Anthony "Tony" McManus (born September 22, 1980, in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

player who is currently an assistant coach for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the Sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level as a member of ...

Career

College and Amateur

McManus played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

for the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

from 2000 to 2003, where he was recognized as one of the best defenders in

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

(C-USA). McManus was selected to the C-USA Team of the week three times,

Soccer America Magazine ''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the US, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California. History and profile The magazine was founded by Clay Be ...

Team of The Week twice, and College Soccer News Team of the Week once. He was also a C-USA third team All Conference his junior year. The accolades continued his senior season when McManus was named C-USA first team All Conference, the C-USA Defender of the Year, an NSCAA third team All-America, and a College Soccer Times All America. In 2002, McManus played with the

Memphis Express The Memphis Express was a professional American football franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadi ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

. McManus also played ODP for Region III, making the

Tennessee State Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

Team from 1994 to 1999, and was selected for the Region III team in '96, and the US National Pool in 1998. He was also selected to the USASA Region III Team in 2003 and was a member of the US National B Team.

Professional

McManus was drafted in the sixth round (59th overall) in the

2004 MLS SuperDraft The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in Am ...

by Chicago Fire. He played in all pre-season matches for Fire, but sent on loan with the

Virginia Beach Mariners The Virginia Beach Mariners were an American football (soccer), soccer club, who formerly played in the USL First Division of the United Soccer Leagues, the second division in the US Soccer hierarchy behind Major League Soccer. On March 30, 2007 t ...

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 ...

. He played 24 games in the 2004 season, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists in 898 minutes. After the USL season ended McManus was recalled to the Fire and played 35 minutes in the inaugural Hall of Fame Game against the New York/New Jersey Metrostars. In 2005, McManus moved to the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of the

, where he stayed until the team's demise following the 2008 season. He played in 24 games and logged 1027 minutes in 12 starts in his first season with the team, and ultimately played 156 league games in his four seasons with the team, scoring 7 goals. Following the conclusion of the 2005 USL1 season McManus was briefly loaned to

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

of the

MLS 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 ...

; he played in two reserve matches logging 90 minutes, but never saw any first team action. In January 2009, McManus signed with the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

of the USL-1. McManus spent two years with the USL franchise helping them to the Commissioners Cup Championship. He joined the Timbers for their inaugural 2011 MLS camp and decided to leave the team at the end of the preseason due to contract breakdowns. McManus signed with

FC Tampa Bay 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 ...

of the second division

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 ...

on March 4, 2011. On May 26, 2011, it was announced that McManus had been released by Tampa, citing breach of contract. McManus announced his retirement from professional soccer on June 23, 2011. Following a month long hiatus from the game, McManus returned to the Portland Timbers and appeared in two matches against San Jose in a reserve team match and Ajax in an exhibition. On August 12, 2011, it was announced that McManus had signed a contract to finish the season with the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

, also of the North American Soccer League. The

, now playing in the North American Soccer League, announced the return of McManus to the squad on January 30, 2012. Following the 2012 season McManus officially retired from professional soccer and finished as the all-time leader in appearances with the Silverbacks organization with 132

Coaching

Following his retirement Tony joined the staff at Oglethorpe University D3 in Atlanta, GA. Following the conclusion of the 2012 College season, McManus joined the Stetson Coaching Staff in Florida. In the spring McManus left Stetson and moved back to Memphis to join the University of Memphis Coaching staff where he is currently the first assistant. In addition to coaching at the University of Memphis, McManus coaches with the Lobos Soccer Club in Collierville, TN.

Honors

Portland Timbers

Commissioner's Cup (1):

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

References

External links

Atlanta Silverbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McManus, Tony 1980 births Living people American men's soccer players Soccer players from Memphis, Tennessee Memphis Express (soccer) players Chicago Fire FC players Virginia Beach Mariners players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players FC Dallas players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Tampa Bay Rowdies players North Carolina FC players UAB Blazers men's soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players USL Second Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Chicago Fire FC draft picks Men's association football midfielders