Waldir de Souza (born 7 June 1952) is a Brazilian former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and manager who played as a defender.

Playing career

DeSouza played with Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras in the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

. In 1976, he played abroad in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

with Windsor Stars. In his debut season he was selected for the NSL Selects team. He re-signed with Windsor for the 1977 season and also played in the 1978 season. In 1979, he played in the American Soccer League with New York Eagles. In the winter of 1979, he played in the Major Indoor Soccer League with Detroit Lightning. The following season, he signed with league rivals Baltimore Blast. After a season in Baltimore he was released and signed with the Kansas City Comets. In 1982, he was traded to the

Phoenix Inferno The Phoenix Inferno was an American indoor soccer team in Phoenix, Arizona, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983. In 1983 new ownership renamed the team the Phoenix Pride. The Pride folded at the end of the 1983–19 ...

, and later played with Buffalo Stallions. In 1984, he played in the American Indoor Soccer Association with Columbus Capitals. In the summer of 1984, he played in the United Soccer League with

Charlotte Gold The Carolina Lightnin' was an American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Lightnin' played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Attendance at home games averaged 6,000 ...

. In 1986, he returned to the National Soccer League to play with Windsor Wheels. The following he assisted in securing the regular season title for Windsor. After a years, absence he returned to Windsor for the 1989 season. In 1990, he departed from Windsor after a dispute with management over missed payments. After his departure from Windsor, he played with Caboto Sting in the Michigan-Ontario League where he assisted in securing the Ontario Cup. He subsequently returned to Windsor for the

1991 season File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...

Managerial career

In 1992, he transitioned into the managerial side and became the head coach for the Windsor Wheels in the National Soccer League. In 1994, he served as an assistant coach under Mike Francis for the Detroit Wheels in the United States Interregional Soccer League. He later was elevated to the head coach position. He would also serve as an assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines men's soccer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Souza, Waldir de 1952 births Living people Brazilian men's footballers Footballers from São Paulo Men's association football defenders Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras players New York Eagles players Detroit Lightning players Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Kansas City Comets (1979–1991) players Phoenix Inferno players Buffalo Stallions players Columbus Capitals players Carolina Lightnin' players Canadian National Soccer League players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Brazilian football managers Canadian National Soccer League coaches Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian expatriate football managers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States