Telmo Pires (born April 4, 1953) is a retired soccer player professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Born in Portugal, he earned one

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

in 1975.

Player

Youth

Pires grew up in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.East Side High School. He was a three sport varsity letterman in soccer, baseball and basketball. When he was still in high school, he also played for the Newark Benfica. When he was seventeen, he scored three goals in Benfica’s 5-1 victory over the New York Ukrainians in an indoor tournament held at the Elizabeth Armory. He attended

Montclair State College Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

Professional

In 1974, Pires began his professional career with the

Rhode Island Oceaneers Home field was Pierce field East Providence RI Rhode Island Oceaneers was a soccer team. History The original Rhode Island Oceaneers soccer team was established in 1974. That season, they won the league title after a 16-2 regular season. U.S. Socc ...

of the American Soccer League. He played two seasons in Rhode Island. In 1976, Pires played a single season in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with the Hartford Bicentennials. In 1977, he was with the New Jersey Americans in the ASL. That season, he scored nine goals in twenty-two games as the Americans took the ASL title with a win over the Sacramento Spirits in the championship game. Pires scored a goal in the 3–0 victory. Pires then spent two seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1978–1979, he played for the Cincinnati Kids and in 1979–1980 for the Hartford Hellions.

National team

Pires earned one

with the U.S. national team in a 4–0 loss to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

on June 24, 1975. He also appeared with the U.S. Olympic soccer team as it attempted, but failed, to qualify for the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

. However, Pires did score in a 4–2 loss to Mexico in the last qualification game on August 28, 1975. He also played on the 1975 U.S. Pan American Games soccer team.

Coach

In March 1981, Pires was hired as the head coach of the New England Sharks of the American Soccer League.''NEW BEDFORD GETS FRANCHISE IN ASL'' Boston Globe - Tuesday, March 17, 1981

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pires, Telmo 1953 births Living people People from Aveiro, Portugal American soccer coaches American soccer players United States men's international soccer players Portuguese footballers Portuguese football managers Portuguese emigrants to the United States American Soccer League (1933–1983) coaches American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Cincinnati Kids players Connecticut Bicentennials players East Side High School (Newark, New Jersey) alumni Hartford Hellions players Montclair State University alumni New Jersey Americans (ASL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Rhode Island Oceaneers players Soccer players from Newark, New Jersey Sportspeople from Newark, New Jersey Footballers at the 1975 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for the United States Association football defenders