Vidal Fernandez is a Mexican-American former

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 played professionally 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 ...

, Major Indoor Soccer League and

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 ...

Youth

Fernandez was born in Mexico, but moved to Otay Mesa, San Diego, California where he entered

Chula Vista High School Chula Vista High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in Chula Vista, California. Founded in 1947, it is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District. History Chula Vista first opened in the summer of 1947, operating out of a tempor ...

. He was the 1977

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...

Soccer Player of the Year as Chula Vista won back to back CIF championships. He is a member of the Sweetwater Union High School District Alumni Hall of Fame. He attended

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, playing on the men's soccer team from 1977 to 1979. He is a member of the SDSU Aztecs Hall of Fame. He became a U.S. citizen in 1979.

Professional

In December 1979, the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

selected Fernandez in the first round of the

draft. He injured his right knee during the 1980 pre-season and had surgery to remove his

meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...

. He remained out for the entire 1980 season and was released in August 1980. He then signed as a free agent with the

California Surf The California Surf were an American Association football, soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (1968–1984), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 North American Soccer League season, 1978 to 1981 North American ...

in 1981. The Surf folded at the end of the season and in the fall of 1981, Fernandez signed with the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

in time to play the NASL indoor season. He went on to play the 1982 NASL outdoor and the 1982-1983 Major Indoor Soccer League seasons with the Sockers. In February 1983, Alkis Panagoulias selected Fernandez for Team America, an attempt to place 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 ha ...

into a competitive league. He turned down Team America to remain with the Sockers only to injure his right knee in May 1983. He continued to play, including five games during the 1983-1984 NASL indoor season before retiring in November 1984. In 1986, he attempted to return to soccer when he played as a defender with the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads wer ...

of the

. In April 1987, Fernandez played one game while on a ten-day contract with the Sockers.

Coach

Fernandez is the head coach of the

soccer teams, a position he has held since the mid-1980s.''VIDAL FERNANDEZ, COACH'' The San Diego Union-Tribune (CA) - Wednesday, February 23, 2000

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Vidal 1958 births Living people American soccer coaches American soccer players California Surf players Footballers from Mexico City Mexican footballers Mexican emigrants to the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players New York Cosmos players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players San Diego Sockers (NASL) players San Diego Sockers (original MISL) players San Diego State Aztecs men's soccer players Nomads Soccer Club players Western Soccer Alliance players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Association football forwards Association football midfielders Sportspeople from Chula Vista, California Soccer players from California