Hassan Nazari ( fa, حسن نظری, born August 19, 1956 in Abadan,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) is a retired

ian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. He usually played as a defender.

Playing career

He began his career in his hometown of Abadan, playing for clubs like 'Sepah Abadan' and Sanat Naft. His good play got him a transfer to one of Iranian football's better teams, Taj. There he could win the

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Ch ...

in 1977. By the time he was 19 he got his first call up to the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. He was a starter at the 1976 Asian Cup in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, which Iran won. He also participated in the football tournament at the 1976 Olympics where Iran progressed to the quarter-finals. He played his last meaningful games for the national team at World Cup 1978 in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He finished his international career with 35 caps and 1 goal. After the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

in Iran, he settled for

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

and in particular Al-Ahli club of

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

. Jointly with his national teammate, Hassan Roshan, they won the championship for Al Ahli in 1980. He then moved to

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

and played his last season of professional football. In 1985, he played for the

Dallas Americans Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League, which itself lasted two seasons. It is also the name ...

in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In 1989, he played for the Richardson Rockets in the

Southwest Independent Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

After retirement

After retiring, he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where he was able to obtain his "A" coaching license. He also was involved with the Dallas Tornado. After a short time there he created the Dallas Texans Soccer Club, which is a very successful youth team. During this time he also married an American woman. He now lives with his wife and children in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, and is the coaching director for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club, where he also coaches teams still. The club is often regarded as one of the best in the nation, often ranking #1. Several of the teams he has coached have gone on to win National Championships, the 87, 88, and 92 boys. Notable alumni Nazari has coached include

Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...

Omar Gonzalez Omar Alejandro Gonzalez (born October 11, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. A college soccer player for the Maryland Terrapins, he joined the LA ...

, Nick Garcia and Lee Nguyen.

References

External links

Hassan Nazari at TeamMelli.comInterview with Parsfootball.com
January 2005
Interview with LastKick.com
August 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazari, Hassan Dallas Americans players Iranian footballers Iran international footballers Association football defenders Esteghlal F.C. players Al Ahli Club (Dubai) players Sanat Naft Abadan F.C. players 1976 AFC Asian Cup players 1978 FIFA World Cup players AFC Asian Cup-winning players Iranian expatriate footballers People from Abadan, Iran Dallas Rockets players 1956 births Living people United Soccer League (1984–85) players USISL players Olympic footballers of Iran Footballers at the 1976 Summer Olympics UAE Pro League players Sportspeople from Khuzestan province