Bobby Smith (American soccer)

Infobox Football biography
playername= Bobby Smith
fullname = Robert Smith
nickname =


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1951|3|29
cityofbirth =
countryofbirth = United States
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Defender
youthyears = 1969-1972
youthclubs = Rider University
years = 1973-1975
1976-1978
1979
1980
1980-1981
1981
clubs = Philadelphia Atoms
→ Dundalk "(loan)"
New York Cosmos
San Diego Sockers
Philadelphia Fury
→ Philadelphia Fever "(loan)"
Montreal Manic
caps(goals) = 62 (3)
47 (1)
10 (0)
22 (0)
24 (0)
nationalyears = 1973-1980
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 18 (0)
manageryears =
managerclubs =
pcupdate = 22:33, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
ntupdate = 7 December 2006

Robert "Bobby" Smith (born March 29, 1951) is a retired U.S. soccer defender who spent nine years in the North American Soccer League and one in the Football League of Ireland. He also earned eighteen caps with the United States men's national soccer team and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Youth

Smith grew up in Trenton, New Jersey and attended Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. [Fisher, Rich. [http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17524137&BRD=1697&PAG=461&dept_id=178120&rfi=6 "Indoor soccer coming soon to new Robbinsville facility"] , "Trentonian", November 29, 2006, accessed April 17, 2007. "Bobby Smith, the former Steinert High and Rider University standout who went on to star for the U.S. National Team and in the North American Soccer League, is now forming indoor leagues at the new, state-of-the-art Robbinsville Fieldhouse."] After high school, he attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey from 1969 through 1972. While at Rider, he played four seasons on the men's soccer team. He holds the college record for most goals in a season (18) and career (46).

NASL

The Philadelphia Atoms, a North American Soccer League (NASL) expansion franchise, drafted Smith in the second round of the 1973 College Draft. That year, Smith took home second team All Star honors as the Atoms ran to the NASL championship title. They set a record that season for allowing only 14 goals. Smith returned each of the next two seasons, but the Atoms were unable to replicate their first year success. Smith, on the other hand, continued to be recognized as one of the league's top defenders. In 1974, he was an All Star honorable mention (third team) and in 1975, he became the first native born U.S. player in the NASL to earn first team All Star recognition. Part of the reason for his success in 1975 came from a loan spell with Irish First Division club Dundalk during the 1974-1975 NASL off season. ^{[http://jamiepeck.com/atoms/history4.htm]}

In 1976, the Atoms sold Smith, and fellow team mate Bob Rigby, to the New York Cosmos for $100,000. The move came as part of the condition put on the Cosmos when they signed Pelé. Pelé insisted the Cosmos surround him with good supporting team mates and the Cosmos went shopping. ^{[http://freeweb.supereva.com/nycosmos/1976.htm?p]} Smith spent three seasons with the Cosmos, winning two more NASL championships with them and earning second team All Star honors in 1976. However, by his third season with the team, the influx of big name international players saw Smith's playing time drop to an all time low of nine games. At the end of the 1978 season, the Cosmos sent Smith to the San Diego Sockers. In 1979, he was named an honorable mention All Star, his fifth time on an All Star list. However, at the end of the season, the Sockers sent him to the Philadelphia Fury for the 1980 season. The Atoms had folded while Smith was with the Cosmos and the Fury was a new expansion franchise in Philadelphia.

Smith spent only one season with the Fury, but his time with the team led to his also playing for the Philadelphia Fever of Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) during the 1980-1981 indoor season. The Fever had already played a season, but coach George O'Neill--hoping to draw on seasoned pros the way defending champions New York Arrows had--remade the team with NASL veterans and drew on several Fury players, including Smith and teammate Bob Rigby. Despite the presence of Smith and other Fury players, the Fever performed poorly and soon vanished from the American soccer scene.

Smith then moved to the Montreal Manic of one last season in the NASL. At the end of 1981 season, Smith retired.

National team

Smith earned 18 caps with the U.S. national team. ^{[http://www.soccerhall.org/Registry/MensNationalTeam_P-T.htm#S]} His first appearance came in an August 12, 1973 victory over Poland. Smith became a regular on the team, seeing time in the rest of the U.S. games that year, as well as all of its games in 1974 and half the 1975 games. In 1976, he saw time in several games, the last being a 4-0 loss to Canada which eliminated the U.S. from qualification for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Smith would not play for the national team until 1980 when he played in his last game, a 1-1 tie with Portugal on October 7th.

After retiring from playing professionally, Smith returned to New Jersey where he has coached youth soccer. He currently owns a bar and runs the Bob Smith Soccer Academy in Trenton, New Jersey. ^{[http://www.bobsmithsoccer.com/]}

In 1997, Rider University inducted Smith into its Hall of Fame. ^{[http://209.204.127.116/deptsservs/everydept/athletics/sports/Otherlinks/halloffamefiles/smith.htm]}

He was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled for August 2007.

Smith was recently selected as the Grand Marshall for the 2008 Trenton St. Patrick's Day Parade.

References

External links

* [http://ussoccerplayers.com/players/bobby%5Fsmith/ USSoccerPlayers.com bio]
* [http://home.att.net/~nasl/all-stars.htm NASL All Star teams]