Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American

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 ...

club based in

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 ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club.

History

The Nomads were founded in 1976. They added a senior team, 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 ...

, in 1986. The club became not-for-profit in 1987. In 1989, the WSA changed its name to the Western Soccer League and in 1990, the team joined 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 ...

. In 1990, the WSL merged with the American Soccer League. After winning the WSL championship in 1989, they lost to 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 ...

of the ASL in the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship. After the 1990 season, the Nomads relinquished its senior team due to the financial demands of the American soccer league. The club continued as an amateur club, which still exists, in

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

Year-by-year

Coach

* Derek Armstrong: 1986–1990 *

Brian McManus Brian McManus is a Scottish former football midfielder who is currently a Director of Coaching for the La Jolla Impact Select soccer club and the head coach of the UC San Diego women's soccer team. He is a four-time NCAA Coach of the Year and ...

(assistant): 1986–1990

Notable players

Paul Caligiuri Paul David Caligiuri (born March 9, 1964) is an American former soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. Caligiuri's professional career spanned 16 years, during which he played for numerous teams in the United States and Germany, ...

(1986) *

Rob Ryerson Rob Ryerson is a retired U.S. soccer forward who played professionally, both indoor and outdoor soccer, for at least seven years. He last coached the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's soccer program before it disbanded in 2012. Player Youth ...

(1986) *

(1986, 1989) *

Jeff Duback Jeff Duback is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper who played in the Western Soccer Alliance, American Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League. He also earned four caps with the United States men's national soccer team. Youth Duback ...

(1986) *

Anton Nistl Anton Nistl is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper. He was the 1989 ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year and spent three seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and one in the American Professional Soccer League. College Nistl attended UCLA where he played ...

(1987–1990) *

Marcelo Balboa Marcelo Balboa (born August 8, 1967) is an American former professional soccer who played as a defender in the 1990s for the United States national team, becoming its captain. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. After retirin ...

(1987–1989) *

Paul Dougherty Paul Dougherty (born 12 May 1966) is an English former professional soccer player and soccer coach who began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He then moved to the United States where he became a journeyman player, bouncing th ...

(1988) *

Cle Kooiman Christopher Clemence "Cle" Kooiman (born July 3, 1963) is an American former soccer defender. He played professionally in both Mexico and the United States including the first Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance, American Profess ...

(1990) * Steve Boardman 1986-1990 *

Eric Wynalda Eric Boswell Wynalda (born June 9, 1969) is an American soccer coach, television commentator, and retired player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage on Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. Previously, he served as head coach ...

1988–1990 *

Frankie Hejduk Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder. At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA Gal ...

(1989-1991) *

Jovan Kirovski Jovan Kirovski ( mk, Јован Кировски; born March 18, 1976) is an American former soccer player who is the Technical Director for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Kirovski is the first American to win the UEFA Champions Le ...

(1991) *

Joe Corona Joe Benny Corona Crespín (born July 9, 1990) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Swedish club GIF Sundsvall, on loan from Houston Dynamo FC, Houston Dynamo. Youth and college Corona ...

(2006-2008) * Earl Edwards Jr. (2009-2010) *

Christopher Jaime Christopher Jaime (born March 20, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for MLS Next Pro club Los Angeles FC 2. Club career Born in San Diego, California, Jaime began his career with U.S. Soccer Development ...

(until 2019) *

Eric Avila Eric Humberto Avila (born November 24, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who has played as a midfielder and defender. Early life and education Avila who is of Mexican descent, was born on November 24, 1987, in San Diego, Californ ...

Joe Gallardo Jose "Joe" Gallardo (born September 22, 1939) is an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues an ...

* Chuy Sanchez *

Gabriel Farfán Gabriel Farfán Stopani (born June 23, 1988, in San Diego, California) is an American former soccer player who played for Clubs such as Club America, Philadelphia Union, Chivas USA, Chiapas F.C. and New York Cosmos. Career Youth and College Pla ...

Luca de la Torre Lucas Daniel de la Torre (born May 23, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Celta and the United States national team. Having begun his professional career with Fulham in the EFL Championsh ...

(2011–2012)

References

N Western Soccer Alliance teams Soccer clubs in California American Professional Soccer League teams {{California-footyclub-stub