Team America (NASL) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players United States men's international soccer players