Shay Phillip Spitz (; born 27 January 1988) is a former
Hong Kong-born
New Zealand professional
footballer
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 le ...
who played as a
midfielder.
Spitz holds United States citizenship as well, but grew up in Singapore, Portugal and Australia.
Despite holding New Zealand and American citizenship, Spitz did not spend time growing up in either country.
Career
College and amateur
Spitz took classes at
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, cert ...
in Orange County, California for one semester, but did not play intercollegiate soccer. In 2006, Spitz transferred to
California State University, Fullerton and played college soccer for four years, making 77 appearances and scoring 12 goals.
Spitz also spent the 2010 season with
Hollywood United Hitmen
Hollywood United Hitmen was an American soccer team based in Los Angeles. The team was founded in 2009 and played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the USL Premier Development League (PDL).
The team played its home games in Cougar ...
in the
USL Premier Development League.
Professional
On 15 February 2012, Spitz signed a professional contract with
USL Pro club
Los Angeles Blues and made his debut on 4 May in a 2-1 win over the
Wilmington Hammerheads.
Kitchee
On 12 September 2012, Spitz signed a professional contract with
Hong Kong First Division
The Hong Kong First Division League () is the second-highest division in the Hong Kong football league system. Established in 1908, it is the third oldest in Asia. The league was formerly the highest division in Hong Kong until the formation o ...
club
Kitchee. He was forced to leave the club after reports that he did not have a
work permit which was required even though he was born in Hong Kong.
Los Angeles Blues
In March 2013, Spitz rejoined
Los Angeles Blues. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 April 2013 in a 4-0 victory over the
Wilmington Hammerheads.
Southern District
On 9 July 2015, Spitz joined
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
after a season with
Hong Kong Rangers.
On 2 July 2017, Southern announced on Facebook that Spitz would return for the upcoming season.
On 29 June 2020, it was announced that Spitz would leave the club and return to Australia to develop his career.
International career
Spitz was included in the 12-player roster of
United States national beach soccer team
The United States men's national beach soccer team represents the United States in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the USSF, the governing body for soccer in the United States.
History Early years
The sport of be ...
for Copa Salvador del Mundo 2013.
Family
Shay Spitz's younger brother Tyler Spitz plays for the
Hong Kong national rugby union team.
References
1. https://www.offside.hk/league/shay-spitz-i-was-a-third-culture-child-and-football-helped-me/
External links
*
Cal State Fullerton bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitz, Shay
1988 births
Living people
New Zealand association footballers
American soccer players
Cal State Fullerton Titans men's soccer players
Hollywood United Hitmen players
Orange County SC players
Richmond Kickers players
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
USL League Two players
USL Championship players
Hong Kong First Division League players
Hong Kong Premier League players
Kitchee SC players
Hong Kong Rangers FC players
Southern District FC players
American people of New Zealand descent
New Zealand people of American descent
American sportspeople of Hong Kong descent
New Zealand people of Hong Kong descent
Hong Kong people of New Zealand descent
Hong Kong people of American descent
Association football midfielders
American beach soccer players